Park
Turquoise Lake Recreation Area
The Forest Service lake west of town: two boat ramps, eight campgrounds with about 300 sites, mostly on the east shore, and trails to Timberline, Native and Windsor lakes. Boat ramps ran May 1 to September 7 in 2026.
Turquoise Lake sits in the forest west of Leadville on the Leadville Ranger District. The Forest Service page lists two boat-launching ramps and eight campgrounds with 300 campsites, most of them at the east end of the lake and May Queen Campground at the west end; campgrounds that take reservations often fill early, especially on holiday weekends. Camping is only allowed in developed campgrounds. For 2026 the boat ramps were open May 1 to September 7, 6 am to 8 pm every day, and facilities close in winter because of ice and snow. Day-use areas and campgrounds charge fees (amounts not given). A Colorado fishing license is required; the standard limit is four fish in total, including two lake trout. Potable water is not available. Hiking from the lake includes the Timberline Lake, Native Lake and Windsor Lake trails. The Leadville Ranger District’s number is 719-486-0749, 8 am to 4:30 pm, closed on federal holidays.
The Forest’s alerts page (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/psicc/alerts), read the same day, lists a Turquoise Lake Road (County Road 4) closure dated April 7, 2026 with access still available via County Road 9C, and the Willow Fire area closure (Forest Order 02-12-01-26-39, October 1 to December 31, 2026 unless rescinded), whose northern edge follows County Road 4, Hagerman Pass Road and Busk Creek; check it before going.
Facts from the Forest Service’s Turquoise Lake Recreation Area page (last updated May 1, 2026) and its alerts page, read 10 October 2026.
At a glance lake · fishing · boating · camping · hiking
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Checked October 10, 2026 against fs.usda.gov. Hours and phone numbers change fastest, so the business’s own page is the record. Report a correction · Know something opening or closing? Tell us
More in Leadville
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- Leadville National Fish Hatchery Park
- Leadville Railroad Venue
- Matchless Mine Historic Site Venue
- Mount Elbert Trailheads Trailhead
- Mount Massive Trailhead Trailhead
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