Overview
Navajo Reservoir spans New Mexico and Colorado on the San Juan River behind Navajo Dam, a Colorado River Storage Project facility operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Navajo Lake State Park (New Mexico) is the primary recreation gateway on the New Mexico shore. Navajo Dam is about 21 miles east of Bloomfield, New Mexico, with the Colorado arms reaching toward Arboles. Seasonal weather and local access conditions reward a quick check of recent reports.
At 6,085 feet the reservoir covers about 15,600 acres with roughly 150 miles of shoreline and maximum depth near 388 feet. Pine and juniper canyon arms characterize the San Juan, Pine, and Piedra branches. Pine River and Piedra arms offer quieter fishing than the main San Juan stem near the dam.
Coldwater fishing on the lake and the world-famous San Juan River tailwater below the dam are managed with New Mexico and Colorado agencies. State park marinas and campgrounds provide New Mexico public access. Navajo Lake State Park (NM) and Colorado's Navajo State Park split recreation management across the state line.
Operating elevations commonly range from about 5,990 to 6,085 feet above mean sea level. Drought can strand ramps - monitor current lake levels before launching. A 95-foot normal operating band between roughly 5,990 and 6,085 feet frames typical year-to-year variation. Visitors who track the official gage before launching avoid the most common access surprises.
Current Conditions
Navajo Reservoir is currently 69.33 feet below full pool and has been falling over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 2.39 ft
- 30-day changeDown 8.86 ft
- Drought conditionsExtreme Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Navajo Reservoir is a 15,600-acre reservoir on the San Juan River managed by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Upper Colorado Basin), Colorado River Storage Project.