Kenna Real Estate Group · Colorado lifestyle search
Homes for Sale Near Lakes and Reservoirs in Colorado: Lakefront, Lake View and Walk-to-Water, City by City
1,773 homes for sale on the Front Range name a lake or reservoir in the listing right now. We mapped 15 lakes and reservoirs from Pueblo to Fort Collins, listed what each allows on the water, and matched the homes for sale near each.
A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree.
The short answer
There is almost no private lakefront on the Front Range. The big water (Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Horsetooth, Boyd, Standley, Boulder Reservoir) is public, ringed by parks, and the homes sit outside the park boundary. True lakefront with a dock exists in a handful of communities: Water Valley and Pelican Lakes in Windsor, WildWing and Timnath Reservoir in Timnath, Lake Loveland's north shore, Lake Arbor in Arvada, Hidden Lake in Westminster and the HOA lakes in Lakewood, Aurora and Centennial. Everything else is "lake view" or "walk to the water", and the listing wording tells you which. Below: 15 lakes and reservoirs mapped with what each allows, the cities ranked by lake homes, and the searches.
Homes that name a lake
1,773
for sale on the Front Range
Listings whose description names a lake or reservoir.
Lakes and reservoirs mapped
15
Pueblo to Fort Collins
Numbered on the maps below.
Most lake homes
Denver
325 listings
Aurora (142) and Loveland (129) next.
True lakefront
Windsor, Timnath, Loveland
private docks
Water Valley, Pelican Lakes, WildWing, Lake Loveland.
The lakes and reservoirs, what each allows, and the homes near them
| # | Lake or reservoir | City | Size | On the water | Homes nearby |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chatfield Reservoir | Littleton | 1,500 acres | motorboats, marina, swim beach | All Littleton homes · lake views |
| 2 | Cherry Creek Reservoir | Aurora | 880 acres | motorboats, marina, swim beach | All Aurora homes |
| 3 | Bear Creek Lake | Lakewood | 110 acres | wakeless boating, swim beach | All Lakewood homes |
| 4 | Boulder Reservoir | Boulder | 700 acres | motorboats by permit, swim beach | All Boulder homes · lake views |
| 5 | Union Reservoir | Longmont | 736 acres | wakeless boating, swim beach | All Longmont homes |
| 6 | Horsetooth Reservoir | Fort Collins | 1,900 acres, 6.5 miles long | motorboats, marinas | All Fort Collins homes · lake views |
| 7 | Boyd Lake | Loveland | 1,700 acres | motorboats, state park | All Loveland homes · lake views |
| 8 | Lake Loveland | Loveland | 480 acres | private frontage on the north and west shores | All Loveland homes · lake views |
| 9 | Aurora Reservoir | Aurora | 800 acres | electric and non-motorized only, swim beach | All Aurora homes |
| 10 | Quincy Reservoir | Aurora | 160 acres | fishing only | All Aurora homes |
| 11 | Evergreen Lake | Evergreen | 55 acres | non-motorized, winter ice rink | All Evergreen homes |
| 12 | Prospect Lake | Colorado Springs | 50 acres | wakeless boating, swim beach | All Colorado Springs homes |
| 13 | Monument Lake | Monument | 40 acres | non-motorized | All Monument homes |
| 14 | Windsor Lake | Windsor | 120 acres | non-motorized, swim beach | All Windsor homes · lake views |
| 15 | Marston Lake | Denver | 650 acres | drinking water, no public access, view lots only | All Denver homes · lake views |
Cities ranked by homes for sale near a lake
Denver metro: lakes and the homes near them
Colorado Springs area: lakes and the homes near them
Northern Colorado: lakes and the homes near them
What to check before you buy near the water
- Lakefront, lake view or lake access. Lakefront means the lot line touches the water and the HOA or the deed says you can put a dock in. Lake view means you see it. Lake access means a path. The price gap between the three is the whole conversation.
- Who owns the water. Most Front Range lakes are owned by a water district, a ditch company or the state. The HOA leases the recreation rights, and the lease has an end date. Read it.
- Level swings. Irrigation reservoirs draw down every August. A summer showing at full pool and a September showing at mud line are different homes. Ask for photos from both.
- Flood zone and insurance. Lots on the outlet side of a dam and along the creeks below it sit in FEMA zones. Pull the flood map before the offer, and price the flood policy.
- Motor rules. Standley Lake and Aurora Reservoir bar gas motors, Union and Bear Creek are wakeless, Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Boyd and Horsetooth allow speed. If the boat matters, the reservoir picks the neighborhood.
- Geese, mosquitoes and algae. Every shallow Front Range lake has all three from June to September. Visit at 7 p.m. in July.
Get the Colorado lakefront checklist
One page: the lakefront-versus-view test, the water-ownership and lease check, the drawdown question, the flood-map step, and the motor rules for every reservoir on this page. Fill in the form below and we email it today.
Get the guide by email Use the form at the bottom of this page. We send it the same day, and a live person follows up once.Related searches and guides
- Search all Colorado homes
- Denver lake view homes
- Fort Collins lake view homes
- Windsor lake view homes
- Homes near trails
- Colorado mountain view homes
- Golf course homes
- Homes near pickleball courts
- Colorado luxury acreage homes
- Horse properties
- Can I afford a home at 7%?
- What is my home worth?
Want homes on a specific lake?
Text the lake name to 303-955-4220. A live person sends every home for sale near it the same day, marked lakefront, lake view or lake access.
Call or text 303-955-4220Search all Colorado homesQuestions people ask
Are there lakefront homes near Denver?
A few. Lake Arbor in Arvada, Hidden Lake in Westminster, the HOA lakes in Lakewood, Aurora and Centennial, and the Sloan's Lake condos with a view. The big reservoirs (Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Standley) are public parks with no private frontage.
Where can I buy a house with a dock in Colorado?
Water Valley and Pelican Lakes in Windsor, WildWing in Timnath, the north shore of Lake Loveland, and a small number of lots on private HOA lakes. Docks need the HOA's permission and the water owner's lease.
Which Colorado reservoirs allow motorboats?
Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Boyd Lake, Horsetooth, Boulder Reservoir (by permit) and Pueblo Reservoir. Standley Lake and Aurora Reservoir bar gas motors; Union Reservoir and Bear Creek Lake are wakeless.
Which city has the most homes for sale near a lake?
Denver, with 325 active listings that name a lake or reservoir, then Aurora (142) and Loveland (129).
Do lake homes in Colorado hold value?
Lakefront with dock rights holds value because there is so little of it. Lake view holds value when the view is protected by park or open space. Lake access adds little; buyers pay for the water they can touch.
What does a lake do to my insurance?
Nothing unless the lot sits in a FEMA flood zone below a dam or along an outlet creek. Check the flood map in the inspection period; a flood policy runs from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a year depending on the zone.