Curecanti National Recreation Area, National recreation area in Gunnison and Montrose counties, Colorado, United States

Curecanti National Recreation Area is a location in western Colorado featuring three large reservoirs along the Gunnison River. The lakes were created by dam construction and are surrounded by mountains, forests, and varied terrain with cliffs and open areas.

The area was officially designated as a recreation area in 1965, following water storage projects that began in the early 1900s. The reservoirs were created through dam construction to manage water supply, generate electricity, and control flooding as part of regional development plans.

Curecanti is named for a 19th-century Ute sub-chief. The three reservoirs were built in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Park Service has managed recreation on them since a 1965 agreement. The Curecanti Needle served for years as a marketing symbol of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad's Black Canyon Route.

The area is accessible 24 hours a day, with boating, fishing, and camping available year-round. The Elk Creek Visitor Center provides information, and boat ramps, campgrounds, and two marinas offer access to the water and facilities.

The Curecanti Needle is a 700-foot granite spire on the southern bank of Morrow Point Reservoir. The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad used it as a marketing symbol for its Black Canyon Route, which passed on the river's north side. It is now a destination for climbers, reachable only by hand-launched boat or by crossing the frozen river in winter.