Vega State Park
State Park in Collbran, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Daily, 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:
15247 North 6/10 Road Unit A
Collbran, CO 81624
United States
Vega State Park
State Park in Collbran, CO
Hours:
Park: Daily, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Office: Daily, 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:
15247 North 6/10 Road Unit A
Collbran, CO 81624
United States
Navigate to:
A field with thick trees approaching the reservoir
Welcome to Vega State Park
At an elevation of 8,000 feet, Vega State Park’s high-mountain reservoir is set against the scenic backdrop of a beautiful montane meadow. The park is located on the northeast edge of Grand Mesa National Forest in Western Colorado. Throughout the year, Vega welcomes nature enthusiasts with opportunities for birdwatching, hiking amidst the vibrant aspen foliage, fishing and cross-country skiing.
1,823
acres
109
campsites
27
picnic sites
7
miles of trail
Directions
Accessing the Park
From Grand Junction
From I-70, take exit 49 to Highway 65. Go approximately 11 miles on Highway 65, and turn left onto Highway 330. Go twelve miles to the town of Collbran. Stay on 330 East past Collbran for about 12 miles to Mesa County Rd. 64.6/10ths Rd. and turn right at the Vega State Park sign. Go five miles to the park entrance station. Go another half mile, and turn right across Vega Dam to the park’s Visitor Center.
Vega State Park’s Visitor Center is located 5.5 miles from the park entrance and past the dam.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Island Boat Ramp
The Island Boat Ramp is located on the north side of the reservoir by the Island campground and day-use area and is accessed from County Road 64.6.
Early Settlers Boat Ramp - Closed for the season
The Early Settlers Boat Ramp is located on the southwest side of the reservoir by the Early Settlers Campground and day-use area and is accessed from Vega South Road.
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
A variety of animals, including mule deer, elk and marmot, as well as diverse wetland, shoreline and aquatic plant communities, await the nature enthusiast at Vega State Park. The park also boasts intriguing geological features.
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
- Raven
- Black-billed Magpie
- Mountain Blue Bird
- Spotted Sandpiper
Mammals You Might Find
- Yellow-bellied Marmot
- Northern American Porcupine
- Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
- Mountain Cottontail
Reptiles and Amphibians You Might Find
- Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Geology at This Park
Vega State Park sits on the northeast side of Grand Mesa, a flat-topped formation rising to 11,234 feet. The exposed rocks are Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments capped by basaltic lava flows that form a distinctive Y shape. Erosion has sculpted the landscape, leaving the ancient lava flow standing above the surrounding terrain.
During the Pleistocene era, thick icecaps covered much of the mesa, with ice cascading along old stream courses and creating slumps on the Mesa margins. During later ice ages, large slumps occurred on the margins of the mesa, forming a broad bench of rotated lava blocks, behind which small lakes formed.
In the past, the area now occupied by Vega State Park was a freshwater system. During the Paleozoic, it teemed with river creatures, including giant turtles and crocodiles, whose fossils are occasionally still found today.
Habitats and Plants at This Park
Park uplands are dominated by aspen forest, mixed mountain shrubland and montane meadow plant communities. Aspen forest communities are extremely diverse, supporting aspen, Colorado blue spruce, Rocky Mountain maple, roses, serviceberry, red-osier dogwood, and a variety of forbs and grasses. Gambel oak, serviceberry, chokecherry and snowberry dominate mixed-mountain shrubland communities. Montane meadows within the park were once mown for hay and grazed by cattle. There is a diverse mixture of native and introduced grass and forb species, including tufted hairgrass, Arctic rush, water sedge, smooth brome, timothy and reed canarygrass, along with the fortes lupine and mule's ear. Diverse wetland, riparian and aquatic plant communities have become established around the reservoir.
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History
The first European settlers came into the area now known as Vega State Park in the fall of 1881 after the Ute were pushed onto reservations in eastern Utah. Before then, the park was visited in 1776 by the Spanish explorers Dominguez and Escalante as they searched for a more direct route to California. They named the area Las Vegas, or “The Meadows.”
By 1885, most of the fertile soil of the Meadows had been homesteaded. Twenty-five families were living there year-round. Both dairy herds and beef cattle were raised. A post office, cemetery and school were soon built, as were two sawmills.
Most of the original settlers had moved away by 1924, leaving fewer than a dozen families. Because few had school-age children, in 1936 the school was closed.
In 1957, the need for increased water storage for irrigation in Plateau Valley spurred the construction of Vega Reservoir by the Bureau of Reclamation. The 900-surface-acre reservoir, part of the Collbran Project, was completed by June of 1962. Vega gets its water from a feeder canal off Park and Leon creeks, in addition to direct flow from the headwaters of Plateau Creek.
In 1967, the Bureau of Reclamation struck an agreement with the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation to have the area managed as a state recreation area. In addition to the reservoir, 925 acres of upland are now managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, providing recreational activities, open space and wildlife habitat.