Skip to content
Rifle Gap State Park, Rifle, CO

Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Rifle Gap State Park

A Colorado state park built around a long reservoir near Rifle, offering water sports, camping, picnicking, and wildlife watching.

5775 Highway 325, Rifle, CO 81650 · Rifle, CO

About Rifle Gap State Park

Rifle Gap State Park sits in Garfield County and centers on a reservoir of roughly 360 acres. The water draws boaters, anglers, swimmers, and windsurfers, and the long, narrow shape suits water skiing. Visitors can camp, picnic at several sites, and walk trails through pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush. A visitor center on the northeast side offers restrooms, exhibits, and conditions information. Waterfowl, raptors, mule deer, and elk are among the wildlife that can be seen. Low reservoir levels led to the boat ramp closing for the rest of 2026, though hand-launched craft such as kayaks and canoes can still use the water.

  • #state park
  • #reservoir
  • #boating
  • #fishing
  • #swimming

What's around here?

The closest stops to Rifle Gap State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Iron Mountain Hot Springs

    $50+

    Geothermal hot springs resort on the Colorado River with dozens of soaking pools of varying temperatures.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    23 mi awayMore like this

  • Attractions
    Outdoor Adventure

    Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

    $50+

    A mountaintop theme park above Glenwood Springs, Colorado combining cave tours with roller coasters and gondola rides.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    23 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Curious Products

    No admission fee

    Longtime downtown gift shop with quirky souvenirs, collectibles and a smashed-penny machine.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    24 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Theater & Events
    Family Favorite

    Glenwood Vaudeville Revue

    $25–$50

    A family-friendly dinner theatre in downtown Glenwood Springs presenting comedy, music, dance and novelty acts in vaudeville style.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    24 mi awaySwitch it up: Theater & Events

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Hanging Lake

    Under $25

    Hike a steep 1.2-mile canyon trail to a turquoise travertine lake fed by waterfalls, with Spouting Rock above it.

    30 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Maroon Bells

    Under $25

    See two 14,000-foot peaks rise above Maroon Lake and walk the trails of the scenic area near Aspen.

    57 mi awayMore like this

Near Rifle Gap State Park

More of the same kind

Keep exploring