Cheesman Reservoir

Owned and Operated by Denver Water
Recreation Manager – Colorado Division of Wildlife

Elevation: 6,842 ft (2,085m) – Spillway crest Capacity: 79,064 acre feet*   * 1 acre foot=325,851 gal.

Named for Denver water pioneer Walter S. Cheesman, the dam was the world’s tallest at 221 feet above the streambed when completed in 1905. The reservoir and related facilities were purchased in November 1918 by the Denver Water Board. Cheesman was the first reservoir of Denver’s mountain storage facilities and the dam has been designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Cheesman Dam History

2002 Hayman Fire and the Cheesman Area Reclamation

Phone Numbers:

Denver Water – 303-628-6000 or 303-628-6526
U. S. Forest Service – 719-545-8737
Colorado Division of Wildlife – 303-297-1192

An unusual perspective looking north across Cheesman Dam at the curve and spillway. Undated.
Sample Denver Water's Historic Photo Archive.