Fishing · NW Larimer County
Dowdy Lake
The biggest of the Red Feather lakes — 115 acres of trout water with a boat ramp and room to spread out.
Toggle USGS Topo / Terrain / Satellite / Street (top-right) · red = special-regulation water, confirm current rules · waters © CPW Colorado Fishing Atlas
Dowdy Lake is the largest water in the Red Feather Lakes chain — about 115 acres of cold mountain lake tucked into the Roosevelt National Forest at 8,139 feet. It is the one a lot of anglers picture when they think of fishing up here: easy to reach, big enough to spread out on, and home to a healthy mix of trout, with rainbow, cutthroat, and brook all in the water.
There is a public boat ramp in the day-use area, and motorboats are welcome as long as you keep to the 10 mph, no-wake speed limit — which makes Dowdy a favorite for folks who like to troll a lake as much as for those working the bank. The Dowdy Lake Campground sits right on the shore, so it is an easy place to make a whole weekend of it.
The Water
Size
~115 acres
Elevation
8,139 ft
Boating
Motors OK · 10 mph, no wake
Access
Boat ramp + bank
Good to Know
- A valid Colorado fishing license is required, and standard statewide limits apply — always confirm the current rules before you fish.
- Motorboats are allowed with a 10 mph, no-wake speed limit; the public boat ramp is in the day-use area.
- Dowdy sits on national-forest / CPW water, where ice fishing is allowed in winter (unlike Larimer County’s Front Range reservoirs). Check the ice, and never go out alone.
- The lakeside Dowdy Lake Campground has single and double sites with electric hookups plus tent-only sites — a popular basecamp, so reserve ahead in summer.
At the Water
Photos © Red Feather Lakes Travel Guide — shot on the water.
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
Love this guide? Wear it. Every hat, tee, and cozy layer in our Red Feather Lakes collection helps us keep mapping the water and keeping this guide free — mountain apparel designed right here in the high country.
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.