Lizard Lake is a lake in

Gunnison County Gunnison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,918. The county seat is Gunnison. The county was named for John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer and captain in the Army ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The lake is located within the boundaries of the

White River National Forest White River National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River (Green River), White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest ...

, between

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

and the ghost town of

Crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

, along Crystal City Road (FSR #314). The lake has views of Whitehouse Mountain (to the southeast), and is near Sheep Mountain (to the northeast) and Hat Mountain (to the southwest). The name Lizard Lake is a misnomer for the

salamanders Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...

(not lizards) with feather-like gills inhabiting the lake, seen along the mud lake bottom and floating above the aquatic vegetation.

Access

Lizard Lake is located on public land, however physical access to Lizard Lake is limited due to terrain and road conditions. A high clearance vehicle or other means of transportation is required to reach the lake (e.g. foot, horse, mountain bike, off-road vehicle). Pets are allowed on the trail connecting to Lizard Lake.

Prohibited activities

The use of motor boats is prohibited on the lake, as indicated by a sign on the shoreline which reads:

External links

References

{{authority control Lakes of Colorado