A look at Lake Pueblo near Pueblo:

Description: Peaks meet prairies and prairies meet 4,600 acres of water at one of Colorado’s more popular state parks. Motor boaters and wakeless enthusiasts alike get their thrill on the lake, with marinas on the north and south end. Campers flock year-round to some 400 sites. Mountain bikers delight in the park’s singletrack system through terrain that stays relatively dry in the winter.

Activities: Boating, sail/paddle sports, jet skiing, biking, hiking, horseback riding, camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing.

Wildlife: Mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, beavers, prairie dogs, bighorn sheep spotted; rare triploid checkered whiptail lizard; great blue herons, red-tail hawks, burrowing owls, bald eagles in winter; large- and smallmouth bass, walleye, saugeye, wiper, catfish

Fun fact: The inventor of the chuck wagon, cattle driver Charles Goodnight, built a ranch along the Arkansas River for his wife in the mid-19th century. Pieces of it are now within the park.

Address: 640 Pueblo Reservoir Road, Pueblo, 81005

Contact: 719-561-9320, [email protected]

Hours: Open 24 hours

Directions: Off Interstate 25 south, take exit 101 to merge onto U.S. 50 west toward Canon City. After 2.5 miles, turn south on Pueblo Boulevard and continue 4 miles to Thatcher Avenue. Turn right and continue to park entrance.

SETH BOSTER, THE GAZETTE