| Paonia State Park | |
|---|---|
 Anthracite Campground in the park (2025) | |
  | |
| Location | Gunnison County,Colorado,USA |
| Nearest city | Paonia, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 38°58′58″N107°20′44″W / 38.98278°N 107.34556°W /38.98278; -107.34556 |
| Area | 1,857 acres (7.52 km2)[1] |
| Established | 1964 |
| Visitors | 54,333 (in 2021)[2] |
| Governing body | Colorado Parks and Wildlife |
Paonia State Park is aColorado State Park located inGunnison County east ofPaonia,Colorado. The 1,857-acre (7.52 km2) park lies in a canyon surroundingPaonia Reservoir on Muddy Creek and was established in 1964.
Park facilities include campsites, picnic sites and a boat ramp.[3]
Geologic formations from theCretaceous andPaleocene periods are visible in the park, along with fossilized palm fronds and leaf imprints. Park uplands aregambel oakshrublands along with mixed conifer andaspen forests. Commonly seen wildlife includemule deer,elk, cottontail rabbit andmarmot.[3]
Paonia Reservoir's[4] dam,Paonia Dam, impounds Muddy Creek. The dam's NID ID is CO01691. It stores water exclusively for the Fire Mountain Canal, a ditch that delivers water to agricultural users in the North Fork Valley ofDelta County, Colorado. The dam was built by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is an earthen dam that is 199 feet (61 meters) high, stores 23,230 acre-feet (28,650,000 cubic meters) of water, and was completed in 1962.[5][6]
Below the dam, Muddy Creek joins with Anthracite Creek to form theNorth Fork Gunnison River.[7]
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