Horsetooth Reservoir

Horsetooth Reservoir mid summer on a clear sunny calm day.

Horsetooth Reservoir is a man-made lake just west of Fort Collins, Colorado, in southern Larimer County made for recreation purposes, and is the main water supply for the Poudre Valley. The reservoir was a part of the Colorado-Big Thompson project. This project was made to move water from the west slope to the east slope. The water is used for local farms, hydropower, and drinking water for Northern Colorado. The lake is 6.5 miles long and had 25 miles of shore line with 4 camping areas, 111 campsites total, and 4 boat-launch areas. The primary activities are fishing, power boating, water skiing, hiking, and camping.

This rock is the reason Horsetooth got it's name. Looking at Horstooth rock from a hinking trail.

History

This reservoir was created on top of the town of Stout. Stout was a small town with a population of 47 1/2. This town had a sandstone mine, and had a railroad that went through it. This town turned into a gost town and horsetooth reservoir was build on top of it. To this day when the water is low enough visitors can still see the buildings where Stout used to be. Horsetooth reservoirs damn began being built in 1949. In 1954, the water was used for farms until the 1970 and then only 80 percent of the water was used for farms. In the 1990's just a little over half of the water supply was used for farms and the other half was used for drinking and hydropower. This reservoir was the largest created during the Colorado-Big Thompson project. Building was finished in 1949 and water first entered the reservoir in 1951. Horsetooth was given its name because of an Arapaho legand that on the west side of the reservoir at the top of a mountain. There is a rock that Natives thought looked like a giant's heart and then later decided that it looked more like a horse's tooth.

Activities

• Biking
• Boating
• Camping
• Enviromantal Education
• Fishing
• Swiming
• Hiking
• Picnicking
• Water Sports
• Wildlife Viewing