Lake Colorado City State Park is a 500-acre

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

southwest of Colorado City in

Mitchell County, Texas Mitchell County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,990. Its county seat is Colorado City. The county was created in 1876 and organized in 1881. It is named for Asa and Eli Mitchell, two earl ...

, United States and is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Lake Colorado City State Park is located on Lake Colorado City, a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

on Morgan Creek, a tributary of the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

. The park opened in 1972.

History

Lake Colorado City was developed in 1949 by damming Morgan Creek. A

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

being built needed the reservoir water to cool its generators. TPWD leased the land for the park for 99 years in 1971 from the utility company. Between 2012 and 2014, the park averaged 7,643 visits per year. That number jumped to an average of 27,817 between 2019 and 2021, the peak years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas.

Nature

Lake Colorado City State Park lies in the Rolling Plains

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

of Texas and originally consisted mostly of

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

. Mesquite has since taken over as the dominant plant. TPWD periodically carries out a

controlled burn A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...

to eliminate the mesquite and return the land to open prairie.

Flora

The most common plants in the park are prickly pear and mesquite. Many types of wildflowers make an appearance in the spring.

Animals

Mammals in the park include

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

, gray fox,

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUC ...

, white-tail deer, raccoon, badger and

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...

. Reptiles found in the park are Texas horned lizard, Texas spiny lizard,

six-lined racerunner The six-lined racerunner (''Aspidoscelis sexlineatus'') is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico. Geographic range The six-lined racerunner is found throughout much of the southeastern and south-central portion of the United ...

and western diamondback rattlesnake. More than 300 bird species have been sighted in the park. Northern mockingbird, cactus wren, mourning dove,

house finch The house finch (''Haemorhous mexicanus'') is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is native to western North America and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent and Hawaii. This species and the other two American rosef ...

canyon towhee The canyon towhee (''Melozone fusca'') is a bird of the family Passerellidae. Taxonomy The taxonomy of the group of towhees to which this species belongs is debated. At the higher level, some authors place the towhees in the family Fringillidae ...

, northern bobwhite,

scaled quail The scaled quail (''Callipepla squamata''), also commonly called blue quail or cottontop, is a species of the New World quail family. It is a bluish gray bird found in the arid regions of the Southwestern United States to Central Mexico. This spe ...

golden-fronted woodpecker The golden-fronted woodpecker (''Melanerpes aurifrons'') is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in the southern United States, Mexico and parts of Central America. Taxonomy and systematics The ...

ladder-backed woodpecker, and

curve-billed thrasher The curve-billed thrasher (''Toxostoma curvirostre'') is a medium-sized mimid native to most of Mexico and to the deserts of southwestern United States. It is a non-migratory species, and throughout most of its range it is the most common deser ...

can be seen in the park year-round. American coot and pied-billed grebe nest near the lake in winter.

Recreation

Activities at the park include

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, swimming, paddleboarding,

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

king,

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

and

geocaching Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific l ...

References

External links

Texas Parks and Wildlife
{{authority control State parks of Texas Mitchell County, Texas Protected areas established in 1972 1972 establishments in Texas