Boulder Reservoir

A clean nice beach, in landlocked Colorado. I like the rafts, and they give you some exercise on the way out. I think the water is pretty clean too. It is also cold and very refreshing during this heatwave. The lifeguards take their job very seriously, no diving or flips. We did the hike around the reservoir one day. It felt like more than the 5 mile, it could have been the heat. On the hike on the backside, there is a prairie dog nesting site, they are adorable from far away. Our family friend we were with was calling to them and they talked back. On the backside offers good secluded spots for watering your dogs. However one jerk had two aggressive dogs with no leashes on hand. You should at least have the leash handy like around your neck, so that you can get your dog on quick if it goes bonkers. There is still a leash law in the park, and we almost got bit. Dogs are not allowed at the main beach. Also when you do the hike around it spits you out of the park, so you have to re– enter.

My first experience at the Boulder Reservoir was quite memorable. It was a brisk February day and my friends and I were eagerly awaiting our turn to dip (it was a Polar Plunge event in support of the Special Olympics). The ice was lovingly broken and cleared away so we could make our run in and out. The event was executed well and there were snacks (donuts really are the best snack. I was so happy to see these), announcers, photographers, and his and hers warming tents. After this great experience I’m not sure whey it took me so long to return to see what the reservoir had to offer in the summer months.
It was a hot hot h-​o-​t June day and being all pooled out (note: I had not yet been to the Eldorado Canyon pool) I thought I’d give the reservoir a try. After all I thought I’d best check on my investment (I purchased a couples yoga paddle board lesson for later this summer).
The line of cars moving through the entry gates went by smoothly and we were soon in (though the directions provided by the gate staff were a bit confusing). We parked the car and made our way down to the beach.
I was pleased to see that there were few patrons and the reservoir had a lake like feel (I’m from Maine and I rarely think a week passed that I didn’t se at least 1 natural lake in my 23 years living there). We set out our towels, took out our magazines, re-​applied our sunscreen and spent the next 45 minutes convincing each other to swim out to the dock (ok my partner was the one trying to convince me).
We eventually made it into the water and probably about 30 minutes (seriously I saw someone conduct an entire swim workout between the time I entered the water and eventually made it out to the dock) later made it out to the one dock that was not yet occupied. We lounged the afternoon away chatting, people watching, and enjoying small waves produced by small boats and passing paddle boarders.
The next day I couldn’t help but look up the fees associated with Boulder Reservoir Annual passes as well as the all popular Splash Pass.
Though I’ll be out of town for the 4^th of July festivities I will soon be back to the Boulder Reservoir.

Sorry Boulder Res. I love Boulder and I train a lot here but the management sucks!
Bad maintenance of bathrooms, bad organization, the bar its a joke, expensive rentals, bad smell, bad employees training, etc etc etc…
I cant believe WHY having such a good location, and smart people in Boulder, nobody just build a paradise for athletes (almost everyone in Boulder) with transition area for swim/​bike/​run, family areas with kids playground, an awesome restaurant with mountain/​lake view… Is that too hard to build??? Come on…
This is the worse lake around… So sad…

I was expecting much worse from reading all of the 1 star reviews on here, but I am thrilled with my day at the Boulder Reservoir!
A nice, spacious swim area, plenty of space to lay out and soak up some rays, a concession stand, and restrooms/​water fountains.
I didn’t take advantage of the rental equipment but plenty of people are and seem to be enjoying the stand up paddle boards, canoes, etc. There are beautiful mountain views and it’s an overall great reservoir and excellent way to spend the day!
I did deduct one star because the price per person as opposed to per vehicle ($ 6.25) as others have mentioned is complete horse crap.

Way to be hospitable to your Ironman athletes — not!!! They charged Ironman spectators to access the reservoir for bike drop off. City of Boulder Iron athletes and there support crews are spending millions in your city — free entrance for a short drop off is not too much to ask.

Feeling landlocked? Come here and get a taste of the sea life, right in Boulder’s backyard!!! For a $ 6.25 admission fee you get admittance to a car full of people, and it’s definitely an all-​day fun fest. There’s a nice sandy beach, lots of wildlife, and a ton of really nice people. Definitely a gem in Boulder County!

Went for the first time and hated it. The swimming area is small, entry fee is per person rather then per car load and they yelled at me for having my 11 month old in the shallow end while wearing a safety tube. We will most def not be returning! Bear creek is our fav!!!

OK place for family and boating recreation… not so much if you want to do any kind of swim workout. For $ 6.25, I’d expect much better facilities!
Went swimming along the shore to get a good work out in before ironman 70.3 Boulder. At the conclusion of the swim, I was told by annoying high school staff that the only place on the entire lake where you are allowed to swim is the little swim area which they would open up special on thursday. Having been a life guard, firefighter, EMT, and search and rescue member (USCG), I know that the worst people to life guard for are members of our own community so I didn’t argue.
There were few boats on the water, I was swimming within the white «swim only» buoy areas and I was swimming with a buddy. So I was doing everything that one should do to be safe.
I did find out that there is a pull off on the other side of the lake that I’ll probably look at swimming from the next time. Get there early in the morning before the lake patrol (high school life guards, again) get out on the water around 10 am.
There is also a white buoy area along the dam wall on the east side. This is to keep boaters from wrecking. As long as you know not to get close to the outlets for the dam (it’s not fast moving anyways), you should be able to do at least ¼ mile stretches without even coming close to the outlets.

I got in free and I want my money back. Rip off. Horrible beach, terrifying bathroom-​child molesters dream come true, no showers, no shade, dirty water, only access to drinking water deep under the main building.

I agree! This is NOT the ocean. It’s a freaking lake close to Boulder. You take what you can get. It is a boating lake. Ugh I get tired of people who complain about no ocean. YOUR IN COLORADO!

The REZ is a wonderful place to start a day.
My friends and I kayak there once a week, each time enjoying different special birds — we caught a very close glimpse of a young bald eagle a couple of weeks ago. Three weeks ago carp were mating on the shore. That was something to see!
Some days hot air balloons drift overhead, other days para gliders dance on the wind before settling down close by. Dogs romping happily on one beach, all ages of children learning to love and appreciate the water on the opposite side.
And for no extra charge, the magnificent mountains in the background remind us of how fortunate we are to be alive, and in this special, quiet, peaceful place. The gentle rocking of the boat… who could have a bad day after that?

great little spot we took the doggies, to run around and take a dip.

Ok, so I’m an ocean girl, but since we can’t find a way to import an ocean to Boulder, I take every advantage of being close to water. The Boulder Res is a pretty decent option, and it seems to be cleaner than past years. Maybe that’s the current high water level, but whatever it is, a good improvement.
For a very hot summer day, it was pretty great today. What most people don’t realize is that there’s a ton of wildlife at the res. Went kayaking and just today, in addition to the geese, coots, loons, and grebes, I paddled with ospreys, blue and black herons, egrets, and pelicans. I’ve seen owls, bald eagles, falcons, and hawks too. Lots of waterski boats created fun rollers for playing in the kayak.
Got back to the beach and there were lots of people picnicking, renting kayaks, sailboats, and stand up paddle boards. The swim beach was hoppin’ with a variety of people from families with kids to college kids playing some alternate form of ping pong to athletic types training for their next race. Everybody was happy and enjoying the «sandy» beach.
Unfortunately the Reservoir Grill (snack shop) was closed today… end of July, Sunday, 98 degrees… why? Who knows. Would have stayed longer to read my book in the shade with happy summer noises, but I ran out of cold Gatorade.
There seem to be big race events (triathlons, marathons, etc.) many weekends, so check if you plan on going early; they’re usually cleared out by about noon.

It’s not the ocean, a lake or even a pond, so comparing it to these things is a bit ludicrous. But, it is a great place to splash around and cool off. While I wish the supervised swimming area was larger, it is big enough if you want to swim long distance (if you don’t mind swimming in large circles) and the three floating docks are sunny places to rest. The sand was surprisingly beach-​like and the rest rooms and changing room were decent (nothing special but not particularly grungy, either). If you’re planning to spend a lot of time there, consider bringing an umbrella as shade is limited. There’s also a cash only concessions stand but I didn’t check their offerings. Admission to the reservoir is $ 6.25 per person.

Beach was closed and they didn’t tell us. Then refused to give a refund

This is a great place to walk your dog around the lake. It’s supposed to be a 5 mile walk around it and it doesn’t take that long. There are plenty of dogs that get to run around and play and the trails are quite beautiful.

I am giving this a five star because the other review is so dumb. I’m going to guess it is a sad replacement for an ocean since it is a reservoir. Really snow melt water is cold?
Well I have been to a few events here most of which are triathlon related. The park seems easy and eager to work with organizers of these events. The place is always clean and parking for the large events is well organized.

This is the closest thing Boulder has to an ocean. It’s a pretty sad replacement, really. The sand is coarse and full of burrs, the water is cold and smells of fish. It’s perfectly adequate if boating is your thing, plenty of water to skim around on and a great view of the Flatirons.
I briefly gave crew a try in college and floating in the skull watching the reflection of the sunrise on the Flatirons was one of the most gorgeous sites I’d ever seen, and the most compelling reason to get up at 4 in the morning.