Lake Estes

Lake Estes, formed by Olympus Dam, wasn't part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project's original plan.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation decided a dam on the Big Thompson River would be necessary to re-regulate a controlled rate of outflow for the Estes Park-Foothills power system.

The lake is in the town of Estes Park. Olympus Dam contains the headworks for the Olympus Siphon, which leads to Pole Hill Reservoir.

Construction on the Olympus Dam began in the summer of 1947. By fall of the next year, the work was nearly complete. Reclamation began to fill Lake Estes in November 1948. The reservoir was officially named Lake Estes June 5, 1949.

The lake is now a popular recreation site. A new trail around the lake was dedicated in 1998.

Lake Estes by the Numbers
Map of Lake Estes