Pearl Lake State Park

Pearl Lake State Park is a mountain park near Routt County, Colorado, centered on a high-altitude reservoir surrounded by pine forests and the slopes of Farwell Mountain. The lake covers about 67 acres and sits in a valley setting that makes it easy to access from several points around the shoreline.

The reservoir was created in the 1960s from a natural mountain basin, and Colorado established the park as a protected area around the same time. This reflected a broader effort across the state to protect mountain lands during that decade.

The lake sits within a landscape shaped by generations of Ute and Arapaho people who moved through these mountains seasonally for hunting and gathering. Today, visitors walking the shoreline pass through country that held deep meaning for these communities long before roads and buildings arrived.

The park offers camping from basic campsites to year-round rental yurts, with access to the water via a boat ramp. Since only non-motorized boats are allowed, the lake remains quiet and peaceful, making it suitable for a range of visitor types and activities.

The lake holds native populations of cutthroat trout and grayling, fish species rarely found together at this altitude. These fish make the water body specially protected, giving it ecological importance beyond typical mountain recreation areas.