Trail
Timnath Reservoir
The Town's 600-acre reservoir east of town with a six-mile shoreline: fishing, swimming, paddling and boating, by permit only, for Timnath and growth-area residents, Colorado anglers and their guests.
Timnath’s own lake, about 580 to 600 acres with a six-mile perimeter and the Rockies on the western horizon, owned by the New Cache La Poudre Reservoir Company for irrigation and leased by the Town for recreation: fishing (Colorado license required), swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding, motorized boating Thursday to Sunday from April to October 1, and hiking, biking and picnicking on the shore. Water levels rise and fall with irrigation demand.
It is not open to every visitor. Permits are sold only to Timnath residents, residents of the Town’s growth management area, and Colorado residents with a Colorado fishing license; anyone else comes as a permit holder’s guest. Everyone needs a permit displayed on the car: annual shore permits are free for Timnath households and $65 for growth-area households and anglers, single-day shore passes $8 to $10, non-motorized boat permits $20 to $35 a year, and motorized boat permits, for residents only, $300 a year or $75 a day. Day-use shore and paddle permits are sold at the reservoir, by card. Open 7 am to 7 pm or dusk outside summer, 6 am to 8:30 pm or dusk from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. Leashed dogs; no alcohol, camping or fires. Blue-green algae has been confirmed here in past years, usually late summer into early fall, and the Town does not treat it.
Address, phone, hours, fees and rules were read on the Town’s reservoir page on 10 October 2026, and who may buy a permit on its Reservoir Permits and Colorado Anglers pages the same day; the anglers page says “Colorado resident anglers only” and allows one permit per fishing license. Permit questions go to (970) 971-8850.
At a glance lake · boating · fishing · swimming
Checked October 10, 2026 against timnath.org. Hours and phone numbers change fastest, so the business’s own page is the record. Report a correction · Know something opening or closing? Tell us
In the guides
Read about Timnath Reservoir
- Explore Timnath: five places in driving order
Coffee in the Feed & Grain building on Main Street, the river trail from Weitzel Park, lunch by the Town Center, the Community Park and the brewery to finish. Five stops a few minutes' drive apart, with the reservoir left to its permit holders.
- Timnath Reservoir: who can go, which permit, and when
The Town's reservoir is open to Timnath residents, people in the growth management area, Colorado resident anglers and their guests, each on a different permit. Who qualifies, what each permit costs, the hours by season, the motorized boating days and the rules on swimming, paddling, fishing and dogs.
- Timnath with kids: the splash pad, the new park, a fishing pond and a soda fountain
Where to take children in Timnath: the Community Park splash pad and its hours, WildWing Park, the pond at Weitzel Park, the reservoir beach and the soda fountain on Main Street.
More in Timnath
Things to do
- Fossil Creek Reservoir Natural Area Trail
- Poudre River Trail Trail
- Timnath Community Park Park
- Old Town Main Street Venue
- Timnath Presbyterian Church Venue
- Timnath Town Center Venue
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