vega state park

Drove around the lake today. It was peaceful and icy. The snow melting quickly but a few snowmobiles were out. It was a very nice visit.

The kids camped here and had fun. From the perfect spot, canoe rental, and fishing was all a good time. The view was gorgeous. It's a nice lake to visit.

My family and I have been visiting Vega Lodge for special meal occasions for years. It's beautiful there, especially in the fall.We recently went there for prime rib on a Friday evening to see my dad off on an out-of-town work trip. We were mostly disappointed.At first, the staff and waitress were wonderful--very pleasant and friendly. Our table ordered three prime rib dinners, but I went for a ribeye steak. They took orders for prime rib cooked to order--rare, medium rare, medium, well done, etc. That struck me as odd. Prime rib comes medium rare quickly dipped in au jus before service. I don't understand how they offered those options on a roasted meat like that unless you just cook it rare and soak it in hot au jus for varying times before serving (which is not ideal, in any case). They all looked the same when they landed on our table, and frankly overcooked for prime rib.I explained to the table, that you can't really send prime rib back for a different cook because it's already cooked (being a roast). So my party encouraged me to send my ribeye back, as I thought it was a bit overdone for a medium-rare order. So I did.The second steak came out looking the same, so I was encouraged to send it back again. So I did.Then the staff got pretty "pissy" with me and told me to order something else. I'm an experienced restaurant cook, so my dad suggested that they just let me go into their kitchen and cook my own steak the way I wanted it. Surprisingly, they let me do this (which is decidedly a health code violation). What I saw in the kitchen was a young, inexperienced cook who was obstinate about taking any advice, nothing but a flat-top grill to cook a steak on, no attempts at seasoning a steak a bit, poor cuts of meat for this unfortunate young cook to work with, and a lack of knowledge. That cook could become a great cook if provided good product, equipment, and a bit of training.People living in that area for a long time who could be reading this will remember my work cooking at local restaurants. (In fact, I often have people ask me to come back to the area and work as a cook or open a restaurant.)I feel that the Vega Lodge restaurant is not currently well-managed, but I could be wrong.

but you MUST stop at Vega Lodge and eat at the restaurant.We had electric hookups at Early Settlers CG, after spending the night before at Little Bear at Grand Mesa National Forest. People in the Visitors Center at Grand Mesa were raving about the food at Vega Lodge so far be it for us to pass up a great op.The people are friendly and the food de-lish. I had a dirty hippie beer. comes from Pailisade,CO)....YUM and then we shared an Elk Chili Bowl....another YUM.....a bad boy burrito w/chunks of sirloin(YUM and fab)......all topped off w/ homemade Pecan Pie. $34.00 later, incl. tip we were really happy campers.

Colorado has 42 State parks... and Vega is one of them. It's located just to the east of Collbran and mainly serves the Grand Junction and valley area. Colorado has a great park system, and their average is better than many other States' best. Vega is not crowded (at least when I was there) and has decent fishing... trout only. The visitor center is excellent - as most in Colorado are. There are plenty of camping spaces for both tents and RVs. There is a full drive around the lake. There are showers (yeah) but no washing machine. it's weak on some things.. like almost no trails (that's different than the drive around the lake). The camp sites are marked off they put WAY too many pebbles in the pad.. so you can't stake down your tent and it always get bumpy when you walk on it. Tent sites should be just soft dirt or low grass. Water is hard to find... so ask the park rangers where it is. Trout fishing is fun and easy to catch.. but don't fish deep unless you have a boat. Rocks will catch our hooks if you do.. so float fish and you will still get your limit quickly. If you have time and heading east.. go on CR 265.. it's really primitive with lots of animals and pleasant scenery. just make sure you have plenty of gas. Vegas has a lot of wildlife also.. esp. deers and birds. I camped at the Island area and a deer shared breakfast with me.. so they are pretty tame also.A big bonus is the Vega Lodge which is just to the north of the island area.. where you can get internet, a great meal, and supplies.

Vega State Park is a great place to camp and fish, water ski or ride ATV's. Nice campgrounds and facilities. Usually fishing is good for trout from a boat or the shore. Lots of wildlife to view, deer, elk, osprey, eagles and all kinds of birds (bring your hummingbird feeders). An early morning or late evening hike or drive around the lake is always a treat to see wildlife. The lodge at Vega is an excellent place to eat. Prime rib on the weekends. It is a state park so there are rules for campers. Overall it is one of my favorite places to go.

Drove here from grand junction to take my dad fishing that came in from Illinois. Only a little over and hour drive from GJ. Park requires a small fee to enter. We saw a couple of deer roaming around. We drove around the whole lake and fished all the spots we could with night crawlers and power bait. We each caught a fish that was that was a huge 6 inches. Saw park rangers driving around none ever stopped to check park pass or fishing licenses.

Good views, very friendly people in the lodge. camping sites, rv and tent are good size and maintained well.

Dinner at the Vega Lodge is a delicious, friendly experience. Restaurant and bar overlook the lake. Dress in layers - this is a high altitude experience!

We love going to this Camping area. It fills up pretty quick most of the time. We have found make a reservation as soon as possible for the Early Settlers area. Its the area that has electricity hook ups and showers close by. Look over the camp map on line and pick your own spot. Great camping and fishing and only an hour from the Grand Valley! Wish we could go more often.