Lake Mary - A Fishing Hole for the Base

A stop on Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Loop, a free self-guided tour.

This small lake with its boardwalk and fishing piers is one of the easiest places on the refuge to slow down and look around. Lake Mary is younger than it seems. A federal fisheries report describes it as a fishing lake built in 1960 for Arsenal personnel, fed mostly by water seeping through the ground. Today the 0.6-mile loop trail circles the shore, partly on boardwalk, with cottonwoods and cattails along the edges.

Watch the water for ducks, geese and herons, and the reeds for red-winged blackbirds in spring. Mule deer often browse along the edges early and late in the day.

Anglers can fish here and at Lake Ladora on a catch-and-release basis from the first Saturday in April through November 30, with a Colorado fishing license and a refuge permit. Swimming, wading and boats are not allowed in any refuge water. Walk out on the boardwalk and listen for a while before you move on.

Getting here: From the Visitor Center, follow the Discovery Trail a short walk southeast to the Lake Mary Loop and its boardwalk.

Did you know?: Every refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System uses the flying blue goose symbol, designed by cartoonist J. N. Ding Darling.

Photo op: Stand at the end of a fishing pier and shoot back across the water to catch the cottonwoods reflected in the lake.

More on Wikipedia: Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge · Mule deer

Lake Mary - A Fishing Hole for the Base

Stops on this tour