Press Room
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Vallecito Lake
General Information
Vallecito Lake Chamber of Commerce
17252 County Road 501
Bayfield, CO 81122
(970) 247-1573 or (800) 525-8855
info@vallecitolakechamber.com, www.VallecitoLakeChamber.com
SPECIAL EVENTS Call (970) 247-1573 or (800) 525-8855 for a complete calendar.
MEDIA CONTACT Anne Klein, Durango Area Tourism Office, 970-749-0991, anne@durango.org
Elevation | 8,000 feet above sea level |
Climate | Transition zone between semi-arid and mountain, summer daytime temps in the 70's and 80's, nighttime lows in the 50’s. Winter daytime temps in the 40’s, nighttime lows in the 10’s. |
Population | Approximately 400 – 500 full time residents; 2,000 summer only residents Approximately 48,000 in La Plata County. |
| National Forest | San Juan National Forest |
| Mountain Range | San Juan Range of the Rocky Mountains |
| Wilderness | Weminuche Wilderness Area Over 2.5 million acres of public land, surround Vallecito Lake |
| Location | Approximately 18 miles northeast of Durango in Southwestern Colorado |
| Nearby Towns | Durango, Ignacio, Bayfield |
| Nickname | Lake of the Little Valley |
| History | One of the largest and most beautiful bodies of water in Colorado. Vallecito, Spanish for "Little Valley" and ancestral home to many of Colorado's Ute Indians |
Vallecito Reservoir | Vallecito Dam was constructed 1938 – 1941 12 miles of shoreline Stocked with Trout, Kokeonee Salmon, Pike Fee area for boating and parking: Pine River Irrigation District, 970-884-2558 |
| Vallecito Dam | 162-foot-high earth-fill structure, which contains 3,738,000 cubic yards of material. Vallecito Dam is on the Pine River, 18 miles northeast of Durango. The reservoir has a total capacity of 129,700 acre-feet. The spillway is a gate-controlled, concrete-lined open channel, 2,300 feet long at the right abutment. The outlet is a twin section concrete conduit through the right abutment of the dam. |
| Community Center | Facility available for group rentals with indoor and outdoor space, 970-884-6080 |
| Rivers & Creeks | Pine River, Los Pinos River, Freeman Creek, Vallecito Creek and numerous small creeks |
| Cross Country Skiing | Groomed and ungroomed trails |
| Guest Ranches | Full-service guest ranches with all-inclusive resort services. |
| Snowmobiling | Miles of trails; no rentals available |
| Marinas | Two full service marinas: Angler’s Wharf Marina and Doc’s Marina. Boat, canoe, paddleboat and pontoon rentals, fuel, launch, fishing and sporting goods. |
| ATV's | Rentals available. |
| The Tour of Carvings | The Tour of Carvings commemorates the Missionary Ridge Fire of 2002. Vallecito Lake is home to thousands of Ponderosa Pine trees with many over 200 years old and standing up to 175 feet tall, many of the trees were lost in the fire. Local artist Chad Haspels carved many of the fallen trees to memorialize the wildfire and fire fighters.. Most of the carvings are mounted on concrete piers and can be found all around the lake area. They have a number and name assigned to aid in identification. Each one stands 18 feet tall and weighs around 2,600 pounds. |
| Camping | RV and camping sites on private and Forest Service land |
| Lodging | Cabins, lodges, resorts, RV parks, camp sites, camper parks and vacation homes |
| Fishing | The southwestern half of the Weminuche Wilderness Area is drained by two major streams-the Los Pinos and Florida Rivers-and their tributaries. Vallecito Reservoir, where water from the Pine and Vallecito Creek is impounded, is great for those seeking less of a wilderness experience. It provides easy access and large fish such as rainbow, brown trout, and northern pike. Browns hold in this area all year and mid-May through mid-June is best for pike. The reservoir offers a good opportunity to fish in late spring, when the rivers in the area are high with runoff. |
| Horseback Riding | Hourly rides, breakfast rides, all-day and multiple day rides. Fall color rides also available. |
| Hunting | The Weminuche Wilderness, which is easily accessed from the Vallecito Lake area, is Colorado's largest, offering more than a half million acres of public land. In many respects, the Weminuche is an outdoor adventurer's nirvana. Hunters and hikers alike can lose themselves for days on its 500 miles of trails. The area around Vallecito Lake is a top pick for hunting Elk, Mule Deer, Turkey and Bear. Jeeping |
| Paddle Surfing | Pine River Surf Co – Stand-Up Paddle Board Outfitters. Great core workout on lakes, ponds and rivers. 970-884-4533, 970-749-4107 |
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