Activities at Vallecito Lake

Horseback Riding

Horseback rides are available here at Vallecito for one hour, two hours, a half day or all day.

Vallecito Lake Outfitters
Pack rides available : [email protected]

Trail Rides available: half and full day trail rides near Vallecito Lake from June-August. Www.Vallecito outfitters.com
Reservation are required for all trips.
(970) 759-9135

Over The Hill Outfitters: Trail Rides call for reservations
(970) 385-7656

Big Corral Riding Stables:
970-884-8713
17716 CR 501
Bayfield CO 81122-8713

Hiking

Bring your cameras and binoculars . . . this scenery is spectacular. Much of the land here at Vallecito Lake is in the San Juan National Forest and Weminuche Wilderness. Trails are abundant ranging from those that follow the shoreline of Vallecito Lake to the Lake Eileen Trail (two miles uphill to a beautiful meadow and lily covered lake). There are two major trailheads (Vallecito and Pine River) where you can hike for miles and miles in the most magnificent mountains imaginable.

Mountain Bikes & ATV’s 

Pack up your Mountain Bikes and ATV’s and ride off into the Beautiful San Juan Mountains here at Vallecito Lake and surrounding areas.  Ride the roads and trails on Middle Mountain, Lemon Lake, and Bever Meadows and then head off towards Silverton and Engineer Mountain.  ATV rentals are available here at Vallecito Lake.

Altitude ATV & side -by- side rentals
Durangoatv.com
(970) 403-2260

Fishing & Boating

Vallecito is approximately 5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide boasting fishing for Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, German Brown, Great Northern Pike with an occasional Small Mouth Bass or Walleye Perch for the exceptionally skilled (lucky) fisherman.

The Vallecito Marina offers canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, fishing boats, pontoon boats, buoy service, and fishing gear for rent. Bait, tackle, and gas are also available for sale, they service the Lake’s guest from May 1 to October 1.  A large public boat ramp is available for your convenience.

Fishing licenses are available at the marina: Vallecitolakemarina.net

Hunting

Colorado boasts some of the finest big game hunting in the world. Vallecito Lake offers a vast amount of public lands within the San Juan National Forest and Weminuche Wilderness area for you to hunt. There are numerous trails and access roads to take you up into the mountains. A short drive takes you to Beaver Meadows, Sauls Creek, Spring Creek, Lemon Lake and other locations for more hunting. From high mountains and rugged terrain to lower elevations and open foothills, you will find plenty of public land to hunt. If you were born on or after January 1, 1949, you must have a hunter education card or certificate before obtaining a Colorado hunting license. Here at Pine River Lodge, we have cabins complete with kitchens, lots of trees to hang your game and over 40 years of first-hand knowledge of the area. Restaurants, lounges, and groceries are nearby. We’ll be glad to share our hunting knowledge of the area with you.

Contact the Division of Wildlife at www.wildlife.state.co.us or call them at 303-297-1192 for more information or to receive your free Colorado big-game hunting information brochure which includes applications for drawing limited licenses.

Winter Activities

Vallecito is a magnificent place in the winter for snowmobiles, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, ice fishing, sledding, playing in the snow, or just curling up by the fire. We keep a variety of cabins open for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Holidays. For children and those of us still young at heart, we also have snow shoes for rent for the entire family. Give us a call for winter cabin availability.

The Vallecito Nordick Ski Trail is available during the winter, check their website for conditions.  http://vallecitonordic.org/

Purgatory Ski Area is approximately a 1.5 hour drive (48 miles) from here and Durango now has an indoor ice skating rink.

Wolf Creek Ski Area is approximately a 1.5 hour drive from here and has the most snow each year in Colorado!

We furnish sleds and saucers to play in the snow here at the lodge or around the lake.