Barr Lake State Park RV & Campground Guide
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Just under 30 miles northeast of Denver is the jewel that is Barr Lake State Park. The park acts as a refuge for wildlife, which you can see from several viewing stations around the southern half of the lake. In addition to wildlife viewing, visitors can go fishing and boating on the northern part of the lake and hike the park's trails. In the winter, come to Barr Lake State Park for ice fishing and snowshoeing. There's also a free archery range and educational programs held year-round. Although the park does experience four distinct seasons, daytime temperatures remain mild for much of the year.
Spring 43-73 F
Summer 53-85 F
Fall 25-54 F
Winter 19-49 F
RV Resorts & Campsites in Barr Lake State Park
Barr Lake State Park does not offer any campgrounds.
What to Do at
Barr Lake State Park
You can enjoy Barr Lake State Park all year long. During the warmer months, take your boat or canoe out on the lake, or go fishing from your boat or the shoreline. The park also features a few trails of varying lengths open for hikers, horseback riders, and cyclists. For something different, try your hand at the park's archery range, featuring 12 lanes with targets that vary from 10 yards up to 100 yards. Come winter, Barr Lake offers activities like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on its trails as well as ice fishing.
Barr Lake State Park offers a number of activities to cater to a wide variety of interests, including fishing, hiking, and boating.
Fishing
You can go fishing from your boat or the shore only on the northern part of the lake. Fish species regularly stocked include rainbow trout, bluegill, walleye, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and channel catfish. Make sure to pick up a required fishing license at the nature center inside the visitor center.
Nature Watching
Stroll the park's boardwalk or sit and relax on a bench or in a gazebo as you try and spot the numerous bird species that frequent the area. Birds you could see include pelicans, grebes, eagles, blue herons, hawks, and ospreys. Located within the park is the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies headquarters. Learn more about birding from conservancy staff at one of the banding stations located in the state park.
Flora and Fauna
The park features mixed-grass prairie, including blue grama, buffalo grass, and little and big bluestem grasses. Wetland plants like cottonwood trees thrive around the lake area. Wildlife found within the park includes deer, coyotes, foxes, and rabbits. The southern part of the lake is reserved as the refuge area; try and spot the park's animals from one of the viewing stations set up around this part of the lake.
Hiking
The 8.8-mile Perimeter Trail takes you around the lake on an easy, flat path. Note that this trail is also open to cyclists and horseback riders. There's also an easy 1.3-mile trail from the nature center to the boardwalk. The Niedrach Nature Trail is a loop that branches off from the Perimeter Trail and weaves along the lake's shore and across the boardwalk. Take the 1-mile Prairie Welcome Trail from the nature center to the prairie grasslands.
Boating
You can boat on the northern end of the lake. The craft you take out on the lake must be 10 horsepower or under. Vessels permitted on Barr Lake include sailboats, canoes, kayaks, hand-propelled craft, and boats with gas motors or electric trolling motors. The boat ramp is by the north parking lot, and you must have an ANS inspection performed on your motorized or trailered boat before launching.
Biking
Take your bike out on the 8.8-mile Perimeter Trail. You can also bike along the road across the dam; exceptions to this include Wednesdays and Saturdays from October through February 16th during hunting season.
How to Get to
Barr Lake State Park
When coming from Denver, get onto Interstate 25 and head north for 5.5 miles. At the interchange for Interstate 76, take the I-76 E/Ft Morgan exit and merge onto I-76 heading east. Stay on I-76 for 16.7 miles. Get off the interstate at exit 22 for Bromley Lane, which becomes E 152nd Avenue. Stay on here for 0.9 miles. Make a right onto Picadilly Road and continue for 1.9 miles until you reach the park entrance on your left.
Entering Barr Lake State Park
There are several parking lots at the park, including one near the nature center and picnic pavilion, and another one near the archery range. The park is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily while the nature center is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Barr Lake offers an ADA-accessible fishing pier as well as universally accessible picnic tables.
Daily Vehicle Pass : $10.0
Daily Individual Pass : $4.0
Frequently Asked Questions About Barr Lake State Park
The park stays open year-round, but for the warmest temperatures, come visit in the late spring through the summer months.
See more than 350 species of birds at the park. Some species include bald eagles, cormorants, ospreys, and white pelicans. Creatures that dwell within the park include ground squirrels, coyotes, foxes, and mule deer.
The park does not offer any camping facilities.
Barr Lake State Park does not have any campgrounds.
This state park is dog-friendly. Make sure to dispose of your pooch's waste properly, and keep your friend on a leash of no more than 6 feet. You cannot bring your dog to the wildlife refuge area.