Trujillo Meadows Reservoir

Trujillo Meadows Reservoir

Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is a medium sized lake located in southern Colorado. There is a small hiking trail that hugs the south shore that is used to find the best fishing spots. The Trujillo Meadows Reservoir State Wildlife Area is popular with campers, anglers, boaters, and paddleboarders.

On a personal note, Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is located in Conejos County, Colorado. That is the 34th of 63 counties in the state that I have now hiked in on my goal to hike in every county. This is also the first spot that I almost didn’t add to the blog because it was so nice I was thinking of keeping it secret!

Getting Started

Trujillo Meadows Reservoir is located about six and half miles from the Colorado/New Mexico border on CO-17. If you are coming up from New Mexico it is about three miles for the beautiful Cumbres Pass. To get to the lake, you will take a long dirt road past the campground and down to the water. There is a small boat launch and plenty of spots to fish at the parking lot.

The trail is more or less just a path that anglers have used over the years to find the best spots. It begins on the southeast corner of the parking lot and takes you through a small marshy area before circling back to waters edge and then follows along with the water.

The Reservoir

The trail is narrow and stays close to the water for the most part. The hardest part is moving around anglers that have found the perfect spot. Instead of focusing on the hike itself, since it is pretty easy, I wanted to talk about the reservoir.

The Trujillo Meadows Reservoir was one of the prettiest places I have been in Colorado. The lake had a couple of paddle boarders and about a dozen people fishing and yet it was still quiet. It also gave off the feeling of solitude in the woods, away from any hustle and bustle. The reservoir is tucked into a small mountain valley and was just really enjoyable from the moment I pulled up until I drove away.

I haven’t felt this relaxed on a hike in Colorado in a long time. It was like time slowed down when I stepped to the bank of this body of water. It was extremely beautiful even if it wasn’t much of a “hike” by strenuous Denver standards.

The Dam

As you make your way to the end of the trail, about a half mile out from the parking lot, you come to a bit of a berm and then a lower marshy area where the trail disappears. From the edge of the berm you can look across the water and see the dam that forms the lake.

Past the dam, the Rio de los Pinos flows out of the valley. This would be a great spot for a picnic or to just relax and enjoy the view. From here the trail isn’t really discernable across the marshy lower area so this is the best spot to turn around and head back, again enjoying the water and peace and calm of the Trujillo Meadows Reservoir.

Video of Trujillo Meadows Rervoir

I have put together a quick time-lapse video of my time at the Trujillo Meadows Reservoir in order to give hikers a feel of what the hike is like. If you enjoy this video, make sure to Subscribe to my YouTube Channel. It is free to subscribe and you will get updates for all the latest videos.

Distance and Elevation

If you don’t have the AllTrails app you might want to check it out, I really love mine. It records your progress and is a great way to search for hikes that are nearby and gives you difficulty measurements. According to AllTrails today’s hike was around 1.11 miles and had a total elevation gain of about 13 feet including undulations. That put the high point at around 10,034 feet. I was also moving for a total of 32 minutes.

I am a Pro member of Alltrails and love it. If you are interested in the platform, please consider using my affiliate link for AllTrails. It gives me a small commission with no extra cost to you.

Effort

This is really more of a nature walk than an intense hike but it is very enjoyable. The trail is a little narrow and hard to follow at times which makes it a little more challenging but for the most part this is a rather easy trail. I think most people will be able to do at least a portion of the trail and really enjoy the lake.

Terrain

This isn’t really a trail but more a continuous path to different fishing locations around the lake. The trail stays on the southern bank and is narrow and dirt packed. There are occasions where the trail gets a little tricky to get around some trees, especially the further east you go. I would recommend some good hiking boots or shoes for the traction and some waterproofing as it can get a bit muddy near the water.

Finding the Trujillo Meadows Reservoir

The Trujillo Meadows Reservoir State Wildlife Area is located off of CO-17 in Conejos County in Southern Colorado. There is a $13 fee for day use and there are collection boxes available to pay. It is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Wrapping up Trujillo Meadows Reservoir

I absolutely loved my quick visit to Trujillo Meadows Reservoir. The lake and surrounding hills are beautiful. I also like that it isn’t very busy and there is a great opportunity to get some alone time. The lake was tremendously peaceful and I enjoyed it very much.

The hike itself is pretty easy and just following a narrow path around the waters edge. But, the entire experience was perfect. Especially as a quick stop and reset on part of a long road trip.

I have added this hike and all of my hikes to my interactive map page that you can find here. If you have a suggestion or comment you can email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com. Or follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Happy Hiking!

Gallery of Trujillo Meadows Reservoir