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Horsetooth Reservoir

The six-and-a-half-mile lake in the hogbacks west of town, run by Larimer County: boating, fishing, two swim beaches, more than 150 campsites and a $10 daily vehicle permit.

Horsetooth Reservoir from the ridge above it, the long lake between hogbacks with Fort Collins spread across the plains beyond
Photo: Lvaughn7, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Six and a half miles of water behind the hogbacks, with 1,900 acres of public land around it, open year-round and run by Larimer County. Fishing (walleye, bass, trout and panfish, each with its own limit), boating from the South Shore ramp and the Inlet Bay Marina, camping at the South Bay and Inlet Bay campgrounds (more than 150 sites and five camper cabins, reserved through larimercamping.com), picnicking, scuba diving, rock climbing and water-skiing. Horsetooth Swim Beach and Sunrise Swim Beach are open from Memorial Day weekend through October 1.

An entrance permit is required of every vehicle: $10 a day, or $20 with a boat trailer; annual permits are $100 for county residents and $130 for others. Dogs on a leash no longer than ten feet, no glass, no drones, alcohol only in campsites and on boats, and no cliff jumping. The County says the ice is never safe for fishing because the water level moves. The Horsetooth Area Information Center on County Road 38E is open 9 to 4 daily from March through October and 9 to 4 on weekdays from November through February.

  • lake
  • boating
  • fishing
  • swimming
  • camping

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