History: Blue Mesa Reservoir was created by the construction of Blue Mesa Dam, a 390 feet (120 m) tall earthen fill dam constructed on the Gunnison River by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1966 for the generation of hydroelectric power. Managed as part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service, Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest lake trout and Kokanee salmon fishery in Colorado.

Geography: From the mouth of the Gunnison River, the reservoir extends West 15 miles and is composed of three main basins, the Iola, the Cebolla and the Sapinero, from east to west. U.S. Hwy 50 traverses the northern shore of both the Iola and Cebolla Basins before crossing the reservoir south on the Middle Bridge and continuing west to the dam. Large mesas rise up hundreds of feet on all sides which means localized weather can seemingly come out of nowhere.

Local Knowledge:

Common Points of Sail - While the reservoir extends 15 miles east-to-west, at its widest point it is barely 1 mile wide north-to-south. Because the prevailing winds are from the West in the summertime, this makes for many many tacks beating upwind or a hell of a run downwind! If you are really lucky, you will get a steady southerly or cold northerly and can reach wherever you like…this does not happen often.

Water Levels - Powering a hydro electric dam and being a primary watershed for the Colorado River, water levels can fluctuate drastically depending on how much water is being released; some dry summers we see the water level down over 100 feet! Towards the end of the season (August - November) this can make launching and loading difficult for boats with larger drafts and fixed keels.

Rigging - The Elk Creek AIS Inspection Station does offer a free self-service hoist(thingy) that many larger boats take advantage of to raise and lower their mast. However, being so remote, do not expect someone to be around to help you! If you know you will need some extra hands rigging, feel free to contact us ahead of time and we would love to come help you out.

Power, Pump-outs and Water - If you are planning an extended trip on Blue Mesa and your boat has holding tanks, there are some options. Elk Creek and Lake Fork launches are both right next to RV campgrounds with pump outs and fresh water so you can just pretend your boat is an RV and voila! The Elk Creek Marina also has an on the water pump out station occasional but this is dependent on water levels and if it is full or not… It is usually best to call the camp host or marina ahead of time to see if they can accommodate.

Elk Creek Marina does offer some powered slips for slightly more than the non-powered slips but we get 300+ sunny days a year, so bring your solar panels!

Remote: Although there are campgrounds and semi-stocked marinas nearby, this is a remote reservoir. Gunnison is the closest “big town” and with an average population of 6,000 people, you can find the basics. For Marine supplies, if the marina doesn't have it, your next best chance is Gene Taylors Sporting Goods or Walmart but their selection is very small and primarily fishing oriented. For small engine repairs, the Elk Creek Marina occasionally has a mechanic on-duty but they are usually extremely busy and the bigger outboards take priority. To my knowledge, the next closest marine mechanic is in Montrose or Grand Junction. From my experience carbureted engines can be divas at high altitude, on smaller engines even a change of 1,000’ can mess with your air/fuel ratio and leave you stranded… ask me how I know.

Cell service is decent within a 5-10 mile radius of both marinas, once you start venturing up the arms it drops off fast. There no radio frequencies being monitored so it is best to bring some sort of satellite communications if venturing away from the populated areas.