Elevated
Horsetooth Reservoir at Inlet Bay, with boats in the marina and the red-rock foothills.

Day Trips

Front Range — North

Horsetooth, Boyd, and Carter. Northern Front Range water you can reach without turning the day into a mountain trip.

Photograph by Lvaughn7, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Public water rules change by lake and by season. A name on this page does not mean wakesurfing, ballast, or towing is allowed. Check the agency that manages the water before you launch.

  • Horsetooth Reservoir

    Front Range boating surrounded by dramatic foothills.

    Read the guide

  • Boyd Lake

    Northern Front Range state-park water — close, usable, and on the Elevated calendar.

    Read the guide

  • Carter Lake

    Foothills water west of Loveland — tighter, prettier, and worth the extra minutes.

    Read the guide

More water

Other regions

Aerial view of Chatfield Reservoir, with a marina, a curved breakwater, and the foothills beyond the water.
Day Trips

Front Range — Central

Chatfield · Cherry Creek

Lake Pueblo between rocky canyon walls.
Day Trips

Front Range — South

Lake Pueblo

The town of Grand Lake along the shore, with docks and mountains above the water.
Weekenders

Colorado Mountains

Grand Lake · Granby · Steamboat

Sunset over the canyon walls at Alcova Reservoir.
Weekenders

Southern Wyoming

Glendo · Guernsey · Grayrocks · Alcova · Pathfinder

Aerial view of a sandy beach at Lake McConaughy, with boats on the water and campers along the shore.
Weekenders

Nebraska

Lake McConaughy

Aerial view of Lake Nighthorse and its dam, with forested hills around the water.
Weekenders

Southwest Colorado

Vallecito · Navajo · McPhee

A houseboat on Lake Powell at sunset, with sandstone cliffs behind the water.
Adventures

Destination Lakes

Powell · Havasu · Lake Tahoe · Flathead · Table Rock · Ozarks

All destination guides