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Colorado lakes and reservoirs

Lake San Cristobal Fishing

A 327-acre Colorado lake in Hinsdale County at 9,001 feet.

Get driving directions

Pick for brook troutPiscifun Carbon X ultralight spinning reel28% OFFSale $57.99 ~~$79.99~~

Photo of Ridgway Reservoir: Unknown, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hinsdale County

The short version on Lake San Cristobal

The CPW outline of Lake San Cristobal encloses about 327 acres in Hinsdale County. Elevation on the Fishing Atlas reads 9,001 feet. On the Fishing Atlas, the property is Lake San Cristobal. Around 4 miles separates the water from Lake City. CPW manages it out of the Southwest Region.

Expect brook trout, brown trout, kokanee salmon, lake trout, rainbow trout and trout, according to CPW. Boat use on file: Motor boats (gasoline). Access is medium, pressure medium, per the atlas. Winter note: ice fishing listed as yes.

327acres

9,001feet elevation

0boat ramps

6species listed

CPW Fishing Atlas 2025 layers (waterbody outline, Boatable Waters, fishing locations), Census places, retrieved October 25, 2026.

Directions to Lake San Cristobal Property page

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Species

Targets for a day at Lake San Cristobal

CPW sources tie these fish to Lake San Cristobal; others may swim there too.

Brook trout Brown trout Kokanee salmon Lake trout Rainbow trout Trout

CPW Boatable Waters species field, CPW state records and stocking report, retrieved October 25, 2026.

Access

Boat ramps at Lake San Cristobal

Boat access at Lake San Cristobal is not on the CPW ramp layer.

Where to fish from the bank at Lake San Cristobal

Lake San Cristobal fishing access near Lake Citymedium access, stocked: catchable trout, 9,001 ft

More places to launch near Lake San Cristobal

Rito Hondo Reservoir SWARito Hondo Lake, 8 miles southeast
Brown Lakes SWA on Brown Lake LowerBrown Lake Lower, 11 miles southeast
Brown Lakes SWA on Brown Lake UpperBrown Lake Upper, 11 miles southeast
Road Canyon Reservoir SWARoad Canyon Reservoir, 15 miles southeast

CPW boat ramp and Fishing Atlas fishing location layers, retrieved October 25, 2026.

Limits

Colorado limits that apply at Lake San Cristobal

Species	Bag and possession	Season
Trout, arctic char, grayling, salmon and whitefish (not kokanee)	Daily bag 4, possession 8, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Brook trout 8 inches or less (bonus)	Daily bag 10, possession 10	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Kokanee salmon	Daily bag 10, possession 10	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Walleye, saugeye and sauger	Daily bag 5, possession 5, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass	Daily bag 5, possession 5, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Smallmouth bass	No bag or possession limit	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
White bass, striped bass and wiper	Daily bag 10, possession 10, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Channel, flathead and blue catfish	Daily bag 10, possession 10, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
White and black crappie	Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Bluegill and other sunfish	Daily bag 20, possession 20, in aggregate	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Yellow perch	No bag or possession limit	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Tiger muskie	Daily bag 1, possession 1; at least 36 inches long	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
Northern pike and bullhead	No bag or possession limit	Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise

Read the west of the Continental Divide rows of the statewide chart for Lake San Cristobal. The chart above is the baseline at Lake San Cristobal; a brochure entry can override it.

Statewide bag and possession chart, 2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (CPW, season March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027), p. 10, retrieved October 25, 2026.

Colorado license and limits

Stocking

CPW stocking report entries for Lake San Cristobal

Trout report entries for Lake San Cristobal: 13 listings, ending July 31, 2026.

3listings in 2026

8listings in 2025

2listings in 2024

Report date	What CPW lists
July 31, 2026	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 24, 2026	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 3, 2026	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
August 15, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
August 8, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
August 1, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 25, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 18, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
June 13, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
May 30, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
May 16, 2025	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
May 28, 2024	catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region

CPW Fish Stocking Report (catchable trout of about 10 inches; the date is when CPW added the water to its weekly list), 2024 to October 2026, retrieved October 25, 2026. Colorado stocking.

Compare

Sizing Lake San Cristobal up against the reservoirs nearby

Lake	Distance	Acres	Elevation ft	Boat ramps	On the trout report
Lake San Cristobal		327	9,001	0	yes
Continental Reservoir	7 miles southeast	375	10,272	0
Rito Hondo Lake	8 miles southeast	39	10,236	1
Cooper Lake	9 miles west	6	12,755	0
Brown Lake Upper	11 miles southeast	140	9,799	1
Road Canyon Reservoir	15 miles southeast	151	9,278	1	yes

CPW Fishing Atlas, ramp layer and stocking report, retrieved October 25, 2026.

Nearby

Close to Lake San Cristobal

Backup lakes when Lake San Cristobal is slow

Continental Reservoir7 miles southeast
Rito Hondo Lake8 miles southeast
Cooper Lake9 miles west
Brown Lake Upper11 miles southeast
Road Canyon Reservoir15 miles southeast

Shops worth the stop before Lake San Cristobal

Rod & Reelbait and tackle shop, Creede, 21 miles
Telluride Anglerfly shop, San Miguel, 29 miles
RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Servicefly shop, Ridgway, 29 miles
Ridgeway Marinamarina, Ouray, 30 miles

Guide businesses near Lake San Cristobal

Sport Fish Colorado LLCfishing guide, Lake City
Telluride Fly Fishers LLCfly fishing guide, Telluride
Telluride Fly Fishing Company, Incfly fishing guide, Telluride

Towns that work as a base camp for Lake San Cristobal

Ridgway28 miles
Telluride29 miles
Mountain Village31 miles

County pages touching Lake San Cristobal

Hinsdale Countyseat: Lake City

Piscifun

Reels from Piscifun that suit Lake San Cristobal

Piscifun and Amazon links are affiliate links; the site earns a commission on qualifying purchases.

Know your fish

Telling the species of Lake San Cristobal apart by photo

Brook Trout, Colorado — Brook Trout
Photo: Daniel Mayer (Mav), CC BY-SA 3.0

Rainbow Trout, Colorado — Rainbow Trout
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Wiper, Colorado — Wiper
Photo: BenitoJuarez98, CC BY-SA 4.0

Channel Catfish, Colorado — Channel Catfish
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain

Answers

Lake San Cristobal: the questions Colorado anglers bring

Which Colorado county holds Lake San Cristobal?

Look in Hinsdale County, CPW Southwest Region, about 4 miles from Lake City.

What size is Lake San Cristobal on CPW maps?

Roughly 327 acres, at about 9,001 feet.

Which ramp is closest at Lake San Cristobal?

CPW maps no ramp on it; the nearby ramp list above has the closest.

What might a Colorado angler hook at Lake San Cristobal?

CPW records show brook trout, brown trout, kokanee salmon, lake trout, rainbow trout and trout.

Which limits apply at Lake San Cristobal?

Trout, arctic char, grayling, salmon and whitefish (not kokanee): Daily bag 4, possession 8, in aggregate.

What does a CPW license cost for a trip to Lake San Cristobal?

Fishing two lines at once takes the $14.24 second-rod stamp on top of the license; adult residents pay $44.87 for the license and nonresidents $124.01.

Does CPW stock Lake San Cristobal?

CPW records 13 listings on the CPW catchable trout report (3 in 2026, 8 in 2025, 2 in 2024); latest July 31, 2026.

How far is the nearest tackle shop from Lake San Cristobal?

Rod & Reel is roughly 21 miles off.

Does Lake San Cristobal freeze for anglers?

The Fishing Atlas shows ice fishing listed as yes; check ice yourself before stepping out.

Hitch the boat and head for Lake San Cristobal

Read the limits above, then pick a ramp.

Colorado license and limits All Colorado lakes