Curecanti National Recreation Area stretches along the Gunnison River west of Gunnison, where three reservoirs fill canyons and sagebrush basins. Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest body of water entirely in Colorado, is the centerpiece.

Curecanti was established on February 11, 1965, after the Bureau of Reclamation built three dams on the Gunnison River as part of the Colorado River Storage Project. Blue Mesa, Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs now stretch for about 40 miles. Blue Mesa is the widest and busiest, with marinas, boat ramps, campgrounds and wide water framed by volcanic mesas. Downstream, Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs fill the narrow upper end of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, where sheer dark walls rise straight from the water. The National Park Service manages the recreation area alongside Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and its landmarks include the eroded Dillon Pinnacles, the Pine Creek Trail and the historic narrow-gauge train on display at Cimarron.

Visitors come to boat, fish, camp and hike. Blue Mesa is known for kokanee salmon and big lake trout, and ice fishing is popular in winter when conditions allow. In summer, the Morrow Point Boat Tour carries visitors deep into the Black Canyon (reached by the Pine Creek Trail’s 232 steps). The recreation area is open year-round, 24 hours a day, and there’s no entrance fee. The Elk Creek Visitor Center, about 16 miles west of Gunnison on U.S. 50, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this fall and moves to winter weekday hours later in the season. Boats must pass an aquatic invasive species inspection before launching, and from fall through spring some ramps allow hand launching only, so check current conditions before you tow a boat.

Check ramp status, campground openings, fishing reports and winter ice conditions on the Curecanti National Recreation Area website from the National Park Service.