Dowdy Lake
Larimer County, Colorado83 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Dowdy Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 22 ft max depth
- Limited data
Dowdy Lake in Larimer County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Surface area: 83 acres.
Dowdy Lake is a 83-acre mesotrophic lake in Larimer County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 22 feet. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Larimer County, Dowdy Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2021-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Dowdy Lake covers about 83 acres in Larimer County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Dowdy Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Dowdy Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Dowdy Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Dowdy Lake
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Dowdy Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 11.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.2 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.2µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Dowdy Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~22 ft est.
Surface area
83 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Dowdy Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
8,140 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Dowdy Lake
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Dowdy Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Dowdy Lake in Larimer County, Colorado — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Dowdy Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Dowdy Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Colorado’s top lakes →
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Fishing Dowdy Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Dowdy Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Dowdy Lake (completed 1962), built primarily for recreation on the N Lone Pine Cr-Tr; earth-type dam, 35 ft tall and 850 ft long.
- Surface area
- 83 ac
- Normal storage
- 900 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,339 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00132 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Larimer County
Frequently asked questions about Dowdy Lake
Where is Dowdy Lake?
- Dowdy Lake is a lake in Larimer County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Dowdy Lake?
- Dowdy Lake in Larimer County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Surface area: 83 acres.
Is Dowdy Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Dowdy Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Dowdy Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 22 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 83 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Dowdy Lake?
- Dowdy Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Dowdy Lake, Redfeather Ranger Station. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Dowdy Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX18 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles