Paonia State Park considers wakeless Tuesdays
John LivingstonSouthwest Region Public Information Officer
970-759-9590 / [email protected]
@CPW_SW
A paddelboarder is pictured in 2017 at Paonia State Park. CPW photos/Dustin Doskocil
PAONIA, Colo. – Paonia State Park will consider closing its boat ramp to motorized vessels on Tuesdays in future summers, and public feedback is needed in the decision-making process.The introduction of wakeless days on certain weekdays has been popular at other lakes and reservoirs across the state, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife will consider a boat ramp closure for motorized vessels on Tuesdays ahead of the 2024 boating season.
“The closure would allow us to focus our staff on other activities and increase the user experience across the park,” said CPW Senior Ranger Jed Potter. “The park would still be open to non-motorized uses such as paddleboarding and kayaking on the closed Tuesdays.”
CPW notes that Paonia State Park has had two or fewer motorized boats launched on 92% of Tuesdays the last three years. On half of those days, there have been zero launches.
An exception to the closure would be made if a holiday such as the Fourth of July fell on a Tuesday.
“Other parks such as Highline Lake State Park have gone wakeless one day of the week, and it’s a day where non-motorized boaters can feel a bit safer out in the open water,” said Paonia State Park Manager Scott Rist. “We’d like to look into providing that opportunity for park visitors at Paonia.”
Public feedback can be provided via email to [email protected]. The public feedback period will be open for 30 days.
Paonia State Park is part of the Crawford, Paonia and Sweitzer Lake State Park complex. It is located in Gunnison County, 17 miles northeast of the town of Paonia along Highway 133.
Along with boating, the 1,523-acre park is also popular for camping and photographers interested in capturing wildlife and wildflowers. For more information on Paonia State Park, go to: https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Paonia.
Campsite reservations can be made through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website at: http://cpw.state.co.us.
Learn more about the Keep Colorado Wild Pass and how it benefits Colorado State Parks at: cpw.info/keepcoloradowildpass.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations, including: 43 state parks and more than 350 wildlife areas covering approximately 900,000 acres, management of fishing and hunting, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately $6 billion in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.