Summer stop: Trinidad Lake State Park

(TRINIDAD, Colo.) — When it comes to experiencing the great outdoors, Trinidad Lake State Park has got the whole family covered with an activity for all kinds of nature lovers. Whether it’s catching trout, hitting bullseye, or sleeping under the stars, there is some fun for everyone.

“Our big attraction is our campgrounds and our fishing,” said Trinidad Lake State Park Manager, Floyd Duran. “Boating is becoming real popular, once the water temperature starts to warm up, it’s still cool right now. We’re starting to get more people out here hiking, biking. The paddle boarding over the last few years has really increased down here in the Trinidad area.”

The park covers about 2,300 acres with 700 acres being the lake, which is used by both those on land and those on motor boats. For those casting a line, the suspense of what will bite is a good one, as the lake is filled with trout, walleye, catfish, and perch.

“A lot of people think since it’s a bigger reservoir, you do need a boat,” Duran said. “We see people catching fish from the shore all the time. The West End, if you want to hike in a little ways like it is where the river comes in, that’s usually really good for cat fishing.”

For those looking to experience a part of geological history, the park has evidence of an asteroid’s impact on earth, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

This unique geological feature located along Long’s Canyon Trail shows the different layers of rocks, which contain large amounts of iridium, found in the earth’s core, asteroids, and comets.

“Trinidad Lake is one of the most publicly accessible places to see that we have a nice interpretive display right where the K-T boundaries are,” Duran said. “So people, if they don’t know what they’re looking for, they can look at the sign. There’s a picture showing them what it is up on the ridge.”

When the sun begins to set, the park is filled with some bigger rides including RVs and trailers. This comes as many choose Trinidad Lake State Park as their destination for the night, so they can experience the beauty of sunset along the Spanish Peaks.

“Camping is one of our biggest things, our day use is pretty high too,” Duran said. “During the weekends, weekdays, we’re a little slower for day use. We get about 225,000 people a year here at Trinidad Lake, but camping is one of our main attractions.”

One couple made the trip down from Allen’s Park, with Trinidad Lake State Park marking the first stop toward their dream of visiting all 42 Colorado State Parks.

At 82 years old, Larry Sexton described why he and his wife were motivated to make the trip.

“Well, you have to keep going, you have to keep hiking, you have to keep moving. You can’t just sit around all the time and that’s what we were getting into at that point,” Sexton said. “So, we decided, no, this summer we’re going to try to do as many state parks as we can.”

While RVs pulled up to the campgrounds, these two laughed as they converted the back of their car into their room for the night. There certainly is something in the air at Trinidad Lake State Park, which brings memories for those who step foot on the grounds.

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