Fishing · State Forest State Park
Clear Lake
A high backcountry lake in State Forest State Park, stocked with golden trout and cutthroat — flies and lures only.
Toggle USGS Topo / Terrain / Satellite / Street (top-right) · red = special-regulation water, confirm current rules · waters © CPW Colorado Fishing Atlas
Clear Lake is a high backcountry lake in Colorado State Forest State Park, above 10,600 feet, reached by a roughly 7-mile trail that shares most of its route with the Kelly Lake trail. The path is wide and relatively flat until the final couple of miles, which climb steep and rocky — a real hike, but a beautiful one into the high country west of Cameron Pass.
It is one of the park’s special alpine fisheries: in 2020, Clear and nearby Jewel lakes were stocked from the air with young golden trout and Colorado cutthroat, part of the effort to bring golden trout back to State Forest. Fishing in the park’s alpine lakes is by artificial flies and lures only. Bring a State Parks pass, and come prepared for the altitude.
The Water
Elevation
10,635 ft
Regulations
Flies & lures only
Fish
Golden trout & cutthroat
Access
~7 mi hike (one way)
Good to Know
- Special regulation: artificial flies and lures only in the park’s alpine lakes — confirm the current rules before you go.
- A backcountry hike (about 7 miles one way, sharing the Kelly Lake trail), inside State Forest State Park — a State Parks pass is required.
- Stocked with golden trout and Colorado cutthroat (an aerial stocking in 2020) — a rare golden-trout water.
- High and remote — come prepared for altitude and fast-changing mountain weather.
What’s Biting & What’s Stocked
The current stocking, the species, ice conditions, and the full Northwest Larimer fishing atlas — refreshed weekly — live in the app.
Coming soon — Larimer Wilds Fishing: offline maps, live GPS, and what’s stocked for every water up here, right in your pocket.
Built by Many Hands — Give a Little Back
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Shop the Collection →This fishery doesn’t sustain itself. Every trout is stocked and every acre stewarded by the public agencies we lean on for this guide — if you love these waters, please pitch in for them too:
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife — the stocking, the fishery & the Colorado Fishing Atlas Donate →
- Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest (USFS) — the public land & lakes themselves Support →
- OpenStreetMap contributors — the Street basemap Donate →
- Google & USGS — location, ratings & topographic maps
Fishing details compiled by the Red Feather Lakes Travel Guide from the sources above. Photography by us — more of our own water images coming as we fish them.