Navajo Lake State Park

Story

Navajo Lake is a reservoir located in San Juan County and Rio Arriba County in northwestern New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. Portions of the reservoir extend into Archuleta County in southern Colorado. The lake is part of the Colorado River Storage Project, which here manages the upper reaches of the San Juan River, storing and releasing water that is used locally for irrigation, or ultimately reaching the Colorado River in Utah. Water is impounded in Navajo Lake by the earth- and rock-filled Navajo Dam, 3800ft long and 400ft high, completed in 1962. The 15600acre lake is over 25mi long and lies at an elevation of up to 6085ft.The construction of the dam and the resulting lake flooded and destroyed one of the Navajos' most sacred sites.Two shoreline areas near the dam in New Mexico are part of the Navajo Lake State Park, featuring over 200 camping and picnic sites, and two improved boat ramps and two marinas. The river shorelines below the dam are also part of the state park, as well as a BLM Recreation Area. An area in Colorado near the head of the lake is the Navajo State Recreation Area. The lake is an excellent destination for camping and general boating, as well Smallmouth Bass, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish, and Trout fishing.