Steamboat Lake
Routt County, Colorado1,056 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Steamboat Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 113 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Steamboat Lake in Routt County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Surface area: 1056 acres.
Steamboat Lake is a 1,056-acre mesotrophic lake in Routt County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 113 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Routt County, Steamboat Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2025-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Steamboat Lake covers about 1,100 acres in Routt County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Steamboat Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Steamboat Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water1,056 acres
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. Steamboat Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Steamboat 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 Steamboat Lake
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Steamboat Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Steamboat Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~113 ft est.
Surface area
1,056 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Colorado WQCD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Steamboat Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
40 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
10.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
8,045 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
- Steamboat Lake State ParkPublic
- Steamboat Lake State ParkPublic
- Steamboat Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Steamboat Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Steamboat Lake in Routt 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 Steamboat Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Steamboat 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.
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Fishing Steamboat Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Steamboat Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Willow Creek (completed 1966), built primarily for recreation on the Willow Creek; earth-type dam, 100 ft tall and 700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,056 ac
- Normal storage
- 28,668 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 37,367 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 35 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE (TAYLOR, MARGARET)
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO01036 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Steamboat Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COUCYA22_E · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Routt County
Frequently asked questions about Steamboat Lake
Where is Steamboat Lake?
- Steamboat Lake is a lake in Routt County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Steamboat Lake?
- Steamboat Lake in Routt County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Surface area: 1056 acres.
Is Steamboat Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Steamboat Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Steamboat Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Steamboat Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 113 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 1056 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Steamboat Lake?
- Steamboat Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Steamboat Lake State Park, Steamboat Lake State Park, Steamboat Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Steamboat Lake?
- Steamboat Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Colorado's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Steamboat Lake across LakeQuality
2 thermal springs within 22.4 mi, nearest Routt Hot Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Colorado's top lakes, each with its readings
Colorado's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Colorado
Mesotrophic Lakes in Colorado
Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX6 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory