At 9,500 feet, Hopewell Lake keeps a short season and a small sound. Conifer and aspen shade around a 14-acre man-made lake, cold water fed by Placer Creek, trout rising close enough that the whole reservoir can feel within casting distance. The Continental Divide Trail passes through the campground. Horse corrals, vault toilets, day-use parking, canoes, float tubes, shore anglers. A high place with ordinary campground objects set against thin air. The 2026 status matters here: by the May 11 update, the site is open again, but potable water is still out. That fits the lake's practical character. Late ice can delay spring fishing; snow can surprise the road; wildfire work has used the lake when the season goes sideways. The fishery follows the stocking truck, and the weather keeps its own schedule. Hopewell feels public, watched, and still a little provisional.
curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
The facts
- Surface area 0.1 km² usgs-3dhp · lake-level · as of Jun 10, 2026
- Nearest town Crowther Cow Camp · 9.8 km osm-overpass · lake-level · as of Jun 10, 2026
- Bird species (within 25 mi) 112 ebird-api-v2 · lake-level · as of Jun 10, 2026
- Bird diversity index 0.95 ebird-api-v2 · lake-level · as of Jun 10, 2026
- Median home value $266,050 census-acs-2024-b25077 · block-group-level · as of Jun 10, 2026
- Water clarity Moderate sentinel-2-l2a · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
- Night sky Darkest skies viirs-black-marble-vnp46a4 · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
- Surroundings Rural — open country, few close neighbors curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
- Water origin Reservoir curator · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
In more detail
- Climate
- strongly four-season; cold winters (~26°F mean), mild summers (~64°F); ~28 in precip/yr noaa-normals-1991-2020-descriptor · lake-level · as of Jun 10, 2026
- Public access
- Hopewell Lake (14 acres, ~9,500 ft elevation) is a USFS-managed lake with a developed Day Use Area (parking, picnic tables, fishing/canoeing access) and an adjacent 31-site campground with a group day-use shelter and group campsite by reservation. No developed boat ramp is mentioned on either official Forest Service page; access is via shoreline/day-use area for canoeing and bank fishing. The site was closed for the entire 2025 season for water-system renovation and reopened Friday, May 15, 2026. Fees/permits: Day-use $8/vehicle (not charged off-season); camping $24/night single site (1 vehicle incl.) + $12/night per additional vehicle; group day-use shelter $100/day (up to 100 people); group overnight shelter $125/night (up to 100 people).. Sources: fs.usda.gov (fetched 2026-07-12); taosnews.com (fetched 2026-07-12). curated-web-harvest · lake-level · as of Jul 12, 2026
- Dogs and pets
- medium — 0 dog parks within 25 mi (OSM); state rule: New Mexico state parks require dogs and other domestic animals to be restrained on a leash no more than 10 feet long at all times, except in areas the superintendent designates for off-leash use. Owners must pick up after pets, keep them from excessive noise, never leave them unattended in vehicles/campsites, and keep vaccinations current. (N.M. Admin. Code § 19.5.2.28 (Animals) / NM State Parks "Know Before You Go" FAQ, fetched 2026-07-12); Hopewell Lake Day Use Area (Carson NF) site-specific rule: "Pets must be crated, caged or upon a leash not longer than six feet, or otherwise under physical restrictive control." (fs.usda.gov, fetched 2026-07-12) curated-web-harvest · lake-level · as of Jul 12, 2026
- Property tax
- 0.42% ACS effective-rate proxy (2024 ACS 5-year; Rio Arriba County anchor: $1,021 median real-estate taxes paid ÷ $243,700 median owner-occupied home value; New Mexico proxy 0.70%, -0.28 percentage points). census-acs-2024-property-tax · county-level · as of Dec 31, 2024
Where it’s heading
Stable hand-rated for v0.1 · lake-level · as of Sep 3, 2026
Stable: a 14-acre USFS-managed lake in the Carson National Forest at ~9,500 ft — deep-rural (292 POIs/25 mi) public land with no shoreline development or growth vector; its year-to-year change is seasonal (late ice, stocking, the campground's water-system status), not a place trajectory.