Highline Lake State Park to open for boating May 17

Rachael Gonzales
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-773-8587 / [email protected]
Twitter: @CPW_NW Highline Lake State Park to open for boating May 17

LOMA, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife announces Highline Lake will reopen for boating beginning Saturday, May 17, at 7 a.m.

“We want to thank our boating community for their understanding during this time,” said Highline Lake State Park Manager Alan Martinez. “We greatly appreciate your patience and are excited to be able to reopen the lake once again to boating.”

In anticipation of welcoming boats back to Highline Lake, the boat ramp located on the west side of the park received much-needed repairs, including a new concrete pad in 2024. Upgrades to the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) inspection and decontamination stations were also made in early 2025 in anticipation of a busy boating season. 

Recreational boaters and anglers can expect similar boating protocols as they did in 2023 for the upcoming 2025 boating season. These changes were implemented after the discovery of zebra mussels in September of 2022, prompting CPW to designate Highline Lake as Colorado’s first infested body of water.

Boating hours for 2025:

• May 17 to May 23, boating will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• May 24 through Labor Day Weekend, boating will be open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What to expect for the 2025 boating season: 

• Boats launching at Highline Lake will be subject to inspection and decontamination protocols before launching. 

• All boats must be clean, drained and dry before launching at Highline Lake, or they will be decontaminated.

• Upon exiting the lake, all boats will be inspected and decontaminated, and boaters will be issued a green seal and a blue receipt indicating the boat was last used on a body of water with a known aquatic nuisance species. 

“Our efforts to fight the zebra mussel infestation at Highline Lake will continue,” said Robert Walters, Invasive Species Program Manager.  “We remain hopeful that draining the lake has eradicated zebra mussels; however, Highline Lake will be considered infested until we have five consecutive years of negative results. During this time, boats leaving Highline Lake will require decontamination as part of our ongoing efforts to stop zebra mussels from spreading further within our state.”

In addition to inspection and decontamination protocols, boaters are reminded that Wakeless Wednesdays will be in effect every Wednesday through September 30. This does not eliminate motorized boating on Wednesdays. However, no boat or watercraft is allowed to operate at speeds that create a wake. Any motorized boat that enters Highline Lake during this time is required to go through inspection and decontamination protocols. 

Following the return of normal water levels, CPW will begin restocking Highline Lake. Initially, catchable trout will be harvestable for anglers. “Our goal is to rebuild a robust and diverse fishery that offers fishing opportunities for a variety of desirable warmwater fish as well as seasonal fishing opportunities for cold water rainbow trout,” said Kristina Morben, Grand Junction Area Aquatic Biologist. “Rebuilding this renowned fishery will take time, but we are committed to rebuilding so it is once again a destination fishery.” Bag and possession limits for fish were temporarily removed from Highline Lake in 2024 to allow anglers to harvest as many fish as possible before the draining of the lake.  Effective immediately, emergency regulations for Highline Lake have been removed, and the normal fishing regulations now apply.  More details on the fishing regulations at Highline Lake can be found in the 2025 fishing brochure.

Be a pain in the ANS: Clean, Drain and Dry your vessels and fishing gear
Everyone has a part to play in preventing the introduction and spread of invasive species in Colorado. Simple actions, like cleaning, draining and drying your motorized and hand-launched vessels, including paddleboards and kayaks, can significantly protect Colorado's waters. These steps are crucial in helping to prevent situations similar to the recent one at Highline Lake.

Anglers are also encouraged to keep their angling gear free of mud and plants between each and every use. By cleaning, draining and drying your angling gear, you can prevent unknowingly moving a species from one body of water to another, even within different stretches of the same river, causing a domino effect of invasion with irreversible ecological damage.

Learn more about how you can prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species and tips to properly clean, drain and dry your boating and fishing gear by visiting our website. Tips for anglers and a map of CPW’s new gear and watercraft cleaning stations is available here.
 

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Background
In October 2023, Highline Lake State Park and ANS Sampling crews discovered more adult zebra mussels during routine work to remove buoys from the water in preparation for winter. While efforts in early 2023 did not achieve the ultimate goal of eradicating zebra mussels, CPW believes it helped to keep population numbers at a manageable level, given that a single female zebra mussel can produce more than 30,000 eggs per reproductive cycle. CPW conducted an additional round of molluscicide applications in November of 2023 and doubled the molluscicide concentration (compared to the spring treatment) to further suppress zebra mussels.

In early 2024, after the additional discovery of adult zebra mussels in 2023, CPW lowered Highline Lake as part of a more aggressive approach to eradicating zebra mussels and ultimately emptied the lake. With the lower water levels, CPW closed Highline Lake to all motorized boating for the 2024 boating season for the first time since 1967. On Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, CPW completed the draining of Highline Lake, marking the first time in 60 years that the lake has been fully emptied.