Photo, nearby stand in for Rio Grande Reservoir: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0
Hinsdale County
Getting to know Rio Grande Reservoir
Its mapped shoreline gives Rio Grande Reservoir close to 1,078 acres, all charted in Hinsdale County. The closest town on the Census list is Silverton, some 19 miles away. It belongs to the CPW Southwest Region.
Its fish on the CPW roster: trout.
1,078acres
0boat ramps
1species listed
12stocking listings
CPW Fishing Atlas 2025 layers (waterbody outline, Boatable Waters, fishing locations), Census places, retrieved October 25, 2026.
These Rio Grande Reservoir species rest on CPW listings and records, not a full net survey.
Trout
CPW Boatable Waters species field, CPW state records and stocking report, retrieved October 25, 2026.
Access
Ramps CPW maps at Rio Grande Reservoir
There is no mapped ramp on Rio Grande Reservoir; see the list of close ones.
Backup boat ramps near Rio Grande Reservoir
Road Canyon Reservoir SWARoad Canyon Reservoir, 8 miles east
Brown Lakes SWA on Brown Lake UpperBrown Lake Upper, 9 miles northeast
Brown Lakes SWA on Brown Lake LowerBrown Lake Lower, 10 miles northeast
Rito Hondo Reservoir SWARito Hondo Lake, 13 miles northeast
USFS boat ramp on Williams Creek ReservoirWilliams Creek Reservoir, 16 miles south
CPW boat ramp and Fishing Atlas fishing location layers, retrieved October 25, 2026.
Water supply
How full Rio Grande Reservoir is
26,167 acre-feetstorage, Rio Grande Reservoir Near Creede
Co. Division of Water Resources storage telemetry for Rio Grande Reservoir Near Creede (station RIORESCO), recorded October 25, 2026; retrieved October 25, 2026. Provisional data from CDSS.
Water rights, not anglers, set the level at Rio Grande Reservoir.
Open all year, day and night, unless a special regulation says otherwise
The drainage column of the limits chart puts Rio Grande Reservoir east of the Continental Divide. Waters stay open day and night all year in Colorado; the chart rows set the bag at Rio Grande Reservoir.
Special regulations written for Rio Grande Reservoir
Water as printed
Rule
Brochure
From lower boundary of River Hill Campground downstream to the Colo. 149 bridge:
Artificial flies and lures only. Rainbow trout must be returned to water immediately. Bag, possession and max. size for brown trout is 2, 12 inches long.
p. 32
From Colo. 149 bridge at South Fork downstream to the Rio Grande Canal diversion structure:
Artificial flies and lures only. Bag, possession and min. size for brown trout is 2, 16 inches long. Rainbow trout must be returned to water immediately.
p. 32
Special regulations as printed in the 2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (CPW, season March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027), pp. 11 to 39, checked against CPW Chapter W-1 (as approved 13 November 2025); retrieved October 2026.
Statewide bag and possession chart, 2026 Colorado Fishing brochure (CPW, season March 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027), p. 10, retrieved October 25, 2026.
CPW logged Rio Grande Reservoir 12 listings on its stocking list, the newest dated August 14, 2026.
8listings in 2026
4listings in 2025
Report date
What CPW lists
August 14, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
August 7, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 31, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 24, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 17, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 10, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
June 26, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
June 19, 2026
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
October 10, 2025
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
August 8, 2025
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 25, 2025
catchable trout, CPW Southwest Region
July 4, 2025
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.
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In photos
Photo views of fishing water near Rio Grande Reservoir
Ridgway Reservoir40 mi Photo: A. E. Crane, U.S. Department of Transportation, Public domainRio Grande46 mi Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0Animas River45 mi Photo: USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency, Public domainLa Plata County45 mi Photo: Ahodges7, CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers
Colorado anglers ask this about Rio Grande Reservoir
In what part of the state is Rio Grande Reservoir?
Hinsdale County, CPW Southwest Region, about 19 miles from Silverton.
Is Rio Grande Reservoir a big reservoir?
About 1,078 acres.
Can a trailered boat get onto Rio Grande Reservoir from a mapped ramp?
Not mapped; carry in or use a nearby ramp.
Are trout part of the fishery at Rio Grande Reservoir?
Expect trout.
What bag limit does the CPW chart set at Rio Grande Reservoir?
Trout, arctic char, grayling, salmon and whitefish (not kokanee): Daily bag 4, possession 8, in aggregate. Check the special regulation rows above as well.
Is a CPW license required to fish Rio Grande Reservoir?
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.
Has CPW listed Rio Grande Reservoir for stocking recently?
It shows 12 listings on the CPW catchable trout report (8 in 2026, 4 in 2025); latest August 14, 2026.
Which store on the list is nearest Rio Grande Reservoir?
Rod & Reel, about 23 miles away.
Who reports the water level at Rio Grande Reservoir?
Above: Colorado Division of Water Resources telemetry.
Put Rio Grande Reservoir on this season's list
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