Sweetwater Lake State Park is a
Colorado State Park in
Garfield County, Colorado in the United States, approximately north of the town of
Dotsero
Dotsero is a wide by deep maar volcano located in Dotsero, Colorado near the junction of the Colorado River and the Eagle River. It is classified as a scoria cone with evaporitic rock, basaltic tephra, and oxidized sandstone. Erupting approx ...
. The park contains and is located within 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 ...
in the
Flat Tops Wilderness Area
Flat Tops Wilderness Area is the second largest U.S. Wilderness Area in Colorado. It is , with in Routt National Forest and in White River National Forest. It was designated a wilderness area in 1975. Trappers Lake, located in the north of the ...
. The park is unique in that it is the first
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 ...
in the nation to be created from land owned by the
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
. Governor
Jared Polis announced the creation of the park, Colorado's 43rd, on October 20, 2021.
History
The 72-acre natural lake and surrounding land was originally part of a privately owned ranch and had been considered for a golf course or housing developments. In order to protect the area from development,
The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development. From 2008–2018, it has placed more than 500,000 acres under conservation management through a program wh ...
acquired the property in 2020 and held the parcel until the White River National Forest obtained a federal
Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to purchase the property.
Activities
Upon completion, the park will offer boating, camping, hiking, and picnic areas to visitors.
See also
*
List of Colorado State Parks
The system of state parks in Colorado integrates outdoor recreation with tourism. There are currently forty-two parks open to the public, and there is one in development. Colorado State Parks host over eleven million visitors each year. Colorado ...
References
External links
Sweetwater Lake State Park
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Protected areas of Garfield County, Colorado
State parks of Colorado
Protected areas established in 2021