Halligan Reservoir

Halligan Reservoir is a manmade reservoir situated in Northern Colorado, and accessible via the Cherokee Middle Unit SWA (State Wildlife Area), which is governed by the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife. This trail leads you to the Southwest shore of Halligan Reservoir, which is the only publicly accessible portion of the reservoir. Halligan Reservoir was built in 1909 on the North Fork of the Poudre River by the North Poudre Irrigation Company (NPIC). The water in Halligan Reservoir is owned by NPIC and used for irrigation. Currently, there is a proposal in the works called the Halligan Water Supply Project. If approved, the Halligan Water Supply Project will enlarge Halligan Reservoir by approximately 8,100 acre-feet to meet the demand of future Fort Collins Utilities' water customers and provide increased reliability for existing customers to help protect against service interruptions related to prolonged drought and other emergencies. This trail is not the most exciting trail in the area, but it does provide access to some close-by fishing and kayaking to the local residents. If you are looking for a bit more excitement in the area, check out Turkey Roost, which is the harder of the two trails in this SWA. Please be cognizant of the signs put up on the banks of the shore as most of the land surrounding the water is not public.