Pearl Lake State Park
State Park in Clark, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Sunday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
PO Box 750
Clark, CO 80428
United States
Pearl Lake State Park
State Park in Clark, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Sunday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Service Animals
- Horses
Park Address:
PO Box 750
Clark, CO 80428
United States
The calm waters of the lake reflect the trees and mountain. A kayak sits on the pier.
Welcome to Pearl Lake State Park
Visitors camp along the shoreline and on a ridge with amazing views. A stroll along the Pearl Lake trail provides a true escape from the day-to-day routine. For those looking for a peaceful winter get-away, two yurts offer a backcountry experience while being only half a mile off the beaten path.
3,098
acres
370+
species of birds
60
picnic sites
21+
miles of trails
Directions
Accessing the Park
From Steamboat Springs
Go west two miles on US 40 to County Road 129, then turn right. Go north 23 miles to Pearl Lake Road, turn east and drive the final two miles to the park.
Pearl Lake doesn't have its own visitor center. Please visit the Steamboat Lake Visitor Center, which is located on the northeast side of Steamboat Lake before Placer Cover campground and accessible from County Road 129.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
The boat ramp is located on the west side of the lakeand accessed from road County Road 209.
Fees and Passes
Pass |
Description |
Duration |
Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily Vehicle Pass |
Single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Day |
$10 |
|
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 |
Visitors 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 |
Nature and Wildlife
Visitors may observe mule deer and occasionally bear, as well as porcupine, red fox, pine squirrel, beaver or muskrat at the park. Over 200 species of migratory and resident birds are known in the park including northern harrier, osprey, great blue herons, western screech-owl, western bluebird, hairy and downy woodpeckers, red-winged blackbird and greater sandhill cranes. The cutthroat trout population at Pearl Lake is designated as Gold Medal. Brook trout, brown trout and grayling are occasionally reported.
Be on the Lookout for Birds
Can you spot all the resident and visiting bird species? Download the Bird List Brochure (PDF).
Birds You Might Find
- Longspur
- Northern Flicker
- Greater Roadrunner
- Turkey Vulture
Mammals You Might Find
- Mule Deer
- Fox Squirrel
- Hoary Bat
- Western Pocket Gopher
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Western Tiger Salamander
- Eastern Collared Lizard
- Boreal Chorus Frog
- Smooth Greensnake
Geology at This Park
The park is covered by Pleistocene till and Holocene alluvium on the west and north sides. South and east of Pearl Lake are exposures of Precambrian felsic gneiss and volcanic amphibolite.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
The major native plant communities at Pearl Lake include sagebrush shrubland (sagebrush, bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, needlegrass, lupine, mule's ears and prairie junegrass), lodgepole pine forest, northern subalpine forest (Englemann's spruce and Colorado blue spruce), aspen forest, willow carr wetland , marsh (sedge, rushes and bulrushes) and wet meadow.
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History
Barr Lake is named for one of the civil engineers who worked on the railroad in the area.
The Utes used the land that is now Steamboat Lake State Park as seasonal hunting grounds. Routt County Road 129, which leads from Steamboat Springs to Steamboat and Pearl lakes, was once a trail used by Native Americans as they moved across the land, following the seasonal migration paths of the animals they hunted. Because early peoples migrated through the area and did not build settlements, few archeological artifacts have been recovered.
As mining declined in the early twentieth century, ranching became a primary industry, first with cattle and later sheep. Grazing rights were contested between cattle and sheep ranchers during the “sheep and cattle wars.” John Kelly Heart and his wife Pearl were sheep ranchers where Pearl Lake now is located. Remaining historical sites include a saw mill site, the Quealy Cabin and the Wheeler Homestead area. Most of the Wheeler homestead was burned and inundated by Steamboat Lake.