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Dillon officials prepare to open up winter recreation activities at Dillon Marina

Community ice rink will be a new addition this year

Ice fishermen are pictured on a frozen, snow-covered Dillon Marina. The marina is set to open its winter recreation groomed trails Saturday, Jan. 22. New this year is a community ice rink.
Elaine Collins/Courtesy photo

With the water in Dillon Marina frozen over, it’s time for Dillon officials to get the ice ready for winter recreation activities.

“Based on the success of the lake loop last season, we are really excited that Denver Water and the Dillon Reservoir Recreation Committee approved the town of Dillon to expand our winter offerings out on the reservoir this year,” Dillon marketing and events director Kerstin Anderson said.

It was in December 2020 when the town announced its plans to groom multiuse trails on the ice.



Anderson said the loop will look similar to last winter, when the multiuse recreation track was built about 20 feet out onto the lake and marked with bamboo poles every 80 yards or so.

The longer 2-mile route loops individuals around the reservoir and runs along the shoreline from Dillon Marina to the Dillon Nature Preserve, down to Roberts Tunnel and all the way across the lake to Lodgepole Street.



There is also a shorter loop available for those who don’t want to do the entire loop.

The reservoir trails will accommodate the usual winter staples like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, fat biking, hiking, ice kiteboarding, ice fishing and ice sailing.

New this year will be a community ice rink, which will be maintained as the weather allows throughout the winter.

The Dillon Marina will also serve as the host of the Summit Youth Hockey Colorado Youth Pond Hockey Tournament, which will take place Feb. 12-13, and the Pabst Blue Ribbon Colorado Pond Hockey Tournament, which will take place Feb. 18-20.

The Pabst Blue Ribbon tournament is moving from North Pond Park in Silverthorne due to the increased size of the event.

The tournament will feature three days of hockey events, including a skills competition, beer garden, games, live music and an apres ice party at Dillon Marina.

The tournament will have 18 rinks spanning the marina and will be open to the public to come and watch or partake in the festivities.

“We got a late start with the mild weather conditions earlier in the winter, but now we are seeing really good ice depth and strength,” Anderson said.

Due to the favorable conditions, Dillon officials are hoping to have the outdoor recreation activities set up by Saturday, Jan. 22.

From there, officials will groom the loop daily and start the process of removing snow from the area where the ice rinks will go early next week.

All of the winter activities are free to the public, and the town is hoping to keep the activities available until at least the second week of March, which was when the activities stopped last winter.

“The only thing we do ask is that we want people to be very friendly and respectable of sharing the multiple uses out there,” Anderson said. “We want people to be able to bring their dogs out there but be able to pack it in, pack it out in terms of trash and dog waste.

The ice will continually be monitored for depth and strength to keep visitors and staff safe.

Visitors will be able to enter the groomed multiuse track from three locations, including Lodgepole Street, the marina and the eagle statue along U.S. Highway 6.


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