Plants of Jackson Lake State Park

Commonly referred to as an “oasis on the prairie,” Jackson Lake State Park consists of 440 acres of land and 2,700 acres of water, making it one of the largest reservoirs in the state. The reservoir is in Morgan County, bordering Morgan County Road 3, in the Great Plains region of northeastern Colorado, located seventy-five miles northeast of Denver. Natural sand beaches, sizeable sand dunes, and a sandy lake bottom are the biggest attractions for over 300,000 annual visitors.

The park supports a wide variety of biological assets. Diverse wetland, riparian, and aquatic plant communities have become established around the reservoir, below the dam and on large seeps below distribution canals. Park vegetation is comprised mostly of short-grass and mixed prairie communities with species that are tolerant of clay and sandy soils, and drought. The park also includes Pleistocene and recent eolian sand and silt deposits, creating sand dunes on the southern shore, blown from the South Platte River basin and the dry lakebed following the drawdown. less ↑