11 Mile, Spinning Mountain parks draw heavy visitation; managers warn of overcrowding, housing and water uncertainties

Dan Spries, park manager for 11 Mile and Spinning Mountain state parks, told the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission that the two South Park reservoirs are drawing heavy visitation but face persistent management challenges.

Spries said the 11 Mile complex — leased for recreation by CPW from water providers — received roughly 230,000 visitors in fiscal 2024 and Spinning Mountain about 75,000. He described the parks' staffing model, year-to-year fluctuations in water levels at Spinney that can delay opening for boating, and growing crowding at popular fishing access such as the Dream Stream between the reservoirs.

"If you are there on a Saturday in July and you are not there by 08:00 in the morning, you're not getting a parking spot to fish this area," Spries said, calling fishing the parks' primary draw. He added that CPW conducts thousands of aquatic invasive species inspections — nearly 16,000 at 11 Mile and more than 6,500 at Spinning Mountain in a recent season — and that contracts with the reservoirs' owners restrict body-contact recreation (no swimming, jet skis or tubing).

Spries outlined recent facility work, including a new floating metal breakwater system at a ramp and upgrades to showers, shop space and signage, and said CPW has plans this season for an archery range and more campsite capacity dedicated to employee housing and camp hosts. He described a pilot switch to use some maintenance- and yard-located RV sites for staff housing so camp-host spots in the campgrounds can return to volunteer hosts.

Commissioners pressed Spries about long-term water supply questions after he showed slides on Aurora Water's proposed Wild Horse Reservoir, a planning-stage storage project with an expected completion date years out. Commissioner Touchton asked whether Wild Horse has water-right decrees and whether filling it would reduce water now routed into Spinney via the Otero pipeline. Spries said CPW's water resources staff and regional managers have been providing feedback to Aurora during project modeling; CPW staff have not yet reached a conclusion on how operations could change.

Northeast region managers told the commission CPW is engaging Aurora Water about the proposal and that, if Wild Horse proceeds as a recreation reservoir, CPW would need to plan for staffing and new facilities and would likely operate it as a satellite of nearby parks.

Spries also emphasized workforce and housing pressures. He said 11 Mile/Spinney are fully staffed for the first time in years but that seasonal recruitment and retention are constrained by local housing availability; seasonal hires typically arrive in April or May and many are released after Labor Day.

Discussion points - Visitation and demand: CPW sees hundreds of thousands of annual visits at the two parks and high demand at specific angler access points. - Aquatic invasive species (AIS): CPW conducts extensive AIS inspections and enforces no-body-contact restrictions required by the parks' lease terms. - Facilities and recent projects: Breakwater installation, showers, boathouse, signage; archery range slated to complete by July 1; additions to staff RV capacity. - Staffing and housing: Seasonal hiring patterns and local housing shortages constrain retention; CPW is using some RV sites for staff housing temporarily. - Wild Horse Reservoir: Aurora Water proposal under review; CPW is providing technical feedback; potential operations, recreation and infrastructure impacts remain under study.

Ending Spries concluded by asking commissioners for any further questions and said staff will continue coordination with Aurora Water on modeling and with local partners on visitor management and staffing needs.