East Brush Creek

Following our meandering sightseeing, we eventually reached the junction with I-70 and headed west. Sylvan Lake State Park’s address is in Eagle, Colorado. While you need to drive through the town, the park’s visitor center is, in fact, some 9 miles away.

Before there was a park here, there was first a homestead. And later a “fur farm” … fox and mink. There was also an attempt to establish a fishing resort. But that venture failed. Zurcher Lake, which was developed for the would-be resort, however, survived the seizure of the land by the IRS in 1962. After the Colorado Game and Fish Department took over the land, the lake was renamed Sylvan and the state park was formed in 1987.

I learned about this bit of history from the brochure I read at the visitor center while we waited our turn to purchase an Aspen Pass, which covers a year’s worth of park fees (otherwise $9/day) and also gives us a small discount on the camping fee.

The beautiful, lush green scenery around the visitor center promised more of the same down the road, so once the pass was purchased, onward we continued to the campground.Read more