Sylvan Lake State Park
State Park in Eagle, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Daily, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., as staffing permits
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Horses
- Service Animals
Park Address:
10200 Brush Creek Road
Eagle, CO 81631
United States
Sylvan Lake State Park
State Park in Eagle, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Daily, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., as staffing permits
Entrance Fees:
Daily Vehicle Pass: $10
Individual Daily Pass: $4
Animals Permitted:
- Leashed Dogs
- Horses
- Service Animals
Park Address:
10200 Brush Creek Road
Eagle, CO 81631
United States
Navigate to:
A canoe next to a dock with a wide view of Sylvan Lake and the nearby mountains
Welcome to Sylvan Lake State Park
At Sylvan State Park, tranquility meets nature in a picturesque setting surrounded by the White River National Forest. The breathtaking mountain landscape, plentiful recreational activities, opportunities for wildlife observation, and excellent fishing and hiking options offer year-round enjoyment for visitors seeking a serene and wooded escape.
There is no cell or internet service in the Sylvan Lake State Park area.
1,550
acres
30
picnic sites
42
acre lake
7.8
miles of trails
Directions
Accessing the Park
From I-70
Take I-70 to Eagle (exit 147). Turn south through the Eby Creek roundabouts, under the railroad and across the river, then west on US Hwy 6 (Grand Ave) for 0.9 miles. At the roundabout, take the third exit onto Sylvan Lake Road for 1.7 miles. Turn south on Brush Creek Road and travel nine miles to the Visitor Center. Continue on Brush Creek Road until the road forks and becomes dirt.
To the Park, Cabins and Campsites
At the fork, stay right and travel 5 miles to the lake, campground and cabins.
To the Yurts
At the fork, take the left fork and travel 4.5 miles. The yurts are on the left at the top of the switchbacks. The yurts are 9.5 miles from the lake.
The Sylvan Lake Visitor Center is 10 miles south of Eagle on Brush Creek Road.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
The boat ramp is located on the north side of the lake between the cabins and the day use area, and accessed from Brush Creek Road / Forest Road 400.
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. |
1 Day |
$4 |
|
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for Colorado residents |
1 Year |
$29 |
|
|
Annual Vehicle Pass (Affixed) |
Pass for a single vehicle and its occupants |
1 Year |
$80 |
|
Family Annual Pass (Hang Tag) |
Members of the same household |
1 Year |
$120 |
|
Aspen Leaf Annual Pass |
Visitors 64+ |
1 Year |
$70 |
|
Centennial Pass |
Income-eligible Colorado residents |
1 Year |
$14 |
|
Columbine Pass |
Colorado residents with disabilities |
1 Year |
$14 |
|
Veterans License Plate |
DMV vehicle registration renewal option for military veterans (disabled veterans or purple heart plates) |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Independence Lifetime Pass |
Veterans with disabilities |
Lifetime |
Free |
|
Blue Spruce Pass |
First responders with disabilities |
Lifetime |
$10 |
Nature and Wildlife
The understory in the aspen forest serves as a home for various mammals, like voles, shrews, red foxes, marmots, mule deer, elk, black bears, pine martens, coyotes, porcupines, cottontail rabbits and beavers. The park also hosts a variety of bird species typical to mountainous riparian shrublands and dense conifer/aspen forests, including broad-tailed hummingbirds and mountain bluebirds.
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
- Killdeer
- House Wren
- Osprey
- Canada Goose
Mammals You Might Find
- Wyoming Ground Squirrel
- Yellow-bellied Marmot
- Mule Deer
- Moose
Geology at This Park
The park is bordered on the southwest side by deposits from the Pleistocene era, which are remnants of more recent glacial activity of the Bull Lake and Pinedale glaciations. On the eastern side of the park, you'll find rocks from the Pennsylvanian/Permian Maroon Formation, characterized by maroon and grayish-red sandstones, conglomerates and mudstones. Moving to the northern boundary, there are rocks from the Permian and Triassic periods, forming the State Bridge Formation, with its distinctive orange-red to red-brown siltstones and sandstones.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
Sylvan Lake is located at 8,500 feet in the montane and lower subalpine life zones. The major plant communities on the slopes above the lake are aspen and montane coniferous forest. Lodgepole pine and Douglas fir dominate the montane coniferous forest community on moist slopes, while ponderosa pine and Rocky Mountain juniper occupy drier slopes.
The aspen forest is floristically diverse, with aspen, narrowleaf cottonwood, Colorado blue spruce and lodgepole pine in the overstory, and serviceberry, snowberry and a variety of wildflowers in the understory.
Near the reservoir, introduced grasslands are dominated by smooth brome, orchard grass and timothy. This area was planted for hay production in the past. Mesic sagebrush shrubland and mixed mountain shrubland occupy a small amount of the park. Diverse wetland, riparian and aquatic plant communities have become established around the reservoir and in West Brush Creek above and below the dam.
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History
The Ute lived in the Brush Creek Valley long before miners and homesteaders arrived in the 1880s. Archaeological evidence verifies the presence of hunter-gatherers in the area more than 10,000 years ago. These earliest residents likely lived in the Eagle Valley seasonally, migrating as seasons changed and the animals they hunted moved across the land.
- 1880: George Wilkinson, John W, Love and Webb Frost are credited with being the first people to bring domestic cattle into the Brush Creek valley from South Park. Agriculture and cattle ranching were important industries on Brush Creek until around 1940, when many of the young men who would have worked in these industries left to fight in World War II.
- By 1960s: Recreation began to replace ranching as the driving economic force in the valley.
- 1962: The State of Colorado purchased the Sylvan Lake property, which included 155 acres around Sylvan Lake, from an IRS auction. The property was initially developed and managed by the Parks section of Colorado Game, Fish and Parks as Sylvan Lake State Recreation Area.
- 1971: When the state legislature separated the agency into the Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (DPOR), the Division of Wildlife became responsible for the management of the site, and it became known as Sylvan Lake State Fishing Area.
- 1987: The Division of Wildlife approached the DPOR to consider taking management responsibilities for Sylvan Lake.
- July 1, 1987: Sylvan Lake State Park officially became a part of the Colorado State Park system.
- 1999: The DPOR bought several private land parcels on both East and West Brush creeks for public fishing and hunting access. Also in 1999, the DPOR leased two parcels along lower East Brush Creek from the State Land Board and constructed rental cabins at the lake.
- 2002: State Parks gained about 120 acres at the inlet of Sylvan Lake through a land exchange with the Forest Service, and the Visitor Center was constructed at the entrance to the park.
- 2011: State Parks merged with the Division of Wildlife to form Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which manages Sylvan Lake State Park today.
- 2018: The dam at Sylvan Lake was rebuilt, and funding was acquired to stabilize the historic schoolhouse.
Today Sylvan Lake State Park draws visitors looking for outdoor alpine recreation in a picturesque setting. The park’s key features include a 42-acre mountain lake, which is stocked with trout and is popular with anglers. Additionally, the campground at Sylvan Lake State Park, which is nestled against a mountain backdrop, is one of the most scenic spots in Colorado.