Starting this week, Colorado Parks and Wildlife will be making campsite and parking improvements to the Jumbo (Julesburg) Reservoir State Wildlife Area (SWA) to improve the visitor experience and reduce safety concerns.
According to a report, the $145,000 project will take place at the east boat ramp and create defined parking spaces that can accommodate up to 71 boat trailers, 12 additional day-use personal vehicle parking spots, and nine traditional campsites.
“Over the last three or four years, and especially with the spike in outdoor recreation that we’ve experienced during COVID, we were finding on our busy weekends that the day-use and boat trailer parking was spilling out onto the county road,” said Area Wildlife Manager Todd Schmidt.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with the county to alleviate a potential safety issue there. For our water-based recreationists — boaters and anglers — I think they will appreciate the improvements because more people will have the opportunity to park a trailer in a reasonable fashion.”
Jumbo Reservoir will open to boating on Friday, April 1. For the first half of April, the reservoir will open for boating during weekends only, from Friday to Sunday (being open April 1-3 and 8-10).
CPW has prioritized working with contractors to complete the boat and trailer parking area first to minimize the impact at the boat ramp.
Jumbo Reservoir currently has four campgrounds–Boy Scout, Ditch Rider, East, and West–all considered dispersed camping on a first-come, first-served basis.
The installation of nine established campsites at the East campground will move it from what was previously was a dispersed camping area to one with designated sites.
The nine sites will feature a high-use pad that can accommodate up to two tents, a picnic table, and a fire ring. Each site can accommodate two vehicles or one trailer.
The East campground will remain on a first-come, first-served basis. Electricity and water will not be available at the campground.
The campground will be closed until the construction is completed.
This story originally appeared on Journal-Advocate.
I’m really excited about the upgrades at Jumbo Reservoir State Wildlife Area! The new campsites and parking spots are going to make your outdoor adventures even better. You should check out the designated areas for boaters and anglers. It’s going to be awesome out there!