 | Navajo Brochure |

Passes and Permits
A Colorado State Parks Pass is required on all
motor vehicles entering the park. All passes
are to be displayed on the lower right inside of
the windshield. An annual Pass is valid at any
Colorado State Park for a year from the date
of purchase. The Aspen Leaf annual pass is
available to Colorado Seniors at a discounted
rate. Daily passes are available at the park
entrance stations, self-service dispensers and
all State Park offices.
Navajo State Park
C O L O R A D O PA R K S & W I L D L I F E
Developed Area
Navajo
State Park
ENJOY YOUR STATE PARKS
ANS Inspection
Station
Colorado Disabled Veterans displaying the
Colorado Disabled Veteran (DV) license plates
are admitted free without a pass, however, a
camping fee is charged. All campers are required
to purchase a valid camping permit.
Emergencies
In an emergency, contact a ranger or call the
Archuleta Sheriff at 970-731-2160.
ANS
Decon
Station
Reservations
Marina Dry
Storage
Call 800-678-2267 or view cpw.state.co.us to
reserve campsites. In Denver, call 303-470-1144.
N
Navajo State Park
PO Box 1697 • 1526 County Road 982
Arboles, CO 81121
(970) 883-2208 • E-mail: navajo.park@state.co.us
cpw.state.co.us
Funded in part by Great Outdoors Colorado
through Colorado Lottery proceeds.
CPW_RMNJ_3/17
cpw.state.co.us
AVAJO STATE PARK is a park that
offers recreation, history, wildlife and
the beauty of southwest Colorado. It
is situated just outside of the town of Arboles,
35 miles southwest of Pagosa Springs, and 45
miles southeast of Durango, Colorado. The
park’s finest attraction is the 35-mile long Navajo
Reservoir that begins in Colorado and ends in
the State of New Mexico. The reservoir’s 15,000
surface acres, including 3000 surface acres on
the Colorado side, offer a challenge to the angler
and unlimited pleasure to the boater. This is the
lake that some of your friends forgot to tell you
about. They want it all to themselves.Within
the boundaries of the park lies an abandoned
narrow gauge railway that once was the area’s
transportation lifeline. The Denver and Rio
Grande railroad served the towns of Rosa and
the old town of Arboles, both of which now rest
under the reservoir’s surface. The Cumbres and
Toltec and the Durango and Silverton Railroads
are today the remaining working portions of
this railway. The park’s history also includes the
Ancestral Puebloans who inhabited the area as
well as the nearby areas of Chimney Rock and
Mesa Verde. The area is host to an abundance of
wildlife including deer, elk, fox, beaver, muskrat,
river otter, jackrabbit, prairie dog and many
species of birds. During the winter months, bald
eagles soar above the lake.
Visitor Services
Location Map
The Navajo State Park Visitor Center exhibits
a three-dimensional topographical map of the
lake, Ancestral Puebloan artifacts, historical
displays of the Denver and Rio Grande Narrow
Gauge Railroad and nature displays. The Visitor
Center
store offers books on a variety of subjects,
delightful puppets of many animals found in the
park, gift items and Navajo State Park apparel.
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© JOHN THORNE
We are located two miles south of Arboles and
Colorado Highway 151 on County Road 982.
The nearby town of Arboles offers a gas
station, convenience store, cafe, and a post
office. Medical facilities are located in Pagosa
Springs and Durango and the nearest hospital
is in Pagosa Springs. The park is also served
by an outstanding ambulance service from the
neighboring town of Ignacio.
Piedra River
Alamosa
Arboles
NAVAJO
STATE PARK
Community Facilities
WATCHABLE WILDLIFE
VIEWING AREA
U.S. 285
U.S. 550
Durango
Salida
U.S. 50
Montrose
Park Rangers routinely patrol the park to provide
information and assistance to visitors, and to enforce
the rules and regulations within the park boundaries.
Map of Park
and Surrounding Area
Fairplay
Grand
Junction
.7
Sambrito Wetlands
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.6
2.2 m
iles
Windsurf
Beach
tto
Arboles
Co
Allison
To Ignacio
Ar
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nw
oo
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1 mil
West Piedra
To Pagosa Junction
San Juan River
COLORADO
New Mexico
Archuleta County
Navajo Dam and Lake
Navajo Dam, located on the San Juan River in
northern New Mexico, is almost three-quarters
of a mile long and 400 feet high. This earth and
rock-filled embankment contains three “zones”
of selected cobbles, gravel, sand and clay. The
spillway, 138 feet wide in the main section, has a
capacity of 34,000 cubic feet per second (254,320
gallons per second). Under normal conditions,
water is released into the San Juan River
downstream through the outlet works. Water
from the river is used for irrigation, municipal
and industrial purposes, by oil and gas fields
and by thermal power plants along the San Juan
River below the dam. Water is also released from
Navajo Lake through a tunnel into an aquaduct
for use on the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.
Navajo Lake is the principal storage reservoir for
the extensive Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.
This project is designed to irrigate about 110,000
acres of land on the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Just upstream from the dam, to the south, is an
intake structure for a tunnel that carries water to
these lands.
In 1981, about 140,000 acre-feet of water were
taken from Navajo Lake. This amount increases
as more blocks of land are made ready for
irrigation. Construction of the Navajo Indian
Irrigation Project was started in 1963, and the
first project water was delivered in 1976. This
all Indian project was designed and is being
constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs. Reclamation’s Upper
Colorado Region, located in Salt Lake City, Utah,
is responsible for construction management. As
the blocks are completed, they are turned over to
the Navajo Tribe for operation and maintenance.
Construction of Navajo Dam began in July of
1958. The 26 million cubic yards of earth and
rock needed for the dam were taken from 16
borrow areas beside the San Juan River and
along benches overlooking the valley. All private
land was purchased and about 50 families moved
to other locations. In the reservoir area, the small
village of Rosa, New Mexico, was inundated.
Navajo Dam was dedicated on Sept. 15, 1962.
onference Room
C
and Picnic Areas
The park offers a spacious conference
room with a beautiful view of the lake for
seminars, meetings or conferences, with
an adjoining picnic pavilion for lunches
or outdoor meetings. An additional group
picnic area is located in the Carracas
Campground. Reservations for either the
conference room or the picnic facilities may
be made at the Visitor Center.
Fishing
Whether from a boat or from the shoreline,
fishing is great at Navajo State Park. Northern
pike, bluegill, catfish, crappie and small mouth
bass lie in the shallow waters near the surface.
Kokanee salmon and many varieties of trout are
found in deep water. If you plan to fish across the
New Mexico state line, be sure to pick up your
New Mexico fishing license at the
Visitor Center.
Rainbow Trout
Small Mouth Bass
Hiking
Regulations
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Fires are permitted only in permanent grills
provided by the park or in fully-contained
stove/grills. Never leave a fire unattended.
Do not collect any natural materials for fires.
Firewood is available from the campground
hosts. Please do not dump ashes on the ground.
Take them to a designated fire-ring
or take them home.
Keep motorized vehicles on designated roads.
Observe quiet hours from 10pm to 6am.
Pets must be on a leash no more than six-feet
in length and under control. Please clean up
after your pets.
Check-out time is noon. Check-in time for
cabins is 4 pm.
No more than 3.2% alcohol is permitted.
Riding in towed trailers is prohibited.
Site occupancy is limited to one camping unit
(two tents or one motor home and one tent),
six persons and a maximum of 14 days. Tents
in designated sites are allowed only on gravel
pads, or in gravel driveways.
There are currently five trails within Navajo State
Park and most are appropriate for hiking
or biking. All trails are open for your year-round
enjoyment. A trails brochure is available at the
Visitor Center.
Blugill
Wildlife
A large variety of wildlife, including deer, elk,
fox, beavers, muskrats, prairie dogs, river otters,
jackrabbits, raccoons and many species of birds,
may be viewed throughout the year at Navajo
State Park.
The Sambrito Wetlands area of the park is an
especially beautiful place to view wildlife as it
contains ponds, marshes and a wonderful view
of the lake. This area is located two miles south
of State Highway 151 on Archuleta County Road
988.
W
inter Recreational Activities
Navajo State Park offers a variety of recreational
activities throughout every season of the year.
The Navajo Reservoir usually does not freeze in
the winter, however, in accordance with Aquatic
Nuisance Species procedures, the boat ramp is
closed December 1st until March 1st. This is an
outstanding time to view bald eagles and mule
deer in the park.
Another outstanding location to observe wildlife
is the Navajo State Park Watchable Wildlife
Viewing area located next to the narrow gauge
railroad bridge which spans the Piedra River
near State Highway 151.
A variety of environmental
educational programs are offered
at both of the above sites during
the summer months.
Boating and Water Sports
Marina
Navajo Reservoir has 15,000 surface acres of
water and 150 miles of shoreline for your boating
pleasure. Personal watercraft, sailboats, skiboats, high-performance bass boats and 80-foot
houseboats all ply the waters of Navajo Reservoir.
The lake is big enough to find a quiet spot – even
on holiday weekends.
The Two Rivers Marina is located just south
of where the Piedra and the San Juan Rivers
meet. The full-service marina offers the
following features:
The boating laws in New Mexico are similar
to Colorado laws but since two-thirds of the
reservoir is located in New Mexico, it is a good
idea to look up New Mexico regulations online
before entering New Mexico waters.
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Two Rivers Marina
Fuel, ice, fishing tackle, boating supplies,
cold drinks and a clean restroom
Slips – daily, monthly and yearly rentals with
power and water to most
Mooring – 75 mooring balls with shuttle
service to most
Dry Storage – over two acres of fenced and
locked area for storage of your boat or RV
Pump-out Station – available for houseboats
and day cruisers
Rental Boats – ski and pontoon boats
Stand-up paddle boards
Battery boost or charge
Emergency fuel or battery boost on water
Launch and retrieval from dry storage
Call the Marina at 970-883-BOAT (2628) for
information, prices and reservations.
©TAIMUR MAHMOOD
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©TAIMUR MAHMOOD
Services include:
Rosa Campground
Camping Facilities
©TAIMUR MAHMOOD
A wide variety of campsites are available
at Navajo State Park. These sites vary from
primitive to full-service campgrounds. Camping
is available only in designated areas.
Cabins
Beautiful full-service cabins are also available.
The cabins are fully furnished and provide
everything you should need except food, sleeping
bags, bath towels and other linens. Cooking
facilities are available in the modern kitchens or
outside using the campfire/barbeque rings and
picnic tables.
Primitive Campsites
Primitive campsites are located at Windsurf
Beach and Arboles Point. Windsurf Beach has 15
small designated RV/tent campsites with picnic
tables, metal grills/fire rings and tent pads. Two
of these sites are fully accessible. There are also 10
small, designated RV campsites with picnic tables
and upright metal grills only. Vault toilets are all
accessible. Arboles Point has 4 designated RV/
tent campsites with picnic tables, metal grills/fire
rings. Vault toilets are also accessible in this area.
Rosa campground is the park’s full-service
campground and includes 39 RV sites (101120 and 129-147). This area is located near the
Visitor Center and offers individual water, sewer
and electric hook-ups at each site. Four of the
sites are fully accessible.
Rosa Campground also has 8 walk-in
tent sites (121-128) with 2 of them being fully
accessible. A nearby accessible camper services
building contains clean restrooms, coin-operated
showers and self-service laundry facilities and is
open April 15-October 31.
Rosa Campground
LEGEND
Carracas Campground
Carracas Campground is located closer to
the marina and contains 41 campsites with
individual electrical hook-ups (51-91). Four
of these sites are fully accessible.
Carracas Campground
Tiffany Campground
Water is available at central locations and an
accessible camper services building offers clean
restrooms and coin-operated showers. This
campground is closed October 15 - April 15.
Tiffany Campground is the original campground
and is located near the amphitheatre. This area
offers 25 non-electric RV sites (1-19, 26, 27,
29, 32, 33, 34), six tent sites (20-25) and three
full-service, 2-bedroom cabins. (28, 30, 31).
Two of the RV sites and one of the tent sites
are fully accessible. Water is available at central
locations and an accessible camper services
building contains clean restrooms and coinoperated showers. The camper services building
is winterized off-season and is closed between
October 15 and April 15.
Tiffany Campground
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LEGEND
LEGEND
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