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Eleven Mile State Park
The dam and reservoir (2024)
Location	Park County, Colorado, United States
Nearest city	Lake George, Colorado
Coordinates	38°56′08″N 105°30′03″W / 38.93556°N 105.50083°W / 38.93556; -105.50083
Area	7,662 acres (31.01 km)
Created	1970
Operated by	Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Visitors	406,483 (in 2021)

Eleven Mile State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Park County, 11 miles (18 km) south of Lake George, Colorado, United States. Established in 1970, the 7,662-acre (31.01 km) park surrounds 3,405-acre (13.78 km), 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long Eleven Mile Canyon Reservoir. The reservoir itself was completed in 1932 by Denver Water. Facilities include a marina, a visitors center and over 300 campsites. There are 5 miles (8.0 km) of trails available for hikers and bicyclists. Fish species include cutthroat, rainbow, brown trout and northern pike. Eleven Mile Reservoir is famous for the thriving Kokanee salmon population found in the river current along the north side of the reservoir known as the Dream Stream. This reservoir is also known for being very windy in the afternoon. A required daily vehicle park pass can be obtained at the entrance of the park. Daily species possession limits are as follows: trout, 4 total, two over 16" and two under 16", or four under 16"; salmon, 10; pike and crawdads, unlimited. Cottontail rabbit, white-tailed jackrabbit, coyote, muskrat and ground squirrels are commonly seen in the park. Mule deer, pronghorn, porcupine, badger, black bear and elk are seen occasionally.

Dam and reservoir

Completed in 1932, the Eleven Mile Dam is owned by the Dever Board of Water Commissioners and stores water for municipal use in Denver. The dam, NID ID# CO00359, is a concrete arch dam that is 151 feet (46 meters) high and 375 feet (114 meters) long. It impounds the South Platte River and is in Park County, Colorado. The reservoir, Eleven Mile Reservoir, can store up to 128,000 acre-feet (158,000,000 cubic meters) of water. Its surface area is 3,500 acres (1,400 hectares). The dam and reservoir are located within the South Park National Heritage Area. The reservoir's elevation is 8,567 feet (2,611 meters).

Eleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area

Below the reservoir, and outside the boundaries of the Eleven Mile State Park, lies Elevenmile Canyon, elevation 7,927 feet (2,416 meters). Originally called Granite Canyon, the long canyon lies within the Pike National Forest and makes up the Eleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area. The Midland Railway used to follow the canyon on its route to Western Colorado. Three of its tunnels are still on the road that winds up the canyon to a point just below the dam. The recreation area is popular with anglers, rock climbers, and picnickers.

References

1. "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023.
2. Rappold, R. Scott (September 14, 2016). "Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir". OutThere Colorado. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
3. "Eleven Mile Canyon Reservoir". Denver Water. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
4. Laura King Van Dusen, "Forty-Six Years in Howbert: 1887-1933: Former Ranching, Railroading Community Covered by Eleven-Mile Reservoir", Historic Tales from Park County: Parked in the Past (Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013), ISBN 978-1-62619-161-7, pp. 97-104.
5. "Eleven Mile Canyon". National Inventory of Dams. December 22, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
6. "Elevenmile Canyon Reservoir". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
7. "Eleven Mile State Park, Lake George, CO". Colorado Parks & Wildlife. n.d. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
8. "Eleven Mile Canyon Recreation Area". USDA Forest Service, Pike-San Isabel National Forests & Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands. n.d. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
9. "Elevenmile Canyon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. October 13, 1978. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
10. "Trains, tunnels and trout" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. n.d. Retrieved October 19, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• CO State Park map of Eleven Mile Reservoir

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• State parks of Colorado
• Protected areas of Park County, Colorado
• Protected areas established in 1970
• 1970 establishments in Colorado
• Colorado protected area stubs