PUEBLO – The Memorial Day weekend is underway, and it’s the busiest season of the year at Lake Pueblo State Park. Right now, park staff is getting ready to welcome the crowds.
It’s not a big surprise why folks want to spend their holiday weekend here.
“The water, the scenery, it looks nice out,” said Jayda Harwell.
“There’s a lot of work that goes into opening a park like this before we actually get to a weekend like this where the visitation goes through the roof,” said Joe Stadterman, operations manager at Lake Pueblo State Park
Visitors are ready to hit the water.
“It’s a cool lake, we came out here last summer, and it’s fun to tube on and fish,” said 11-year-old Devin Sears.
“We’re looking, to, you know, do a little bit of water activities and what better place than here?” said Aaron Harwell.
Park rangers will be calling in about a hundred seasonal staff to keep eyes on everyone and make sure they follow the law.
“Safety violations are the things that are our highest priority,[…] especially on the boats,” Stadterman added.
Patrol boats will be out on the lake, making sure people aren’t boating under the influence and checking life jackets.
Since it’s the first time many have been out in a while, rangers say sometimes boaters can overlook their equipment.
“You come launch your boat and it’s the first time out and you realize you don’t have all the things you need and our boat patrol can be helpful and if we have gear, we’ll lend that out to people,” Stadterman explained.
“But we want to remind people, you know, check your safety gear before you come out on your boat.”
Camping is also a major draw at the park, but unfortunately, all the campgrounds are booked for this weekend.
The next busy holidays are Father’s Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
You have to make a reservation to camp.
To make a reservation online, click here.
You can also call Reserve America at 1-800-244-5613.
