STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The theme music to my Saturday at Pearl Lake State Park was a high pitched whistle.

It wasn’t the sound of young children shrieking or parents calling back said children. It was the wheezing whistle of blow up equipment having air forced into it by hand pumps. Well, I suppose technically, the sound was of some of the air refusing to be forced into the equipment and escaping through a small gap, creating the high pitched whistle. 

Pearl Lake is a wakeless lake, so all boats are human powered, like kayaks and canoes and paddleboards. Most of the watercraft was inflatable, so there was a lot of pumping and whistling going on. 

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I pushed myself away from the shore and the people and into the water. The top of Hahns Peak was just visible. I paddled against the wind for a bit, nearly reaching the dam on the south end of the lake. As I muscled against the wind, I caught glimpses of people walking the shoreline trail. 

Deer dashed away from the shore as people got too close, but the ducks weren’t afraid and kept on swimming.  

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The lake is small, but big enough where running into someone else would take some effort. Some boaters are fishing though, so beware of fishing lines. 

I will say, Pearl Lake does get busy. It’s a popular but small lake in North Routt that will only get busier with the closure of Steamboat Lake due to a toxic green algae bloom. There is no swimming at Pearl Lake, just wakeless boating, but that won’t stop families from taking advantage of the cool water on a hot summer day. 

So, my first advice, is to go on a weekday, or a late Sunday afternoon when the weekend campers are dwindling. 

To get there, head north on County Road 129 for 22 miles. Before getting into Hahns Peak Village, take a right on county Road 209 and follow all the way to the end.

If you’d rather go somewhere else to paddleboard, try Stagecoach Reservoir, Hahns Peak Lake and Elkhead Reservoir. Pearl is the default location when it comes to paddleboarding. So much so, that Paddleboard Adventure Company has a permanent summer post there, renting out paddleboards among other things seven days a week from the main boat ramp. The sport has taken off so strongly at the location, that there is an annual Pearl Lake Festival that is centered around paddleboarding.

There is a secondary launching site near the picnic area, which has a half dozen picnic tables and grills. There are vault toilets at different locations around the park, but I suggest bringing your own wipes or hand sanitizer. 

Also, look out for cows while entering or leaving the park.

What to bring

Chairs: There isn’t exactly a beach at Pearl Lake. It’s a grassy and rough shoreline. So rather than bringing a beach towel, I suggest bringing beach chairs or even camping chairs. 

Cash: The state park has a card payment system, but it might not be functioning, like when I went. Bring cash to pay the $9 entry fee, unless you already have a Colorado State Parks Pass. The paddle board vendor also asks for cash. If you are paying with a card, there will be a $3 processing fee. 

What to leave at home

Beach toys: There’s no beach at Pearl Lake. In fact, unless you’re camping, there’s not much room near the boat ramps to do anything. So, shovels, buckets and frisbees or footballs are pretty useless.

To reach Shelby Reardon, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.