Shadow Mountain Reservoir reservoir
Shadow Mountain Reservoir
Shadow Mountain Reservoir is a man-made lake in Grand County, Colorado, created in 1947 by the construction of a dam on the Colorado River. It has a capacity of 33,000 acre-feet and is used for hydroelectric power generation, irrigation, and recreational activities. The reservoir is fed by snowpack in the surrounding mountains and surface flows from the Colorado River and its tributaries. The Colorado-Big Thompson Project and the Windy Gap Project are the primary surface flow and snowpack providers to the reservoir. The water from Shadow Mountain Reservoir is used for irrigation of crops such as hay and potatoes in the surrounding farmland. Recreational activities such as fishing, boating, and camping are popular in the area.
Daily levels at Shadow Mountain Reservoir
Storage volume, pool elevation, and total release plotted from the operating agency's daily observations.
Storage
acre-ft · code 17
Pool Elevation
ft · code 49
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Shadow Mountain Reservoir -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado River Bl Shadow Mountain Reservoir | 22 cfs | → |
| Grand Lake Outlet Blw Chipmunk Ln At Grand Lk | 34 cfs | → |
| Colorado River Below Lake Granby | 74 cfs | → |
| Willow Creek Below Willow Creek Reservoir | 7 cfs | → |
| Colorado River Near Granby | 81 cfs | → |
| Colorado R Below Baker Gulch | 98 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Shadow Mountain Reservoir.
⚓ Boat launches
- Grand County
- Hilltop Boating Site
- Us 34 Grand County
- Boat Launch Grand Lake
- Cr 6 Grand County
- Willow Creek Boating Site
⛺ Campgrounds
- Green Ridge
- Green Ridge Campground
- Cutthroat Bay Group Campground
- Highway 4 Pullout Dispersed Camping
- Stillwater
- Sunset Point
🎣 Fishing spots
- Shadow Mountain Reservoir
- Granby Lake
- Lone Pine Lake - Rmnp
- Watanga Lake - Ipwa
- Ten Lake Park - Rmnp
- Pettingell Lake - Rmnp
🛶 Paddle runs
- Headwaters To Ends 0.5 Miles Away From Trail Ridge Road
- Headwaters To Ends 0.5 Miles Upstream From End Of County Hwy 115
- Begins 0.5 Miles Away From Trail Ridge Road To Ends Where River Segment Exits Rocky Mountain National Park
- Headwaters To Ends 0.5 Miles Upstream From End Of Fern Lake Road
- Begins 0.5 Miles Upstream From End Of County Hwy 115 To Eastern Boundary Of Rocky Mountain National Park
- Headwaters To Fan Lake
Track Shadow Mountain Reservoir in the Snoflo app
Save this reservoir as a favorite and set push alerts when storage crosses a threshold (e.g. "alert me at 80% of normal").
About Shadow Mountain Reservoir
Where does the data for Shadow Mountain Reservoir come from?
Daily storage, pool elevation, and release rates are sourced from USGS, USBR, and USACE monitoring stations. Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
Storage observations are updated daily by the operating agency. The 15-day weather forecast refreshes throughout the day. Snoflo caches and renders the most recent observation -- check the "as of" timestamp on the storage card.
What does the Hazard hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this reservoir, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Shadow Mountain Reservoir.