(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A new pond area at Lake Pueblo State Park is now open for visitors to enjoy swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, and more, away from motorized watersports and fishing areas of the larger Lake Pueblo.

Kestrel Pond is now welcoming visitors into what used to be the Rock Canyon Day Use Area and Swim Beach. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Rock Canyon saw a decline in use in recent years, after the Parks and Wildlife Commission relaxed rules to generally allow swimming in most state park waters, beginning in 2022.

“We wanted to find a new use for this area so we transitioned it to a more casual use,” said Park Manager Joe Stadterman. “Guests will find the gates are no longer closed and they are free to use it to swim, paddleboard, canoe, or kayak on the pond.”

Kestrel Pond will cater to quiet water use, meaning there are no motorized vessels allowed—gasoline or electric—and no fishing permitted. It is envisioned as a quiet place for water recreation in contrast to the 5,400 surface acres of water and 60 miles of shoreline in Lake Pueblo, which typically attracts millions of visitors each year to sail, motor-boat, water ski, river tube, and fish.

Lake Pueblo boasts the most visitors, annually, among CPW’s 42 state parks.

“We envision Kestrel Pond as a place of more solitude compared to the main lake where powerboats, fishing boats, and jet skis are common,” Stadterman said. “We think Kestrel Pond will fill a need that has existed for some time at Lake Pueblo.”

Kestrel Pond offers large covered picnic areas and charcoal grills for use. And restrooms will remain open although no showering will be available. 

Lake Pueblo State Park covers nearly 10,000 acres straddling the Arkansas River on the city’s west edge and also offers 400 camping sites to go with its two full-service marinas, miles of trails, bird watching, a visitor’s center, and fish hatchery.