$15 million project adds pavement, parking, turn lanes and expanded recreation access
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Visitors to Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake are seeing major upgrades following completion of a $15 million infrastructure project designed to improve access, parking, traffic flow and recreation at two of Northern Colorado’s busiest outdoor destinations.
Larimer County Department of Natural Resources announced the completion of its Federal Lands Access Project, a collection of eight improvement projects at the two reservoirs. Work began in June 2025 and finished 14 months early.
The project was led in partnership with the Central Federal Lands Highway Division and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Funding included $11 million from the Colorado Federal Lands Access Program, $1 million from the Bureau of Reclamation’s Federal Lands Transportation Program, and a $3 million Larimer County match.
“The opportunity to leverage federal grant dollars was instrumental for Larimer County as it quadrupled our community’s local matching investment,” LCDNR Director Daylan Figgs said. “The grant award allowed the complex multi-location project to simultaneously move forward and be completed in a very short period of time.”
Improvements include six fully paved campground and day-use areas at Inlet Bay and South Bay at Horsetooth Reservoir and Eagle Campground, North Pines, Big Thompson and the new Quarry parking area at Carter Lake.
Crews paved approximately 7.5 miles of previously gravel roads and parking areas, reducing dust and seasonal washout problems while providing smoother access for vehicles and trailers.
Parking was also reconfigured across the reservoirs, resulting in 777 optimized spaces — a net increase of 13%. The work included a new overflow parking lot at Carter Lake intended to reduce unsafe parking along road shoulders.
Three dedicated turn lanes were constructed to help keep reservoir-bound vehicles out of through-traffic lanes. They include improvements along West County Road 38E leading into Horsetooth’s South Bay and North County Road 31 serving Carter Lake’s Quarry and Big Thompson areas.
Recreation access also expanded at Carter Lake. The rebuilt Big Thompson Day Use Area includes a new quarter-mile Eastside Trail along the shoreline, along with an expanded no-wake zone and swimming area.
“Thanks to our invaluable partnership with Central Federal Lands and the Bureau of Reclamation, we have successfully extended the life of these vital community assets by another 25 years while directly easing traffic congestion, streamlining parking, and creating new ways for families to safely enjoy the water’s edge,” LCDNR Visitor Services Manager Chris Fleming said.
The project incorporated construction by reusing materials already on site. Crews pulverized and reused existing parking lot and road surfaces, eliminating the need to import an estimated 5,200 tons of new aggregate base. Asphalt millings were incorporated into new paving materials, demolished concrete was crushed for reuse, and excavated rock and topsoil were repurposed on site.
With construction complete, standard parking lots, boat ramps, and campground corridors have reopened to the public.
Horsetooth Reservoir and Carter Lake collectively attract more than 1.5 million visitors annually and are among Colorado’s most-visited outdoor recreation destinations. Larimer County has managed recreation at the reservoirs under an agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation since 1954.
Source: Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
More information: larimer.gov/federal-lands-access-program