GARFIELD COUNTY — When a visitor pulls up to idyllic Sweetwater Lake, a remote gem on Colorado’s Western Slope that harkens back to a bygone era, its rustic charms are immediately apparent. The lake is framed by enchanting limestone cliffs on two sides. A bald eagle circles above one of the cliffs. There is a quaint lodge with faux-antique signs that say things like, “Real cowboys don’t ride ponies,” and “Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy.”
But the recreational limitations of the property — which White River National Forest officials want to turn over to Colorado Parks and Wildlife to manage as Colorado’s 43rd state park — soon come into focus.
The aging lodge building, which used to have a popular restaurant, is closed because the roof is failing. Parking is scarce. The lake is very small and the nearby wetlands are off limits. Hikers have few options, and mountain bikers have none. There is no trail around the lake and no place for sunbathing. There is an old campground, but it has only nine sites that are cramped, and they can’t be reserved.
It’s no wonder that residents who live along the 10-mile country road to the lake — some of it asphalt but much of it dirt — see big problems with Sweetwater Lake becoming a state park. And whatever happens, the property — located 14 miles north of Glenwood Canyon and a mile from the massive Flat Tops Wilderness — will be in limbo for a year or longer.
The forest service acquired the land in September 2021 from an environmental non-profit, the Conservation Fund, which purchased it two years earlier to prevent it from falling into the hands of private developers. Forest-service officials insist they don’t have the resources to manage the property, though, so they want CPW to do it for them. First, the forest service must develop a long-term management plan, taking into account public opinion, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That will include an environmental impact statement, which will take at least a year to develop.
“Meanwhile, it’s still open to the public,” said White River National Forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams. “We’ve got problems with the water system, we’ve got problems with the buildings, so we’ve got to work through some of that in the short term. We’re looking forward to actually proposing something that says, ‘Here’s what this is going to look like in the future.’”
Current conditions there are “challenging,” Fitzwilliams acknowledged on a recent visit.
“We’re being honest with people,” he said. “The facilities aren’t ready for you. We don’t post it on websites and social media for that reason.”
Adrienne Brink and her family have operated A.J. Brink Outfitters on the property since 1984, offering boat rentals, horseback riding and guided equestrian pack trips into the wilderness nearby. She concedes the buildings on the property, including a handful of overnight cabins, have seen better days. She blames a succession of landlords that preceded the forest service for letting them fall into disrepair.
“We had a good little restaurant with great local support, and we were known for having good homemade food,” Brink said. “People would come to see the lake, sit on the deck, watch the hummingbirds. Maybe part of their family went horseback riding, or maybe they went out on the boats. It’s not a big operation, but we were successful, just making a living for a couple of families and paying our employees. Right now, we’re almost dying on the vine. We have our outfitting business going, but many people think we’re closed.”
The lake has a dock and is open for paddleboats, canoes, stand-up paddleboards and rowboats, but the restaurant has been closed for three years. Meanwhile, the forest service is trying to figure out what to do with the dilapidated buildings.
“The lodge building has some serious issues with the roof, there’s electrical problems, there’s mold in all the buildings,” Fitzwilliams said. “We’re evaluating whether or not we can put money into them, whether it’s worth it, and how they’re going to fit into a bigger picture long-term.”
Fitzwilliams seems sympathetic to Brink’s predicament.
“They have a guide permit for trail rides and hunting pack trips on the forest,” Fitzwilliams said. “We gave them another permit to operate in this transition stage. The long-term goal would be to have some form of her operation still part of this park.”
The lake is an attraction for anglers. Mark Lehman, who has been designated by CPW to be the manager if and when Sweetwater does become a state park, says there are kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout and cutthroat in there. And, in addition to the bald eagle pair that has a nest high in a dead tree overlooking the lake, the skies are home to other raptors, including peregrine falcons.
“Obviously it’s an incredibly scenic location,” Lehman said. “It’s a place where we feel people can come to disengage from everyday life, refill their cup, recharge their batteries.”
David Meek of Empire, 69, has been making trips to Sweetwater since the late 1970s. His family visited on a recent camping trip to celebrate the birthday of his grandson, who was killed a few years ago in a motorcycle accident.
“Look at it,” Meek said, admiring the view of the lake and the cliffs that frame it from his campsite. “The fishing’s always been really good and treated me fair. It’s just an awesome place to be. Lots of people come up and paddleboard, and that’s a new thing since I started coming up here. I’ve always come for the camping, hunting and fishing.”
Meek remembers the days when the buildings were habitable and the property operated as a “really nice” small resort with modest amenities.
“It had a kitchen and a little bar, really friendly little place, but it’s really changed in the last few years,” Meek said. “The buildings have gotten run down. Now they want to change it. I’m crossing my fingers they don’t change it much.”
Fitzwilliams understands the concerns of the local community and has had more than a dozen meetings with residents. Still, many are skeptical that the forest service — and CPW, assuming it takes over management — will operate it at a scale appropriate to its limitations.
“The No. 1 reason listed, when we applied to get the funding for this (purchase), was public access to recreational opportunities,” Fitzwilliams said. “If we can provide that, in numbers that are reasonable and protect the values of this community, the natural resource values, we think we can. Based on what people have read in the paper, it may not seem like it, but I think there is a balance. The people in the valley here, they’re just salt-of-the-earth, wonderful people who care about their lifestyle, their quality of life and their history.
“But it is public,” Fitzwilliams added, “and we have an obligation to manage this in the public interest, not for one business or a small community.”
Brink just hopes a “happy medium” can be found. She wants people to visit Sweetwater Lake, but only in numbers that won’t overwhelm it.
“We’re squabbling over this and that,” Brink said. “I do believe it probably does need to get into state hands, because they do have the money or the ability to manage it, but the community is very fearful if you call it a state park. Call it a preservation area or historical area or something else, and not put it on a list (of state parks) promoted to the hilt. Just promote it for what it is.”
