Ridgway State Park

Infobox park
park= Ridgway State Park


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type= Colorado state park
location= Ouray County, Colorado
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operator=Colorado Dept. of Natural Resources
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status=Open daily

Ridgway State Park is a state park located in Ouray County, Colorado. It is the westernmost state park in Colorado.Fact|date=March 2008 The park is 21 miles southeast of Montrose, and 14 miles northeast of Ouray. The park is also 4 miles north of the town of Ridgway and 312 miles southwest of Denver. Due to the park's variety of animal life, the park is used as a hunting ground although hunting opportunities are extremely limited due to proximity to developed areas.cite web |url=http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/Ridgway/ParkActivities/ |title=Activities at Ridgway State Park |accessdate=2008-03-30 |publisher=Colorado State Parks/Colorado Department of Natural Resources]

The current wildlife consists of deer, coyotes, rabbits, and elk. Three entrances to the park provide a range of options; Dallas Creek is a day-use only area, with facilities for picnicing, fishing and swimming in the summer, although it is not recommended. Dutch Charlie (the second entrance to the State Park) contains the camping facilities. Yurts and cabins are available for rent nightly. Tent sites with Full RV hook ups are available. Lake access includes a marina for long term stays, boats docks, and a swim beach for the kids. Nature and hiking trails dot the area around the lake featuring great views of the Cimmaron range of the San Juan Mountains. One trail leads you through all of the parks' areas and back. The third entrance is most visited for its fishing. Pa-co-chu-puk has an assortment of fishing areas, including two ponds connected to Ridgway reservoir. Brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout are commonly caught at Pa-co-chu-puk. At the visitor center is a book of the largest fish caught in the lake.

References

External links

* [http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/ridgway Colorado State Parks: Ridgway] (official site)