Fishing · NW Larimer County
West Lake
A quiet, wakeless lake — electric motors only — with a Forest Service campground right on the south shore.
Toggle USGS Topo / Terrain / Satellite / Street (top-right) · red = special-regulation water, confirm current rules · waters © CPW Colorado Fishing Atlas
West Lake sits right in the heart of the Red Feather Lakes, and it is the one to head for when you want things calm. Only hand-, wind-, and electric-powered boats are allowed here, so there is no drone of gas motors and no wake to fight — just quiet water and room to paddle a canoe or work a fly rod from a float tube. Anglers pull brown and rainbow trout from the bank and the boat alike.
The Forest Service keeps the West Lake Campground along the south shore — a mix of electric-hookup and tent-only sites, most of them reservable ahead of time — so it is an easy lake to camp on and be fishing by first light. You do not need a State Wildlife Area pass just to visit, but you will need a Colorado fishing license to wet a line.
The Water
Boating
Electric / hand / wind — wakeless
Elevation
8,238 ft
Camping
West Lake CG (USFS)
Access
Bank + car-top boats
Good to Know
- A valid Colorado fishing license is required for anyone 16 or older, and standard statewide limits apply — always confirm the current rules before you fish.
- Only hand-, wind-, and electric-powered boats are allowed — no gas motors and no wake. It is a paddler’s and fly angler’s lake.
- West Lake 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 USFS West Lake Campground on the south shore has electric and tent sites, most reservable on recreation.gov — 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.
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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.