Lighthouses of the United States: Colorado

The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states and a capital district. The western state of Colorado is in the center of the mountainous western part of the country, so navigation in the state is limited to a few lakes.

Note: To be listed in the Directory, a lighthouse must actually serve as an aid to navigation. This means it must be located on a navigable lake or river and must be lit as a navigational aid at least during the local boating season.

Dillon Reservoir Lighthouse
* Frisco Bay (Dillon Lake) (?)
Date unknown. Previously active; focal plane about 26 ft (8 m); flashing white light. 18 ft (5.5 m) octagonal wood tower with lantern, painted white with black trim. A 2023 photo is at right, Tasha West has a 2023 closeup, Virgil Hammock has another photo, and Google has a 2008 street view. The lighthouse is also seen in Google's 2018 street view. In 2019 it was removed during a reconstruction of the marina; this caused it to disappear from Google's satellite view. The lighthouse returned after the project was completed. This light is on the Dillon Reservoir, which provides water for the Denver metropolitan area through a tunnel under the Continental Divide. The lake is at an elevation of 9017 ft (2748 m), making this the highest lighthouse in the U.S. Located in a marina in Frisco, at the southwestern end of the lake, about 70 mi (115 km) west of Denver on the I-70 expressway. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Town of Frisco. Site manager: Frisco Bay Marina.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining page: West: Utah


Frisco Bay Light, Frisco, September 2023
Google Maps photo by Jeffrey R

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Posted October 25, 2011. Checked and revised December 15, 2023. Lighthouses: 1. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.