Lake Pueblo State Park is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 located in Pueblo County

Pueblo County, Colorado

Pueblo County is the tenth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish language word meaning "town" or "village". The United States Census Bureau estimates that the...

, Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. It includes 60 miles (96.6 km) of shoreline and 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of land. Activities it offers include two full-service marina

Marina

A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....

s, recreational fishing

Recreational fishing

Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....

, hiking

Hiking

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...

, camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

 and swimming at a special swim beach.

Lake Pueblo

Lake Pueblo (previously known as Pueblo Reservoir) has a maximum depth of 135 feet (41.1 m) and is impounded by Pueblo Dam.

History

Pueblo Dam was constructed in the 1960s following a flood on the Arkansas River

Arkansas River

The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...

 in Pueblo County. The main purpose was for the lake to be a water storage center for the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project

Fryingpan-Arkansas Project

The Fryingpan-Arkansas Project, or "Fry-Ark," is a water diversion, storage and delivery project serving southeastern Colorado. The project was authorized in 1962 by President Kennedy, construction began that same year, and was completed in 1981...

 as well as flood control for the lower Arkansas Valley.
The Lake is able to store a total of 357678 acre.ft of water when at full capacity. Levels in 2009 were reported as a total of 234,347 in active acre-feet storage of water.

Wildlife

The land surrounding the reservoir is very diverse. Mammals commonly sited or observed at the park include mule deer

Mule Deer

The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...

, coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

, cottontail rabbit

Cottontail rabbit

The cottontail rabbits are among the 16 lagomorph species in the genus Sylvilagus, found in the Americas.In appearance, most cottontail rabbits closely resemble the wild European Rabbit...

, red fox

Red Fox

The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...

, gray fox

Gray Fox

The gray fox is a mammal of the order Carnivora ranging throughout most of the southern half of North America from southern Canada to the northern part of South America...

, beaver

Beaver

The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...

, raccoon

Raccoon

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...

, skunk

Skunk

Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...

, prairie dogs, and badger

Badger

Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...

. It also plays home to many different reptile species bull snakes, rattlesnakes, sagebrush lizards, coach whip

Coach whip

Coachwhip may refer to:* a type of whip used by the driver of a horse-drawn coach, usually provided with a long lash* Coachwhip , various North American snakes* Coachwhip , a character of the Marvel Universe* Coachwhips, a noise/punk band...

s, and box turtles. It is notable in that it also home to a rare species of serpent, the blackneck garter snake

Blackneck garter snake

Thamnophis cyrtopsis, the Blackneck garter snake, is a non-venomous species of Garter snake of the genus Thamnophis, mainly found near water in mountainous or hilly areas of the Southwestern United States and Mexico.-Description:...

.

See also

• State of Colorado
  • Colorado Department of Natural Resources
    Colorado Department of Natural Resources
    The Colorado Department of Natural Resources is the department of the government of the U.S. State of Colorado that is responsible for the development, protection, and enhancement Colorado natural resources for the use and enjoyment of the state's present and future residents, as well as for...
    
    
    • Colorado State Parks
      Colorado State Parks
      Colorado State Parks manages the Colorado state parks system. The system administers 42 parks.-History:*1937. The state legislature appointed a land board to create the first State Parks Board....
      
      
      • List of Colorado state parks
• List of lakes in Colorado
  • List of dams and reservoirs in Colorado