Frances Xavier Cabrini Day Office Closures
Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices, including park visitor centers, will be closed for the state holiday, Monday, Oct. 6. Some offices may have limited operations for the hunting season. Call ahead and plan accordingly.
State Park in Lake George, CO
Hours:
Half hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
Season: Park opens after spring ice through Nov. 15 annually, unless ice comes on sooner.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
Park Address:
4229 County Road 92
Lake George, CO 80827
United States
State Park in Lake George, CO
Hours:
Half hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
Season: Park opens after spring ice through Nov. 15 annually, unless ice comes on sooner.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
Park Address:
4229 County Road 92
Lake George, CO 80827
United States
Navigate to:
Aerial view of Spinney Mountain Reservoir at sunset.
Spinney Mountain State Park is nestled in the southeast corner of South Park at the foot of Spinney Mountain. Spectacular views of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range to the west and Thirtynine Mile Mountain to the southeast make the park a scenic alpine retreat. At Spinney Mountain Reservoir, world-class trout fishing awaits. A more tranquil and scenic setting is hard to find.
6,080
acres
220
species of birds
21
picnic sites
2,444
surface-acre reservoir
From Cañon City
Drive 10 miles west on US Hwy 50. Turn north on Hwy 9 and drive 47 miles to Hartsel. Turn east on US Hwy 24 and drive 12 miles to County Road 23. Turn south and drive 1.8 miles to County Road 59. Turn west and drive a half mile to the park entrance.
Spinney Mountain does not have a Visitor Center or Park Office. A self-service pay kiosk is located on the west side of the reservoir on the gauging station access road. The Park Office located at Eleven Mile State Park also serves Spinney Mountain State Park.
Directions to the Park Office
The Eleven Mile Park Office is located in the camper services building near Rocky Ridge Campground on Park County Road 92.
Hours: Half an hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset.
North Boat Ramp
The north boat ramp is located on the northeast side of the reservoir and is accessed by the North Access Road.
South Boat Ramp
The south boat ramp is located on the southern end of the reservoir next to the south parking lots and is accessed by the North Access Road.
For seasonal OPEN/CLOSED and more information, see the Park Highlights page > Facilities > Boat Ramps section.
The North and South Boat Ramps are now CLOSED TO TRAILERED vessels. The gates will remain open so that you can hand launch through October 31, but no trailers are allowed in the water due to low water levels.
Spinney Mountain State Park will close for the season on November 15 at one half hour after sunset unless ice comes on the reservoir before then.
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10-$12 |
|
Individual Daily Pass |
For individual entry on foot, bicycle, horseback, etc at select parks |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
12 Months |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
12 Months |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Colorado residents 64+ |
12 Months |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
12 Months |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Colorado resident veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
Colorado resident first responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
This mountain park and reservoir offer a rich tapestry of wildlife, plants and geological marvels to observe.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all the resident and visiting bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
The South Platte River Valley, home to Spinney Mountain and its reservoir, boasts a geological tapestry covered by Wisconsin-aged glacial outwash. This outwash, dating back 15,000 to 10,000 years, resulted from the final glaciation period in central North America, which deposited a mix of sediments: fine silt and clay, alongside larger particles of sand and gravel.
Spinney Mountain, reaching an elevation of 9,524 feet, is predominantly formed of Precambrian rocks, particularly Pikes Peak granite. The Precambrian Era spans from the Earth's formation 4.5 billion years ago to the emergence of abundant hard-shelled animals 542 million years ago at the onset of the Cambrian Era. Pikes Peak granite, a widespread geologic formation in Colorado's front range, is an intrusive, felsic igneous rock with a medium to coarse texture. The granite, formed by cooled magma, presents as tors and rounded massifs, and can exhibit colors ranging from pink to dark gray or black.
The underlying geological layers in the park include Tertiary Denver formation rocks, encompassing Cretaceous Pierre and Benton shales, and the Niobrara formation. Shale, a common sedimentary rock, is characterized by fine-grained layers and is prevalent in the Pierre shale, which was deposited in the Western Inland Seaway during the Cretaceous period.
Benton shale, another marine shale from the Cretaceous, formed from mud deposits and contains numerous fossils of marine mollusks, ammonites and scaphites. The Cretaceous period, approximately 145.5 to 65.5 million years ago, witnessed the end of dinosaurs, the emergence of new mammal and bird groups, and the advent of flowering plants.
The Niobrara Formation, known as Niobrara chalk, was laid down in North America between 87 and 82 million years ago during the late Cretaceous. Comprising two units, the Smoky Hill Chalk Member and the Fort Hayes Limestone Member, it originated from the shells of microscopic golden brown algae in the Western Inland Seaway and is 600 feet thick. The Smoky Hill Chalk Member is particularly fossil rich, preserving well-detailed marine reptiles, while the Fort Hayes Limestone Member displays thick beds of chalk and limestone, interspersed with shale layers.
Its rich geological history, shaped by ancient seas, glaciers and mountain-building events, contributes to the unique and diverse landscape of Spinney Mountain State Park.
Ecologically, the park uplands are dominated by short-grass prairie. This eco-type is heavily populated with grass species that include blue grama, ring muhly, three awn, western wheatgrass, junegrass and squirreltail. Common wildflowers and small shrubs found here include Indian paintbrush, copper mallow, wallflower, sulfur-flower, locoweed, fringed sagewort, rabbitbrush and snakeweed.
A sparse montane coniferous forest grows on the flanks of Spinney Mountain itself. Ponderosa and limber pine are present with an understory of mountain mahogany, rabbitbrush, currant, blue and sideoats grama, mountain muhly, Arizona fescue, needle-and-thread grass and Spanish bayonet.
Diverse wetland, riparian and aquatic plant communities have become established around the reservoir and below the dam.
Nov
11
Tuesday, Nov 11
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
As a thank you to U.S. military members, Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers veterans, active-duty military and the National...
Nov
11
Tuesday, Nov 11
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
As a thank you to U.S. military members, Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers veterans, active-duty military and the National...
Nov
11
Tuesday, Nov 11
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
As a thank you to U.S. military members, Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers veterans, active-duty military and the National...
Nov
11
Tuesday, Nov 11
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
As a thank you to U.S. military members, Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers veterans, active-duty military and the National...
Nestled in the southeastern corner of South Park, a 900-square-mile upland valley in central Colorado, Spinney Mountain State Park offers a rich cultural and natural history.
The prehistory of South Park dates back around 12,000 years, with evidence of Folsom, Plano, Archaic and Woodland prehistoric cultures. By 1,000 CE, the Utes inhabited the mountainous region west of the Front Range, maintaining a hunting and gathering lifestyle for several centuries. Occasional conflicts with neighboring tribes occurred, but the Utes largely occupied the area.
The appearance of Western Europeans in the area began in the 1600s with French trappers, followed by Spanish expeditions in the 1700s. The 1859 gold rush marked the beginning of the mining era, resulting in the displacement of Ute hunting camps by mining towns. Of the early settlements, only Fairplay survived.
The turn of the 20th century witnessed the establishment of trails, wagon roads and railroads, contributing to mining, ranching, lumber industries and tourism. The Colorado Midland Railroad, operational from 1887 to 1918, facilitated wildflower excursions to Spinney, named after rancher Ben Spinney. Passengers enjoyed collecting wildflowers and posing for photographs before the railroad's dismantling in 1921.
In 1926, the Board of Water Commissioners initiated the Eleven Mile Canyon dam and reservoir project. In May 1973, the City of Aurora explored water storage alternatives, leading to the construction of Spinney Mountain Reservoir. Completed in 1981, the 95-foot-high dam now stores water for the City of Aurora. Public recreation began in 1982, managed by the city until 1987 when a contract with Colorado Parks and Wildlife officially added Spinney Mountain to the state park system.
