The second-largest body of water in Colorado, McPhee Lake is one of the top fishing spots in the San Juan basin. With the best catch ratio in southern Colorado, it's great for new anglers. The artificial reservoir is 8 miles long and 2 miles wide, stretching north and west of town. Fishers should have a valid Colorado fishing license.

Many of its angling spots are accessible only by boat. Wakeless boating zones in skinny, tree-lined side canyons allow for great still-water fishing without the buzz and disturbance of motor craft.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Anasazi Heritage Center

2.26 MILES

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Anasazi Heritage Center, a good stop for anyone touring the area’s archaeological sites. It’s 3 miles…

2. Art Girls' Studio

3.52 MILES

This fully decked-out quilt and crafts shop is a do-it-yourselfer's dream. Classes are offered, finished products such as art quilts are on sale and some…

3. Cortez Cultural Center

11.19 MILES

Exhibits on the Ancestral Puebloans, as well as art displays, make this museum worthy of a visit if you have a few hours to spare. The adjoining Cultural…

4. Crow Canyon Archaeology Center

11.32 MILES

This cultural center, about 3 miles north of Cortez, offers a day-long educational program that visits an excavation site west of town. Programs teach the…

5. Guy Drew Vineyard

14.72 MILES

A fun stop if you are in the area, this well-regarded, small, family-run vineyard has informal tastings in the straw-bale farm kitchen. Owned by happy…

6. Park Point

16.53 MILES

The fire lookout at Park Point is the highest elevation (8571ft) in the park and offers panoramic views. To the north are the 14,000ft peaks of the San…

7. Mesa Verde National Park

19.49 MILES

A fascinating, if slightly eerie, national park. Anthropologists will love it here; Mesa Verde is unique among American national parks in its focus on…

8. Step House

21.55 MILES

Step House was initially occupied by Modified Basketmaker peoples residing in pithouses, and later became the site of a Classic Pueblo–period masonry…