COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE Ridgway State Park

Who we are Nestled at the base of the spectacular in southwestern , Ridgway State Park is truly an outdoor recreation paradise. The park offers camping with facilities for comfort and convenience. Natural surface trails pass through the piñon/juni- per forests and onto mesas offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountain peaks. Ridgway’s great outdoors provide views of the towering Sneffels Range, known as the “Switzerland of America.” Ridgway is also one of the nation’s most accessible recreation areas, with universally accessible picnic, camping and hiking areas.

Visitors to Ridgway State Park spend about $29.1 million annually in local communities.1

Top attractions CPW • Camping, hiking, boating, fishing and sightseeing Our partners • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation • Colorado Department of Transportation • Uncompahgre Trail Riders • Friends of Ridgway State Park • Colorado State Patrol • Colorado Workforce Center • Ouray County Government • School District: RE1J, R-2, R-1 and 50J • U.S. Forest Service • Tri-County Water Conservancy District • Town of Ridgway • U.S. Bureau of Land Management • Colorado State Forest Service • Telluride Adaptive Sports • Gunnison Gorge Anglers • Chambers of Commerce: • Great Old Broads for Wilderness • Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Ridgway, Ouray and Montrose • Colorado Alliance for Environmental • Youth groups: Boy Scouts and Voyager • Blue Mesa Education • Black Canyon Audubon Challenges we face • Park facilities are showing signs of age after nearly 30 years of use. Addressing the deterioration and extending the useful service life of facilities requires adequate funds. • Recreational trends are changing, particularly on the water and on trails. Accommodating a variety of user groups without conflicts and ensuring resource protection is a challenge. • Limited funding for increased utility costs as well as competitive wages.

Volunteer Activities • Volunteers are essential to Ridgway State Park. Primary volunteer activities include the Friends of Ridgway State Park, campground hosts, visitor service staff, education and maintenance. CPW

1Source: Corona Research, Colorado State Parks Marketing Assessment, “Visitor Spending Analysis 2008-2009” (adjusted for inflation). COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE 6060 Broadway, , CO 80216 (303) 297-1192 cpw.state.co.us 6/20 Ridgway State Park 28555 Highway 550, Ridgway, CO 81432 (970) 626-5822 • Email: [email protected] As of June 30, 2020 Park Manager: Kirstin Copeland DUSTIN DOSKOCIL/CPW DUSTIN Manager’s Message Ridgway State Park is located in a beautiful setting and offers many activities, including swimming, hiking, fishing, boating and camping. The park is also near many regional attractions, such as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. At Ridgway, we want to create a great and safe recreational experience for our visitors while enhancing and pro- tecting the resources in the park. Geography Facilities Roads Region: Southwest Boat Ramp Paved: 16.3 miles County: Ouray Dump Station Unpaved: 0.1 Year Acquired: 1989 Equipment Rental Elevation: 7,000 ft 2 Fish Cleaning Stations Recreation Miles From Denver: 280 Fishing Piers Boating 3 Group Picnic Areas Fishing Acreage Laundry Geocaching Total Acres: 3,201 Mooring/Docking Hunting 50 Picnic Sites Jet Skiing Governmental Playground Area Paddle Boarding US Cong Dist: 3rd 3 Showers (coin-operated) Photography CO Senate: 6th Swim Beach Picknicking CO House: 59th Visitor Center Ranger/Nature Programs Wedding and Event Facilities Sailboarding Employees Snowtubing Permanent: 8 Trails Swimming Temporary: 24 Biking: 14 miles Volleyball Volunteers: 100 Hiking: 15.6 miles Water Skiing Volunteer Hours: 21,349 Cross Country Skiing/ Wildlife/Bird Viewing Snowshoeing: 4 miles Winter Camping Annual Visitation Total: 15.6 miles 490,719 Camping Yurts (year-round): 3 Campsites (basic, seasonal): 10 Walden Fort Sterling Collins Campsites (basic, year-round): 15 Craig HaydenSteamboat Estes Loveland Greeley Springs Park Campsites (electrical, seasonal): 147 Oak Creek Fort Brush Morgan Meeker Kremmling Campsites (electrical, year-round): 20 Wray Brighton Campsites (full-hookup, seasonal): 80 Golden Denver

Avon Vail Frisco Glenwood Ri e Springs Breckenridge

Castle Collbran Limon Rock Burlington Fruita Leadville Aspen Fairplay Grand Junction

Paonia Hotchkiss Buena Delta Vista Colorado Springs Crawford Kit Carson Cripple Creek

Olathe Gunnison Montrose Salida Canon City

Ridgway Ridgway Pueblo Lamar Ouray La Junta

Dove Creek

Walsenburg Monte Vista Dolores Alamosa La Veta Springeld Cortez Pagosa Mancos Durango Springs

Trinidad DUSTIN DOSKOCIL/CPW DUSTIN

COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216 (303) 297-1192 cpw.state.co.us