Heron Lake State Park and Our Hike

We have decided to tryout Heron Lake State Park for the weekend of July 4th and excited for the extra services we have in the RV. Yes, we have electric, water and sewer which means long showers! The campgrounds are good but mostly rock and sand. They do offer numerous camping areas to choose from and next time we will stay closer to the lake but enjoying the cooler breezes up high.

Heron Lake has an interesting background and learned a lot at the visitor center. The lake is a reservoir and is part of the San Juan - Chama project which transfers water from the upper reaches of the San Juan River through the 12.8 miles Azotea Tunnel which is under the Continental Divide and ultimately reaching the Rio Grande. The lake can be used as a holding area if the snow melt is large but in these parts the snow has not been a lot. Park elevation is 7,167 so we are enjoying the upper 40 temperatures in the am and upper 80's in the afternoon. If you are in the direct sun it get really hot!

The lake is a quiet lake, so boats can only troll which means kayaking and sailing are popular. Fishing is also popular for trout and kokanee salmon.  Craig and I went hiking on the Rio Chama river by the dam of the Heron Lake. The trail was amazing with its panoramic views of the mountains. We hiked over to the suspension bridge, fly fished and had lunch with Mia.  We hope you enjoy the pictures!