Northern Colorado state park cautions swimmers amid low water levels: "It's at their own risk"

Low water levels at Boyd Lake State Park are changing the summer experience for visitors in 2026, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials warning swimmers to use caution as drought conditions continue across Northern Colorado.

At Boyd Lake in Loveland, visitors are facing a much longer walk to reach the shoreline as water levels continue to recede. Park officials say the unusually low lake levels are affecting swimming, boating and overall recreation at one of the region's most popular warm weather destinations.

"It's a big part of the community," said Lauren Turpin, park manager at Boyd Lake.

But this year, the lake looks noticeably different. Large stretches of exposed shoreline and muddy terrain have replaced what is normally a bustling swim beach area.

"I think the water is pretty down," said Meah Villareal, a park visitor. "Last year was pretty high up by like a few feet, and so it's just a lot different than how it used to be."

Villareal and her friend, Camden Cooney, said they still plan to spend time at the lake this summer, despite the conditions.

"Just knowing that droughts are getting worse, I guess, and just having to walk farther kind of sucks, too," Villareal said. "As a lazy person."

 "And protecting our environment and making sure it's kept safe. It's hard to see," Cooney said.

Turpin said the low water levels are having a significant impact on recreation at the park.

"It's impacting boating, and obviously the swim beach," Turpin said. "The water is not up as high as we wanted it."

According to Turpin, this year's conditions are some of the worst the park has seen in more than a decade, driven largely by low snowpack levels across Colorado.

"It's actually not common with the low record snowpack," Turpin said.

Because of the low water levels and muddy shoreline, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is not installing swim beach barriers or buoys this year. That also means they will not be testing for E. coli.

"The low water is actually making it pretty muddy and not really enjoyable to walk down," Turpin said. "You can see that's quite a far walk that's down there."

While swimming is still allowed, officials say visitors should have caution if they choose to get in the water.

"People are still welcome to swim," Turpin said. "It's at their own risk. We don't do water testing, but it's still enjoyable for the beach."

Despite the challenges, some visitors say they will continue coming to the lake throughout the summer season.

"We like paddleboarding, so we will come out," Cooney said.

"Yeah, we will come still," Villareal said.

Park officials are also limiting the number of boats allowed on the water at one time to ensure safe navigation and to avoid issues caused by newly exposed sandbars and shallow areas.