Denver Water has closed all recreation on the south side of Gross Reservoir on Monday, March 14, as contractors began mobilizing and preparing for expansion-related construction. The closure will shift recreation access to the north side for the duration of the project.

Additionally, a full closure to recreation is likely for two to three weeks in the April-May timeframe to make access improvements on the north side for the upcoming boating season. Those dates are still to be finalized.

Recreation closures

Recreation access on the south side of the dam, including South Side and Windy Point picnic areas, Miramonte picnic area, Osprey Point boat launch and Osprey Point trailhead, will close in mid-March 2022.

There will be no access to hiking trails and picnic areas from the south side. The scenic overlook will also be closed.

South side access will not reopen until construction is complete.

North side of the facility recreation access

The North Shore and South Boulder Creek Trail (below the dam) will remain open to the public throughout the project.

All access to on-water recreation will be relocated to the North Shore.

Denver Water also plans to evaluate a pilot shuttle program that would aid recreators in getting from the North Shore parking lot to the water’s edge, as the existing access route is longer and steeper than the previous access point on the south side at Osprey Point.

As stated, there will be a brief closure in the April-May period of a few weeks for improvements ahead of boating season.

Access to Winiger Ridge, another popular location, will remain largely unchanged until tree removal activities begin in 2025. Additional closure information will be shared closer to that work beginning.

“Our goal is to keep this recreational amenity open in the safest way possible throughout the duration of the project, and we’re pushing hard to have it all ready for boating season this year,” said Brandon Ransom, manager of recreation for Denver Water.

“Denver Water recognizes Gross Reservoir is a popular recreation site, and we plan to proactively communicate with recreationists via signage, traditional media, websites, email newsletters and social media, among other means – and we strongly encourage visitors to check these channels before heading to a facility to ensure they are aware of any closers or changes.”

As the project moves forward, there will also be periodic on-water recreation closures to ensure recreationist safety. Such closures will be temporary, and every effort will be made to alert the public to closure periods ahead of time.

A consistent place to get up-to-date information on the expansion project will be through the project website grossreservoir.org.

Contact and other details are available at the Denver Water website (https://www.denverwater.org/recreation/grossresevoir) as well as on the project website (https://grossreservoir.org/contact/).