On the morning of Friday, Oct. 23, Gov. Jared Polis stood on the shore of Rosemont Reservoir off Gold Camp Road. With him were Teller County Commissioners Dan Williams and Char Erik Stone, County Administrator Ross Herzog, and people from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Colorado Springs Utilities. They were there to break ground on a recreation area that, according to The Gazette, "could be open as early as 2027."
"Coloradans will soon have a brand-new place to camp, fish and paddle in the shadow of Pikes Peak," Polis said in a news release the paper quoted. For anyone driving out to Rosemont this weekend with a kayak, a dog or an auger, the rules haven't changed. The current version took effect Sept. 1, and the lake still runs the way it has since 2007. What changes the rules is people on site, and that staffing is the real reason the campground took a year of paperwork to reach a shovel.
The rulebook Rosemont runs on right now
Colorado Parks and Wildlife has managed Rosemont as a state wildlife area since 2007. The Gazette notes that seasonal fishing has been the only recreation allowed in that time. The property-specific rules are in CPW's wildlife properties regulation, approved in July 2026 and in effect since Sept. 1, 2026. Under entry 226, "Rosemont Reservoir State Wildlife Area – Teller County," the regulation reads:
Public access is prohibited in the dam area, vicinity of the caretaker's house, and north side of the reservoir or as posted. Parking and access is allowed from designated parking areas only. Vessel use is prohibited, except launching and use of float tubes for fishing only. Fishing is prohibited from 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. Ice fishing is prohibited. Discharge of firearms is prohibited. Dogs are prohibited.
CPW approved that version on July 16, 2026, about seven weeks after the campground agreement was signed. Two more layers apply on top of it.
- Tackle. CPW's water-specific fishing regulations say "fishing is by artificial flies and lures only" at Rosemont, and they repeat the ice fishing ban.
- Entry. The Rosemont Reservoir SWA page requires anyone 16 or older to carry a valid hunting or fishing license or a State Wildlife Area pass.
- Water contact. Colorado Springs Utilities says swimming and wading remain prohibited because Rosemont is still a storage reservoir.
The ice fishing line matters more than any other this time of year. As the water starts to firm up over the next few months, Rosemont stays off the list of hard-water spots near home. Over the winter it's a shoreline fly-and-lure lake, open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., with float tubes as the only craft on the water.
Why opening it up depends on having people there
Rosemont is a working piece of the Colorado Springs water system, which is why the move from fishing-only to camping took so long. Colorado Springs Utilities says the reservoir became part of its system in 1973. It stores raw, untreated water for delivery to the Phillip H. Tollefson Water Treatment Plant and for irrigation. The utility's page gives 1932 as the construction date. The Gazette says The Broadmoor hotel built the reservoir in the 1920s.
Campfires, overnight stays and boats on a drinking-water source are each a reason for a utility to say no. The Utilities Board materials from Jan. 21, 2026 dealt with those risks head-on. The proposal asked City Council to allow camping, contained campfires, picnicking and non-motorized watercraft. All of it would be subject to best-management practices and to health, safety, fire-protection and conservation standards. The planning materials described campfires at designated sites and hand-launched kayaks or paddleboards. They also called for full-time onsite management to protect the infrastructure and water quality and to guard against wildfire.
That staffing requirement shaped the rest of the deal. The resolution let Utilities contract with another entity to run recreation, while Utilities stayed responsible for making sure the standards were met. CPW took that role. April Estep, CPW's deputy regional manager, said in January that the agency agreed to help staff the new facilities and oversee recreation if Utilities opened the land, The Gazette reported. Utilities says the recreation amenities and the onsite staff are funded entirely by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, while it keeps running the reservoir and its infrastructure day to day.
The boat ban and the 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. fishing hours protect a water-supply reservoir that has no staff on site. Once there's a staffed campground to supervise campfires and launches, the list of allowed activities can grow.
How the project got from a board meeting to a groundbreaking
The approvals moved quickly for a project with this many landowners and agencies involved.
- Jan. 21, 2026. Colorado Springs Utilities brings the proposal to authorize recreation at Rosemont to its Utilities Board.
- Feb. 10, 2026. Colorado Springs City Council approves the recreation expansion, KRDO reported.
- May 28, 2026. Utilities and CPW sign the collaborative agreement to manage expanded recreation.
- Summer 2026. Teller County Commission land use permitting and campsite construction.
- Oct. 23, 2026. Groundbreaking. Teller County says construction is underway and visitors could be welcomed as early as 2027.
At the groundbreaking, Commissioner Williams said where the site sits explains why the project needed every one of those steps. "Today we are standing on land that is owned by Colorado Springs Utilities, which lies in Teller County, surrounded by federal land all inside the great state of Colorado," he said, according to The Gazette. He credited the Land Managers working group, which brings federal, state, county and local land managers together, and called Rosemont "the perfect example of why and how regional partnership initiatives work."
What will be on the shoreline when it opens
The Gazette and Teller County give the same list of planned facilities.
- 35 primitive campsites
- Five tent campsites
- A boat ramp
- Vault toilets
- A day-use area
- A pavilion
- A scenic overlook
Utilities describes the experience as basic campsites, managed overnight camping, and boating for hand-launched, hand-powered watercraft. Paddleboards and kayaks are part of that plan. They aren't part of the rules today. The regulation that took effect Sept. 1 still limits vessels to fishing float tubes, and the swimming and wading ban stays in place after the campground opens, because the water still flows to a treatment plant.
CPW Director Laura Clellan called the groundbreaking "an important milestone" and said the agency looks forward to providing "more opportunities to enjoy this remarkable mountain setting." Until those opportunities arrive, a winter trip to Rosemont is the same trip it has been for years. The posted rules call for a license or SWA pass, flies or lures only, and float tubes as the only craft. They also limit parking to designated lots, close the dam area, the caretaker's house and the north shore, and prohibit dogs.
None of this is legal advice. It's a summary of published rules, which can change. Before you go, confirm current regulations and amenity status with CPW. Utilities directs questions about when the new campsites and boating open to CPW's Southeast Region office at (719) 227-5200.
New public access near Gold Camp Road is the kind of local change Danni follows closely, because a recreation draw a short drive from a parcel is part of what makes Teller County land worth what it is. If you own acreage in the area and want an appraisal-backed read on its value, Rocky Mountain RLA can help. Request a free property valuation and consultation, and Danni will walk the ground with you herself.
