Recreational Improvements Unveiled to Public Ahead of 2025 Summer Season

Major public recreational improvements are being unveiled to the public at the start of the 2025 summer season, including Hinsdale County’s new ADA accessible fishing pier at Lake San Cristobal Peninsula Park and — for the first time since 2021 — the inaugural reopening of Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests’ Deer Lakes on Slumgullion Pass.
Although unrelated, both projects received significant funding through Colorado Parks & Wildlife, $150,000 funding through Parks & Wildlife’s Fishing is Fun Program with 25 percent local match enabling the county to proceed with its long-envisioned EZDock railed walkway and pier which is now open at Peninsula Park.
With county match, total cost of the new fishing pier aggregates $193,925 which includes $165,925 paid to the EZDock firm, $3,500 to Ediger Construction, $21,525.45 to Hinsdale Road & Bridge for site work and installation last fall and this spring, and $2,282.80 materials, together with $510.60 administration costs.
With mixed reviews and an earful to Hinsdale County Commissioners, Gunnison National Forest has also now unveiled both fishing lakes and adjacent

Forest Service campground at Deer Lakes which has been closed since a washout of the complex’s uppermost lake in June, 2021.
Funding for GMUG’s refurbishment at Deer Lakes totals in excess of $1.5-million and includes $400,000 from Colorado Parks & Wildlife for rock rip-rap reinforcement and other improvements — including easily accessed ADA fishing pier — at the fishing lakes, as well as a $1-million federal Great America Outdoors Act grant to the Forest Service for a major overall and expansion of the adjacent campground.
A caveat to this season’s inaugural Deer Lakes Campground opening is widespread public outrage referenced during county commissioners’ open discussion at the Wednesday morning, June 4, meeting resulting from realization that Forest Service concessionaires at the popular campground are now charging a day-use fee for parking.
A popular summer fishing destination since Hinsdale County Chamber of Commerce built the lakes on Forest Service ground on the upper Cebolla side of Slumgullion Pass in 1954, the newly implemented day-use fee for both fishing and parking at the campground impacts not only fishermen but also wildlife-watchers, in particular locals and visitors who frequent the lakes to catch sight of moose.
In addition to the new day-use fee for parking at Deer Lakes, a new $18-per-night charge has been implemented for overnight camping, reflecting upgrades completed by Forest Service contractor Mike Davis & Sons, Grand Junction, last fall which increased designated trailer and tent camping from 11 to 13 spaces, three new double-vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, and bear-proof food storage lockers.
In the wake of critical comments during last week’s open discussion — Commissioner Hurd reflecting he has been contacted by 40 or more “highly upset” people — Hinsdale Administrator Sandy Hines issued a press release on June 5 reiterating that the campground concessionaire at both Deer Lakes and the upper Lake Fork’s William Creek Campground is contracted to RRM — Recreation Resource Management of America.
In the county’s press release, Hines states the newly instigated day-use fee at Deer Lakes is $8, “allowing people to park at the day use area to use the facilities such as the restroom, picnic tables, throw trash away, hike the trails, and fish. If folks want to just picnic in a campsite for up to two hours, then they will charge them $6.”

“There will be a drop box for people to pay, and there is a host on site as well.”
On behalf of the Forest Service, Hinsdale County also advises that RRM, the campground concessionaire, is offering an inaugural, first-year season pass for $50 which increases to $100 per year for subsequent years.
Members of the public with additional questions on the newly implemented day-use charge are advised to contact the GMUG’s Delta, Colorado, office, 970-874-6600, or the Forest Service’s Gunnison office, 970-641-0471.
At open discussion on June 4, Hinsdale Commissioners Levine and Hurd indicated they had been “blindsided” by the decision to require a day-use charge at Deer Lakes, Commissioner Hurd declaring there “is no way” fishermen — who have already paid for a fishing license — should be assessed a further charge for using public lands. Hurd stated he had conferred with GMUG Supervisor Dale Funka who indicated the decision to implement a day-use charge was the result of a decision further up in the government echelon.
Both Hurd and Levine indicated they would like to revisit the day-use charge in advance of next summer, both men expressing the hope that a no-charge solution might be reached next year.
Commissioner Borchers stated that in her view the bulk of the money used for the campground refurbishment came from federal sources. “The Forest Service spent a ton of money,” according to Borchers, while minimal funding was required from Hinsdale County. Commissioner Levine countered that the county has funded some signage at Deer Lakes, in addition to being “big proponents and heavy advocates” for the enhancement project at both the lakes and campground.
By way of background, Deer Lakes on Forest Service land began in 1954 as the brainchild of Hinsdale County Chamber of Commerce with the goal of expanding fishing opportunities in the region. Volunteers from the chamber used heavy equipment to construct a series of four lakes, funding coming from private individuals who donated cash in return for the lakes being named for the donors.
Routed wooden signs on display at Hinsdale County Museum recall the lakes’ early names, including Lake Hildegarde for Hildegarde Wupperman, together with lakes named for Emory Carper, Slug Stewart, and Art Weaver.

Although located on Forest Service property, Colorado Parks & Wildlife historically maintained and regularly stocked the increasingly popular lakes after it was determined it was not legal to post signs naming each of the lakes on public lands.
Beaver activity, together with the heavy tread of moose was cited as the reason for an unexpected breach of the top lake on June 27, 2021. As initially engineered, the top lake fed in succession on descending levels through Deer Lakes Nos. 2, 3, and 4, although as a result of the breach, Lakes 2 and 3 were deprived of oxygenated water and fish life as water instead flowed directly from Lake No. 1 to Lake 4.
Even prior to the washout in 2021, there were indications of deferred maintenance which included increased beaver presence occasionally blocking culverts and outdated facilities at the adjacent campground which included three 1970s-era vault toilets.
Funding totaling $400,000 from Colorado Parks & Wildlife and the $1-million Great America Outdoors Act allowed renovation work starting in 2023 and continuing through last year as dams at the three lowest lakes were reenforced with rockwork, together with an engineered handicapped-accessible fishing pier which was built within easy access of the parking area at Lake 2.
Forest Service Campground improvements included widened and resurfaced access roads, graveled walkways with timber steps and rock retaining walls leading to a total of 13 RV and compacted 16’x16’ tent camping sites — up from the previous 11 campsites and including a 40’-long by 20’-wide campground host RV site with 2,000-gallon wastewater tank.
Improvements at the campground also included the replacement of three single-vaunt, 1970s-era toilets with three double-vault toilets, as well as new picnic tables, campfire rings, and individual bear-proof storage lockers.
Partners assisting with the lake and campground rejuvenation also included the U.S. Forest Service providing trail fines from their Slumgullion Pass pit, and Hinsdale County which provided multiple loads of grey Henson Creek rocks which were used for dam stabilization and to ease erosion beneath the eaves of the new campground toilets.
With Colorado Parks & Wildlife’s $400,000 contribution for stabilization of the three lower Deer Lakes, it is the intent for CPW to gradually withdraw from the lakes’ maintenance and with the goal — yet to be finalized — that while Gunnison Forest and its concessionaires will continue to operate the campground, Hinsdale County will ultimately take over maintenance of the fishing lakes with an annual inspection from the state engineer’s office.