Of course, it’s meant to be funny. After all, we live in a landlocked state 1,000 miles from the nearest ocean. The water we are known for is frigid melted snow that feeds many of the major rivers of the West.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a place to cool off in the water or have a beach-like experience on a hot summer afternoon. High-elevation lakes are usually too cold for a swim — OK maybe for 10 minutes in July before it clouds up and storms. At lower elevations, mostly in man-made reservoirs, the water warms for what can be a comfortable swimming experience, or floating in a canoe or fishing from the shoreline.

We’ve put together a guide for going for a dip this summer. Keep in mind, as the snow melts in spring and the rivers run high, the swimming conditions can range from comfortable to deadly. Swimmers die every summer in Colorado, as frigid water can make the body lock up in seconds. A life jacket is always a good idea in deep water.

Also, for boat owners, most lakes require inspections for invasive zebra mussels.

Lake Pueblo State Park

In southern Colorado, a region known as the state’s “banana belt” for its mild climate, this reservoir is one of the most reliably warm swimming holes in the state.

With 4,600 acres of water and 60 miles of shoreline, multiple marinas, picnic facilities and hundreds of campsites, it’s a water lover’s paradise, especially if you moved here from a warmer state.

Motor boats are allowed, and you’ll see plenty of people water-skiing and tubing on a hot day. If you have a boat, better yet a friend with a boat, you can find secret coves to while away the day.

Getting there:  Turn west on US Hwy 50 (Exit 101). Drive four miles to Pueblo Blvd. Turn south and go four miles to Thatcher Blvd (Hwy 96). Turn west and go four miles to the south park entrance. For the north entrance (where the campgrounds are) turn on McCulloch Blvd. Turn south and go 4 miles to Nichols Road.

Entry fee: $10/vehicle

John Martin Reservoir State Park

This large reservoir hides in the rolling prairie of southeast Colorado, 20 miles west of the town of Lamar. All types of boats are allowed and the water is usually comfortable for swimming. You can take a dip anywhere you like, and there’s a swim beach at Lake Hasty located below the dam.

Aside from the water, it’s also a bird-watcher’s paradise, with more than 400 species known to frequent the area. It’s a far enough drive from Denver that you’ll experience few, but still close enough for a long day trip or easy weekend at one of the hundreds of campsites.

Getting there: Take US Highway 50 west from Lamar approximately 20 miles to Hasty. Turn south on CR 24 (School Street) and proceed approximately 2 miles. The Visitor Center is on the right just past the curve.

Entry fee: $10/vehicle

Paradise Cove

Before the internet, this was a secret swimming hole near Guffey in southern Park County, spread through word of mouth.

Today it’s hugely popular yet still stunning place to take a dip. A short hike from the parking lot takes you down to the water, fed by a waterfall, surrounded by steep rock walls.

The area is administered by the Bureau of Land Management, which has made the area day-use only. There are toilets and trash receptacles at the parking lot.

Getting there: From U.S. Highway 160 in Park County, turn left onto CR 42/Twin Rocks Rd and drive 6 miles. Turn left onto Teller CR 1 and drive 6 miles. Turn right onto CR 11 for 4 miles. Turn right onto Teller CR 112 and continue approximately 3 miles. Guffey Gorge is on the right side.

Entry fee: $6/vehicle

Boulder Reservoir

This 700-acre reservoir, owned by the city of Boulder, boasts one of the largest swim beaches in Colorado, with picnic facilities and even lifeguards. There are locker rooms, showers and even a restaurant, all within an easy drive from anywhere in the Denver area.

Boating is allowed, though all watercraft, down to inflatable kayaks, must have a permit, purchased from the city’s website.

It’s not as remote or quiet as some lakes, but for an easy day or half-day trip to the beach, it’s hard to beat.

Getting there: 1777 Broadway, Boulder, CO

Entry fee: $12/individual, $20/vehicle

Jackson Lake State Park

This lake has something not all Colorado lakes do: Long sandy beaches and campsites right along the water. No wonder it’s been named one of the Top 15 Park Beaches by Reserve America. There’s plenty of room to spread out and sunbathe, go fishing or take a swim.

The lake is huge, 2,500 surface acres, with multiple boat ramps and a marina, and all types of boats are allowed. Swimming is permitted on the west and south shores.

Getting there: From Denver, head east on I-76. Take the second Wiggins exit (exit 66). Turn left (north) on CO 39/CO 52. Drive approximately 9 miles. Continue half a mile past Goodrich. Turn left onto County Road Y.5 and stay on County Road Y.5

Entry fee: $10/vehicle

River water parks

Colorado’s recreation economy has long embraced thrilling whitewater rafting on many of Colorado’s rivers. The water on these river runs is usually ice-cold and dangerous.

Many cities and towns have developed water parks where people can surf, tube or paddle-board in purposely-built play waves, leading to a burgeoning surf culture far from any saltwater, usually with a wetsuit until the melt-off ends.

You’ll find such water parks throughout the state, including Buena Vista and Salida on the Arkansas, Glenwood Springs on the Colorado, Del Norte on the Rio Grande and Fort Collins on the Cache La Poudre.

Hot springs

We get it, 70-degree water isn’t for everyone. Colorado has ice and snow, but it also has fire, water bubbling to the surface heated by geothermal forces.

They range from free, primitive “hippie dips” to posh commercial resorts and everything in-between. Here are a few of the best for a classic summer poolside experience: Sand Dunes Recreation in the San Luis Valley; Mount Princeton Hot Springs near Buena Vista; Glenwood Springs, with the largest hot springs pool in the world; and Pagosa Hot Springs.

The state agency’s maritime emergency response team recovered the boater’s body at 9:23 p.m. Friday, according to the agency. A dog’s body was found underneath the capsized boat, state officials said.

Pueblo County coroner’s officials will identify the boater and the cause of death at a later date.

The search started Friday afternoon, shortly after a boat of people waved down Parks and Wildlife officers responding to the capsized boat on Lake Pueblo, according to a from the agency. The group had rescued a survivor who swam about 100 yards from the capsized fishing boat to shore and was taking him into the marina, but the other person from the boat was missing.

Officials said the fishing boat capsized near Pedro’s Point on Lake Pueblo about 12:45 p.m. The boat had lifejackets, but they weren’t worn, according to Parks and Wildlife.

Wildlife officers and other first responders, including a helicopter crew, searched the lake for hours before finding the boater’s body, according to the agency.

“Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers our condolences to the family and friends of the victim, and everyone involved in this tragic incident,” Lake Pueblo State Park Manager Joe Stadterman said in a statement.

Wildlife officers and a diver with the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a possible drowning at Lake Pueblo just before noon Tuesday, according to a from the state wildlife agency.

Witnesses told investigators that a man without a life jacket went under in 23-foot-deep water about 200 feet from shore on the east end of the lake, near the dam, the news release stated.

State Park workers were on shore within two minutes of the notification, and two Parks and Wildlife boat crews were searching the reservoir within 15 minutes, officials said.

The victim’s body was recovered from the water shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday. Wildlife officials said he was in his late teens.

The Pueblo County coroner’s office will identify the victim and the cause of death.

According to state wildlife officials, other deaths at Lake Pueblo State Park this year include:

• A man who on May 14 near Sailboard Beach.
• A fisherman who died after his boat overturned in high winds on May 30. Two other anglers on board .
• A man who died on June 7 after jumping into the reservoir in Rock Creek Cove. His friends and began CPR before calling 911.
• A man who drowned after he on June 19.
• And a woman who died in a boating accident near Denver Cove on July 19.

As Colorado water deaths trend lower, this rescue team trains in ‘the most difficult conditions’ to keep people safe

The self-service kiosks — at Sailboard Beach and South Fishing Beach — allow people to borrow lifejackets for the day if they don’t have one or forgot to bring one. They come in adult, youth and infant sizes, and are routinely stocked and organized by park rangers. The jackets are meant to be returned after they have been used. The two stations were originally installed in May.

Related: Lifejacket loaner stations, donated by parents of drowning victims, aim to save lives on Colorado lakes, rivers

The stations are part of a larger effort by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to add lifejacket loaner stations to multiple state parks and other state-managed public areas. More than 40 have been built at places like Chatfield, Cherry Creek and Boyd Lake state parks.

They’re also a way for family members to honor loved ones who have drowned, and to help prevent other drownings. At Lake Pueblo State Park, money was donated by the Cole Mika Fund and the Drennen’s Dreams Foundation (with support from Children’s Hospital Colorado).

More than 30 people have died in each of the past two years in lakes and reservoirs, and on the state’s waterways, according to the parks department. There were a record 42 deaths in 2022.

The number has been trending lower this year so far, but there have been at least 11 deaths or drownings, according to press releases from the department. Four of those took place at Lake Pueblo State Park, “with a commonality that the victims were not wearing life jackets.”

The accident involved “a powered watercraft and contact with the engine propeller” near Denver Cove at about 4 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the state agency.

The cove is mid-lake near the north shore, agency officials said.

Pueblo State Park rangers and Pueblo West Fire Department crews responded to the boating accident, according to the release. A park ranger patrol boat escorted the boat with the victim to the North Shore Marina, where the other first responders were waiting.

The woman, who has not been publicly identified, died at the scene, agency officials said.

She will be identified by the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office.

The circumstances of the boating accident are under investigation, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

High winds overturned a boat with three anglers on Lake Pueblo at about 8 p.m. Friday, near Bogg’s Creek Cove, according to a news release from the agency.

None of them were wearing life jackets, agency officials said in the release.

Two adults were able to swim to shore, but the third was missing for nearly 23 hours before the state wildlife agency’s Marine Evidence Recovery Team found his body, the release stated.

The search — which involved state wildlife officers, Pueblo County sheriff’s deputies and a crew from the Pueblo West Fire Department — used multiple boats with sonar capabilities, an underwater robot, a drone to scan shorelines and thermal cameras to find the missing fisherman.

Crews found the victim at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. He will be identified by the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office.

“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the victim,” Lake Pueblo State Park Manager Joe Stadterman stated in the news release. “Any loss of life in our state parks is a terrible day.”

Everyone on the water should wear a life jacket in Colorado, including boaters, kayakers and paddle boarders, state officials said.

Life jackets are required when operating or riding in a boat, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. One U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket must be available for each person on board.

Lake Pueblo visitors can use free life jackets from the park’s loaner station.

“Most boating accidents happen when someone falls overboard,” . “A life jacket will keep your airway clear of water and your head above water, and it will support your body should you stop swimming or become unconscious.”

Roughly nine out of 10 people who drown in Colorado are not wearing a life jacket and 80% of boating accident deaths could have been avoided if a life jacket had been worn, according to wildlife officials.

Dustyn Courtney, 29, and Trevion Lucas, 20, both from Pueblo, were fatally shot just after midnight Friday near Sailboard Beach on the north side of the lake, according to a Monday news release from the CBI.

The suspect, an unknown male, got into an alleged argument and physical fight with Courtney before shooting him with a handgun, according to investigators. Lucas was not involved in the fight and officers are still investigating why he was shot, the release states.

According to witnesses, the gunman fled the scene and officers still are working to identify him.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers and deputies from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office found the bodies when they responded to a call for help from the lake around 12:45 a.m.

Sailboard Beach was closed for the investigation and reopened on Saturday afternoon. The shooting is under investigation by the CBI, according to the release.

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The shooting happened just after midnight at Lake Pueblo’s Sailboard Beach area on the north side of the lake, not far from the dam, where a group was fishing from shore, CPW officers said in a .

CPW officers responded to a call for help from the lake around 12:45 a.m., according to Pueblo Lake park manager Joe Stadterman. Deputies from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene.

When CPW officers arrived at the lake, they found two bodies and called in the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the news release stated.

The Pueblo County Coroner removed the bodies and will perform autopsies to determine the cause of death, identify the victims and inform their families, the release said.

Witnesses said the gunman fled the scene, according to Stadterman.

“We believe there is no threat to guests in the park at this time,” Stadterman said. “However, there is no suspect in custody.”

The Sailboard Beach area has been closed off for the investigation and is an active crime scene, but the park, its campgrounds and the marinas remain open, the news release stated. The beach area will be closed indefinitely.

CPW handed the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Friday afternoon.

This is a developing story and may be updated. 

The swimmer was reported missing around 8:15 p.m. Saturday, according to a Sunday news release from CPW. Witnesses said the swimmer was last seen near the Sailboard Beach area west of the dam.

Rangers and divers from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office searched the lake and found the swimmer’s body around 11 p.m. Saturday. The body was in 6 feet deep water around 75 feet from the shore, according to the news release.

The person’s name has not yet been publicly released, officials said.

This is the 19th water-related death in the state this year, according to CPW.

“We hate seeing a life lost so tragically,” said Joe Stadterman, Lake Pueblo State Park Manager, in the Sunday release. “This is another sad example of the importance of wearing life jackets when you are in or even near the water.”

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, whether nestled in the mountains or sprawled across the prairies, alongside flowing rivers, or in dense forests. Embark on an adrenaline-pumping whitewater rafting adventure or gather for a family picnic. Enjoy snowshoeing in the winter or ambling along serene trails.

From Eastern Plains parks at 3,800 feet to the heights of high-mountain parks at 9,500 feet, Colorado’s network of parks offers a plethora of activities for people of all ages.

Related: Sales of new DMV-issued state park passes reach $30 million

And now it’s easier — and cheaper — than ever to get out and enjoy nature thanks to the program. Through a partnership with the Colorado Department of Revenue, Colorado Parks & Wildlife launched the program on Jan. 3, 2023, to give residents discounted access to the state’s 42 state parks.

Under the program, Colorado residents can purchase an annual state parks pass for $29 — normally $80 per year — with their annual vehicle registration. Since the program kicked off, about 30% of Colorado residents have purchased the discounted pass, raising about $48 million.

The funds help keep parks clean and maintained, supporting search and rescue teams and safety programs.

“The hope is that people will see that it’s a good deal, and it’s a great way to give back to search and rescue, avalanche and contribute to outdoor education,” said CPW Public Information Officer Bridget O’Rourke.

Visitors to state parks show their vehicle registration cards, which have the Colorado Parks and Wildlife logo on them, to indicate they’ve opted into the program. You can also make your pass digital and display it on your phone. Passes are valid for one year or until the vehicle registration expires.

The Keep Colorado Wild passes are linked to the valid registration of specific cars, motorcycles, recreation vehicles or light trucks. Purchase a pass for each vehicle you want to use to enter a state park.

Last year, there were 18 million visitors to Colorado’s parks, up from 15 million in 2019.

“It’s stayed mostly the same since the pass has become available,” O’Rourke said. “We’re not seeing too much of an increase where it’s overburdening our parks.”

Because visitation fluctuates yearly, Colorado Parks & Wildlife needs to study the impact on the parks over the five years since the Keep Colorado Wild pass became available.

“We’ve seen an increase in visitation in the last five years,” she said. “That’s also when COVID hit and people were flocking to the outdoors. Now we’re seeing it go back to pre-COVID levels.”

Just a few of the parks you can visit using the Keep Colorado Wild pass include:

• Barr Lake State Park: a 1,900-acre prairie reservoir on the northeast side of Denver known for birdwatching. Many bald eagles spend winter in the area, and one pair regularly nests in the park during the summer.
• Rifle Falls: A 70-foot triple waterfall attracts movie crews and photographers from all over. The park offers good trout fishing, and the 50-seat Mountain Mist Amphitheater is popular for weddings.
• Lake Pueblo State Park: Boating, fishing, and water sports are popular at the park, which has 4,600 water acres surrounded by 12,000 acres of land. Anglers can fish for largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye, wiper, catfish, and trout.
• Golden Gate Canyon State Park: Located near Golden, the park’s 12,000-acre mountain, meadow and forest is a great choice for a close-in high-country hike. The park boasts a 100-mile view of the Continental Divide and 35 miles of trails. Mountain bikes and horses are allowed.
• Paonia: Surrounded by the Gunnison National Forest, this park near Somerset has a 334-acre lake along the North Fork of the Gunnison River. Jet and water skiing, powerboating, sailing and canoeing are permitted. Two campgrounds offer 13 scenic but primitive campsites with no hookups.

CPW’s mission is to perpetuate the state’s wildlife resources, provide a quality state parks system, and provide recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado’s natural resources.

The agency manages 42 state parks, all of Colorado’s wildlife, more than 300 state wildlife areas, and a host of recreational programs. It issues hunting and fishing licenses, conducts research to improve wildlife management, protects high-priority wildlife habitats through acquisitions and partnerships, and develops programs to understand, protect, and recover threatened and endangered species.

Whether on terra firma, navigating the waterways, atop lofty peaks, or traversing the gentle prairie lands amid rural tranquility or the vibrant cityscape, there’s an adventure awaiting in every season.

State parks symbolize a promise made by the residents of Colorado more than six decades ago: to preserve cherished landscapes where people of every generation can revel in the outdoors, gain insights into the state’s natural legacy, and feel motivated to safeguard it for posterity.

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