Winding up Sweetwater Road, north of Interstate 70 near Dotsero, nearly every home displays a yellow sign with “STATE PARK” circled in red and struck through above the words: “TRULY SAVE SWEETWATER LAKE.”
Neighbors are making public their concerns as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) solicits feedback on its proposed management and development project at Sweetwater Lake (www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=64047). The plan represents an uncommon partnership where Colorado Parks and Wildlife will manage the federal land under a 20-year lease. As part of the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) process, public input is solicited during this initial scoping period by Aug. 5. There will be a second 90-day public comment period once a draft Environmental Impact Statement is released, likely this winter.
“I feel like we’re at a good initial proposal here,” USFS Eagle-Holy Cross District Ranger Leanne Veldhuis told The Sopris Sun. “Comments received now will help us hone in on something better.” Veldhuis welcomes specific comments regarding site amenities and more. “We’re excited for the opportunities we have at Sweetwater to hopefully do something of value that provides amazing access and protects the site.”
The road to this stage is as winding as the narrow, dirt one that straddles two counties and leads to the 488-acre property acquired by USFS in 2021. Previously, the area was under private ownership and switched hands seven times over the course of 39 years, according to Adrienne Brink, owner of AJ Brink Outfitters. Since 1984, AJ Brink Outfitters has operated primarily on year-long leases, offering daylong and overnight horseback trips, rowboat rentals and rustic lodging. The company also ran a restaurant known for its pies and homestyle cooking for most of that time. The restaurant was closed prior to the pandemic by investors seeking to sell the property and it remains closed due to a leaky roof and other deferred maintenance.
“We’re perfectly willing to do what needs to be done to preserve it,” Brink assured of the building. It’s one of several that has sat vacant since USFS obtained the property with $8.5 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund — a program that invests offshore oil royalty money in government conservation projects. According to USFS, the restaurant and most lodgings are too dilapidated for occupation.
Over the course of her business, Brink has seen a parade of proposals for the land, including a water bottling facility and, most recently, a private ranch that would have barred public access and torn down the buildings. In 2019, Eagle Valley Land Trust led a “Save the Lake” campaign which garnered $350,000 in community donations and motivated Eagle County to pledge $500,000 toward the effort. The Conservation Fund, with a headquarters in Boulder, facilitated the purchase and transfer to the USFS with the assistance of a $6.2 million interest-free loan from Get Outdoors Colorado — a program that allocates state lottery revenues.
Local trust soured in October 2021 when Governor Jared Polis stood atop a rocky outcrop — now closed to the public — that overlooks the lake, proclaiming the area Colorado’s 43rd state park. The announcement took many by surprise, including the Garfield County Commissioners who supported the “Save the Lake” campaign, though not financially. The Garfield County Commissioners then pushed for the highest level of review under NEPA for the project.
“When we as a community were trying to protect the lake, we approached [Eagle Valley] Land Trust with the intent it would not be developed,” explained Bill Stevens, a fourth-generation member of the Sweetwater community raising the fifth. “I’ve seen Sweetwater change over the years and the population grow a little bit, but for the most part Sweetwater Lake has remained a constant.” Stevens pointed to Sylvan Lake in Eagle County, established as a state park in 1987, as an example of “a pristine, quiet place” being overrun with people, campers, “blaring music” and paddle boards.
Roaring Fork Audubon recently visited the site to conduct a bird count to inform their NEPA comments. “In all our surveys across Western Colorado, Sweetwater Lake stands out for its rich avian diversity,” the organization remarked. “Of the 84 bird species recorded, over 11 are species of conservation concern, with the potential for at least five more.” Notably, access to wetlands would be closed to protect wildlife as part of the proposed action.
Stevens is concerned to see campsites drawn over flood-irrigated pastures in the plan and is adamant that camping sites should remain “primitive,” without electrical or water hook-ups. “People need to see what Mother Nature is,” he said. “If you don’t understand Mother Nature, that’s unfortunate.”
The USFS proposed action includes 15 to 20 new primitive to semi-primitive campsites and a bathhouse, turning the existing USFS nine-site primitive campground into a day-use site, building up to a dozen new cabins (some with running water), a new lodge/visitor center with a cafe, employee housing, new horse stables and four to seven horse campsites. Mountain biking and motorized travel would not be allowed and visitation would be capped at 250 daily visitors, which may require an advanced reservations system.
“It’s not dramatically different than what was up there when the bulk of Sweetwater was private land,” Veldhuis said of the USFS proposed action. “We’re trying to bring in newer and nicer facilities that still kind of match the aesthetic of the area.” She added, “It won’t change the character to the extent that a water bottling facility and multiple new homes would have done.”
USFS data from the existing campground shows an average of 438 overnight stays per year from 2016 to 2023. A Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment document from 2017 details Brink’s business receiving an average of 23 people during its busiest days. According to Stevens, the only time he saw close to 250 visitors at the lake in one day was for a wedding. He is worried about an increase in traffic accidents if the lake is overdeveloped and marketed as a state park.
In response to the neighbors, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has publicly stated the site need not be called a “state park.” Veldhuis said, “A name hasn’t been determined. That’s also something we’d be happy to take public comments on during this scoping period if people have ideas, but the term ‘state park’ doesn’t necessarily need to be in the name.”
Historically, Sweetwater Lake was open for spontaneous and free use. A rack sits near the dock lending out life jackets for free. Neighbors worry a reservation system and possible day-use fees would prioritize access for people with the means to plan ahead.
“We feel as a community that [this proposed action] is still too big,” Brink, who lives 2.5 miles from the lake, commented. She said the 10-mile Sweetwater Road is not optimal for 100 additional vehicles per day and especially not motorhomes. Brink hopes to continue her business in some form, despite the drop in income without a restaurant and cabins. “Five years from now, not one of these people working on the plan or designing it or dreaming it up will be around, but this community will live with what happens forever,” she said.
Comments are due Aug. 5 and can be submitted electronically (at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=64047), in-person at the Forest Supervisor’s Office, 900 Grand Avenue, Glenwood Springs or by mail to: Heather Noel, acting forest supervisor, White River National Forest ℅ Jamie Werner, 900 Grand Avenue, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
A final decision is estimated by March 2026.