Aurora Reservoir

I really like coming here because I use this as my personal time to unwind and get out on the water. My main complaint is there was a young man working the boat rental by the name of Gabe and he was pretty unfriendly. He spoke way too fast and didn’t greet me with a smile.
I was out there for 1 hour and 25 minutes and he charged me for 2 hours. Last week I was here for 1 hour and 20 minutes and I was charged for 1 hour. If they’re going to charge for 2 hours when I wasn’t out there for 2 hours, they need to practice some consistency as I wasn’t planning on spending $ 30 for only being here 90 minutes. They already charge up the nose for a day pass when it used to be $ 5! They should charge for the second half of the hour if you pass the 30 minute mark.
So please, aurora reservoir. You guys aren’t a state park and you’re privately funded. Please be fair with your policies, practice some consistency and hire more friendly staff.

Great place. Clean facilities and friendly staff. It gets a little crowded fast on the weekends so go early. The Rangers do a good job of keeping the problems away. Pathways are clean and beach is clear of trash. Good work! I haven’t fished there but see so fish that others have caught.

Worst organization of any park that I have visited. 15 Minutes to pay and get in for $ 10. fee. Then boat check for another 15 minutes and a $ 10 fee. Then half hour wait at concession stand for a coke. Not food. A coke. The wait was after we paid. Snarky help, including Park Manager that said «You are welcome not to come again» when I politely complained. 10 better places to put in a kayak or go to the beach in Denver area. Try Cherry Creek Reservoir.

If your going for fishing, biking, sailing, or a run it’s fine. However went to today for swimming and maybe rent a paddle boat for 2 of us. Well apparently your not allowed to share a paddle boat between 2 people. Second, the «swimming» area/​beach is just a small, small area. Too small for the amount of people who are there, everyone crammed into a very small and shallow swimming area. If you want to swim go to a swimming pool, I’m 5’10″ and it barely came to the middle of my stomach. Although the kids there did seem to enjoy it, so maybe more of a place for kids to play. All in all disapointed with this part of the reservoir. Won’t be back for any of these activities.

A great set up for scuba certification & training with covered pavilions, tables and a sandy beach. The scuba area is fully protected & buoyed off, too bad they couldn’t fix the visibility, 4ft at best.

What a fun place to hang out at that’s close to home and not crazy expensive. Enjoyed paddle boating today, but there’s a path that runs along the reservoir, fishing, archery range and other fun activities too. Can’t go wrong visiting this place. They try very hard to maintain the park and all areas within.

Serenity, sun and sand. This is great place to gather with friends and family. Rent a canoe or just get your feet wet

This park is a fail on so many levels. It’s obvious that the management is run by amateurs.
1. Enforcement is as I would expect nazi Germany was. I got yelled at more than twice because I was putting my boat on and taking it out. They yelled because I entered the boat ramp road. Well dummy not all boats have trailers.
2. Main reason for visit was to take my kids to the AWQUA Lounge. It’s like a discovery center. But oh yeah not ever open mon-​wed and only open till aug 3. Aug 3??? Most things like this close after Labor Day.
3. $ 10 for entry into a subpar park that has less features than any other nearby state park. State park is $ 7 btw.
4. Snack bar always seems to be out of something.
5. Beach is small and dirty.
6. Electric boat motors only. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if the winds in the afternoon. Weren’t so strong.
7. As far as I can tell all fishing tournaments have been cancelled. Forever? I don’t know, but this lake used to be known for great tournaments. Obviously poor management in this area.
All in all I won’t be back. Today was the end for me because all the above happened today except #7.
Other nearby lakes will get my $ from now on.

It sucked. The swimming area was sectioned off so small that it was a kiddy piss pool. Park enforcement was suffocating. Meanwhile, in order to actually get in the water, you had to rent a boat. Unbelievable. Not worth the drive.

I love taking my boat here because the fishing is great! I always have a good time and do pretty well on the Castmaster here. The only problem I have is… THE WIND!!! Unbelievable! Put sum trees around this lake and it would be my number one spot but if it gets windy, stick a fork in it. It’s over. Unfortunately it’s not that easy so if you know it’s gonna be a calm day then prepare for a great day on the water!!! otherwise, I recommend holding off for another day

Not a great place to take the family fishing. We had to literally sit on the slope of the concrete damn and try not to fall in. Didn’t stay long.

This reservoir is very very far from me, 40+ min drive, and based on the reviews I thought it’d be worth the trip, and it was, but just barely.
I have to say that the facilities are nice, because they are new. Also everything is close together, which is handy. Showers are close too. Sand is a actual sand, which is fabulous. Also they have boat rentals on site, which is fun. 30 bucks gets you two hours in a fishing boat. 20 for canoe, paddle board or pedal boat. The nicest thing is that it does not stink. Cherry creek is actually smelly. Chatfield can be yucky, but aurora is very clean.
Reasons or only 3 stars: It is very far from everything. Except aurora. Not a fan of aurora. The facilities are nice and clean, but are still of the public lake variety. The swim area is very very small. I imagine it gets crowded in the summer, it would not be great crowded.
Of all den/​metro city reservoirs, it’s the best one. But it’s just a clean well maintained reservoir. But for a 45 min drive, I’d rater go to a jeffco park.

This was my first Colorado lake-​side experience. We came here because of a recommendation from a nice lady from Little Monkey Bizness.
We brought some picnic food and drinks and had lunch in the gazebo area. After lunch we went to the water. It felt cold, but I was able to adapt quickly. Didn’t feel cold after getting used to the water.
We rented paddle boats for $ 10/​hr. We got to see a pirate sailboat and a Ranger rescue a troubled man in an over turned kayak.
My face did get sun-​burnt. That will be my souvenir from this place.
I would give more stars if there was more shade areas for picnickers. I did like to see the ducks all around, but I did not like to see all the duck poop everywhere.

I’m not an Aurora fan. At all. So when I found out that we would have to head here for my man’s company picnic, my heart sank. Couldn’t they find a better spot?
Out we drove. Now, I almost gave this place a solid 3 stars for the entry fee alone. Each car is $ 10, so on the busy weekends, vanloads of people, crammed in to the gills, each shell out a buck or so each, while a car with just my sweetie and me cost just the same. Revise the fee system, please. That’s the worst.
The boats sitting in the drydock meadows are pretty surreal, especially for somebody who grew up in the PNW… and especially since you can’t see the res at that point.
To me, this is a tiny, tiny body of water. Boating here seems dangerous, but if you need the life aquatic, I guess this is as good a spot as any. There’s a small swimming cove designated for people who wanna dabble.
The AWQUA Lounge is an educational center, and was way cooler than we had hoped, bumping this review to the 4 stars that it is. There were tubs of water from the res sitting around the center, along with petri dishes and microscopes. It was awesome to check out the creatures that call the Aurora res their home. The woman who worked at the center was especially helpful, knowledgeable, and just a cool lady. We had fun checking out water fleas and damselfly larvae.
The rest of the facilities here were super clean, and very busy on the sunny Sunday we were there.

Fantastic!
A little pricey 10 $ each time you go, however may be worth it with a yearly pass.
I went early Spring 2013 and was very buggy, be sure to wear bug spray.
nice scenic views and get to enjoy hearing wildlife and ride next to a lake
I took my bike and my 6 year old son took his, not recommended for a younger kiddo. I had to help walk my sons bike up some hills. Great solo!

Beautiful and serene place. They have awesome running paths with mile markers. Clean and good parking.

The yearly park pass is only valid per calendar year, and there is an extra charge for watercraft. If you are using a watercraft, stay in the left lane heading into the entry station area for an inspection. A Stand Up Paddle board (SUP) is considered a watercraft and will need to be inspected. Parking in the boat launch area is ample, and since I don’t have a trailer, I can usually get a «front row» spot. It is clearly posted at the boat launch beach area, that it is for boat launches and swimming is not allowed. The park rangers will enforce this rule, which is nice for those of us trying to launch or land a SUP, kayak, canoe, etc. Perhaps asking people if they know how to read as a function of entry into the park would prevent people from trying to swim at the boat launch area, but I digress.
The bathroom facility located closest to the boat launch beach area is adequate and generally clean. The boat launch beach is nice and not crowded since you are not allowed to swim at that beach. Motorized boats are restricted to those with trolling motors so you don’t hear the sounds of the big boat motors. This is also nice in that upon leaving the water, I don’t have an oily film on my body. (This is why I refuse to swim or SUP at Cherry Creek Reservoir)
There is canoe, kayak, paddle boat, cruiser bikes, and water bikes for rent; unfortunately, SUPs are not available for rental. Prices seem nominal. There is a snack bar closer to the swim beach area; I am not sure of the operating hours

I love this place. Like to ride here since there is not too much traffic it’s perfect. I also take the kiddos here often for picnics. They rent out paddle boats and canoes. They also have volleyball nets and covered picnic tables. The kids also like the swim beach and the play ground. It’s best to go during the week because summer weekends get packed here. I also know they have organized night fishing events! Never have tried it but it sounds fun!

This park has everything. Fishing, boating, picnicking, biking, swimming. Plus you can rent the equipment right there. Reminds me of being back on the Gulf Coast. I plan on buying a season pass this year. It has a great bike path for the bike I just purchased this year. See you there!

Aurora Reservoir offers boating, fishing, swimming, beaches, the AWQUA Lounge learning center, a scuba area, and an 8 mile hiking trail. You can rent paddle boats, kayaks, and canoes; there is a concession stand for snacks. I volunteer in May for the Fishing Tournament where Aurora Parks and Open Space award $ 10,000 for the largest fish caught that day. A great place to spend the day pretending you are at the beach.