Crawford State Park welcomes visitors for Pioneer Days

John Livingston
Southwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW

DELTA COUNTY, Colo. – Crawford State Park will offer free admission to visitors Saturday, June 10 as part of the Crawford Pioneer Days festivities.

The annual community festival will bring an action-packed day to the park. Day-use fees will be waived Saturday, though those in the park Sunday will need to have a valid park pass.

A 5-kilometer run will be held with staggered start times beginning at 8:30 a.m. through 9 a.m. June 10. There is no fee for the 5K run, though donations are welcomed. Runners looking to attend should check in at the Crawford State Park Peninsula Day Use Area.

The festival culminates with a fireworks extravaganza put on by the local fire department. The show will begin at dusk and last approximately 45 minutes.

“We’ve been happy to host this fireworks show for more than 35 years,” Park Manager Scott Rist said.

Rist reminds the public to exercise patience while entering and exiting the park. As many as 250 vehicles typically enter and exit the park for the fireworks show.

“People driving in and out of the park should expect traffic for the fireworks show,” he said. “We will have pedestrian traffic, and we want to keep everyone safe, so please drive slowly and be cautious.”

Rist also reminds the public to park only in designated areas and to keep vehicles off of park vegetation.

The reservoir at Crawford is full for the first time since 2019. While the water temperature has risen to 60 degrees, it is important to have a personal floatation device (PFD) when recreating on the water.

“We just always want to remind people, even strong swimmers, that it’s important to have a PFD when they are on the water to reduce the risk of drowning,” Rist said. “Even in 60-degree water, it’s cold and hypothermia can set in quickly and impair your ability to self rescue.”

Crawford State Park is located in Delta County along Highway 92 southeast of Hotchkiss and northeast of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The reservoir is known as a quality perch and crappie fishery and offers good chances to fish for warm water species such as largemouth bass.

“Fishing has really been picking up, and it is great to see the reservoir full again,” Rist said.

For more information on Crawford State Park, go to: https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Crawford

Reservations for campgrounds can be made at:https://cpw.state.co.us/buyapply/Pages/Reservations.aspx.

For more information on Crawford’s Pioneer Days, go to: www.crawfordpioneerdays.com.