curecanti national recreation area

I liked that there were very few people there at this time of the year. I also liked the attention the park rangers gave us; nice. The campgrounds were clean, and the park is definitely a place we'll visit again.

This is the damned Gunnison River and it stretches a few miles west of Gunnison to a few miles east of Montrose (in Colorado). That is one long stretch. The reservoir serves 3 main purposes.. the main being recreation, of course, but all to keep water for the farmers in dry seasons and the 3rd being the production of Kokanee (pron. co-cah-knee) Salmon.. which should have a picture attached. There are a lot of boaters using the reservoir.. mainly morning being fishing boats.. and then the yachts and sailboats later in the day. You will also find kayaks and canoes along several other types. Hwy. 50 parallels and crosses the reservoir and offers many places to stop and pull over. Anglers will be found all over the place.. but in general.. yellow perch is all over the place and is a major nuisance to those who "bank" or "shore" fish. The reservoir is very well known for large trouts and the Kokanee salmon and those are best caught by boat. I caught a nice salmon from bank.. but one must fish before 8:00am or after 6:00pm if fishing from shore. I got lucky at 6:30pm and dang grateful. Was about to make dinner off perch only.Most people fishing use the west side and Montrose as their base. Boaters use the East side and Gunnison as their base. There is a large RV park in the middle on the north side just to the east of Sapinero. It's about the size of a city.. some spots with trailer homes... so it's year 'round apparently. There are no fees associated with using this rec area.. and the visitor center is on the Eastside/Gunnison area. Use a map to find it. The rangers here are very helpful with useful information. The largest boatramp is there also. Overall, Curecanti is a great place to do a lot of things.. but nothing (outside of catching Kokanee) that separates it from other places... so I rated it only "average." Many people, esp. fishermen, will probably rate it higher.Gas is cheaper in Montrose, btw. Gunnison has a (regular) Wal-mart, a Kroger food store (called "City Market"), and fast food chains (like McDonalds) for internet. Montrose is much larger and has a SuperWalmart, both Krogers and Safeway, and serveral fast food places. If you're gonna fish.. then the Montrose area is perfect. Several cheaper motels there also. OH, insects are not a problem here either.

Enjoyed the Boat Tour, got to see the Canyon from a new perspective. Great views, interesting information provided. The Ranger and Captain were great hosts. Worth the cost and the trek.

take the time to drive up hwy 92. Do the 2 mile hike at Curecanti Creek Trail starts at Pioneer Point.

Must-see Colorado! Outstanding and peaceful area - need to return again some day! Outdoor possibilities are endless.

This area of Colorado is stunning. Even in late July/early August, there were tons of wildflowers blooming. Great scenic driving, especially along Colorado 92.

A large body of water, the Blue Mesa Resevoir makes this the perfect place for boating, as well as camping and outdoor activies. There's plenty of space, so you are never crowded. There is a ranger led boat tour which takes you along the canyon walls. You need to make reservations for this at least a day in advance. There are a lot of steps to walk down (and back up - 232 I believe) and a 1/2 mile walk to the boat dock. We didn't get to do it because of time constraints, but everyone we talked to thought it was great.

We love spending time in this area, we rented a boat from the marina (they let you bring your dog!) and spent time grilling in the picnic areas and exploring the shoreline. Lots of campers and people fishing. Great for families, and the dog loved it too.

We had a wonderful time on the National Park Service, Morrow Point Boat Tour! I have wanted to take this tour for three summers and finally made it happen this year. I would highly recommend it. You must make reservations in advance and there is a one mile walk/hike to the boat dock. After you descend the 240 steps the 3/4 mile walk is very easy. The stairs are pretty amazing, beautiful stone in places. By the time our tour was finished the temperature was getting hot to climb the stairs out of the canyon. I would love to do it again in the autumn when the trees are changing colors. We had a very nice tour guide and learned a lot about the history of the Black Canyon.

Photos don't do the area justice. I had done some homework online beforehand and was passing through on my way to Black Canyon NP. But, hiking and scenic drives here exceeded my expectations. Who doesn't appreciate expansive vistas and wilderness with little development? Late spring the hills, canyons and valley's were a pastel sage green sandwiched between a blue sky and sparkling lake. We hiked Dillon Pinnacles trail and enjoyed a ranger-guided boat tour up a lake arm. I would highly recommend this for pre-summer before temperatures soar.

We viewed the Aspens and tremendously rugged canyons and mountains from Hotchkiss to Blue Mesa Dam. There are many photo opportunities along the way with pullouts and view points.

We started off our tour going through the Curecanti National Recreation area. We stopped at the visitors center run by the park service. We were greeted by a very knowledgeable and friendly Park Ranger. He went over the areas of interest and marked them on the map. He also went on to help plan our trip after leaving the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We followed everything he recommended and had a wonderful day. I wish I had gotten his name but I do remember he was originally from Conneticut. His love for this area was quite apparent and it was nice to hear such positive remarks.

Nice, calm Ranger-led pontoon boat tour. Good interpretation---did a nice job explaining the history of the canyon and contemporary water use. Great tour for taking photos.

We love to take visitors on this boat ride. This time we took our daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. As we got on the boat, we were greeted by friends from home whom we didn't know were in the area too (small world). The ride up and back is beautiful and very informative. Saw a bald eagle both ways. Lots of opportunities for pictures. Be warned, it is a long way down to the boat and then back up your car. Delightful experience. Our government dollars working well for us!

Just went on the 90 minute boat tour, Morrow Point, loved it. You must make reservations in advance, just call the phone # on the web site and they'll take your info and payment information. There is a short steep walk down to the river, but most of it was on steps, so it really wasn't as hard as you would think, then there is about a 1/2 mile walk to where the boat departs. There are restrooms next to the boat dock. The entire first portion of the boat tour is narrated by a Park Ranger, who teaches you about the river, the area, wildlife, and some of the challenges of the water management in the area. I surprised to learn that 19 states and 2 countries receive water from Colorado. Then on the last half of the tour, you can ask all of the questions you would like. Make sure and wear a hat, have some sunscreen with you, and don't forget your camera. There is nothing like seeing the area from the level of a being on a boat. Also, if you are lucky you'll get to see some wildlife on the trip, as we were able to see a beautiful eagle, posing on the tree for us. The boat captain said on the day before, they saw a couple of bears.