# Taylor Park Dam

Part of the Uncompahgre Project located on the western slope of central Colorado, the Taylor Park Dam was engineered by the Bureau of Reclamation. It is located on the Taylor River, a tributary of the Gunnison River, and the dam is used to create the Taylor Park Reservoir in Gunnison County, Colorado. The dam has National Inventory of Dams ID number CO00151.

## Hydroelectric retrofitting

In September 2024, electric cooperative Gunnison County Electric Association commissioned a 500-kilowatt hydro plant at the dam. Called the Taylor River Hydro Project, the plant's single turbine will operate day and night, all year long, without stopping. The plant is expected to produce 3.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. In 2025, it is the largest known single-phase power generator operating in North America.

## Climate

Climate data for Taylor Dam, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1940–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 54 (12) | 52 (11) | 61 (16) | 67 (19) | 79 (26) | 85 (29) | 86 (30) | 84 (29) | 79 (26) | 75 (24) | 65 (18) | 57 (14) | 86 (30) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 39 (4) | 44 (7) | 51 (11) | 59 (15) | 69 (21) | 78 (26) | 79 (26) | 77 (25) | 73 (23) | 64 (18) | 52 (11) | 41 (5) | 80 (27) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 32.3 (0.2) | 39.3 (4.1) | 46.5 (8.1) | 56.5 (13.6) | 68.3 (20.2) | 72.0 (22.2) | 69.7 (20.9) | 63.8 (17.7) | 52.7 (11.5) | 38.9 (3.8) | 27.3 (−2.6) | 49.6 (9.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 8.7 (−12.9) | 12.8 (−10.7) | 21.0 (−6.1) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 41.7 (5.4) | 51.7 (10.9) | 56.9 (13.8) | 55.0 (12.8) | 48.6 (9.2) | 38.6 (3.7) | 25.3 (−3.7) | 11.3 (−11.5) | 33.6 (0.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −10.0 (−23.3) | −6.8 (−21.6) | 1.6 (−16.9) | 16.7 (−8.5) | 27.5 (−2.5) | 35.0 (1.7) | 41.7 (5.4) | 40.4 (4.7) | 33.4 (0.8) | 24.3 (−4.3) | 11.9 (−11.2) | −4.7 (−20.4) | 17.6 (−8.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −35 (−37) | −33 (−36) | −25 (−32) | −4 (−20) | 15 (−9) | 28 (−2) | 35 (2) | 33 (1) | 24 (−4) | 10 (−12) | −9 (−23) | −31 (−35) | −39 (−39) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −56 (−49) | −60 (−51) | −42 (−41) | −29 (−34) | −5 (−21) | 15 (−9) | 20 (−7) | 17 (−8) | 4 (−16) | −7 (−22) | −30 (−34) | −49 (−45) | −60 (−51) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.55 (39) | 1.51 (38) | 1.36 (35) | 1.56 (40) | 1.51 (38) | 1.00 (25) | 2.02 (51) | 2.01 (51) | 1.65 (42) | 1.42 (36) | 1.46 (37) | 1.55 (39) | 18.6 (471) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 31.2 (79) | 16.5 (42) | 16.8 (43) | 10.8 (27) | 2.5 (6.4) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 2.9 (7.4) | 13.1 (33) | 22.0 (56) | 116.2 (294.81) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 21 (53) | 26 (66) | 25 (64) | 12 (30) | 1 (2.5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (7.6) | 11 (28) | 28 (71) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 96 |
| Source: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Taylor Park Reservoir

The Taylor Park Reservoir is a body of water created by the 1937 Taylor Park Dam, which dams the Taylor River of Colorado, United States. The dam and reservoir, located about 35 miles (56 km) northeast of Gunnison, are part of the Uncompahgre Project in Colorado. Recreation management at the reservoir is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and offers camping and fishing. Available fish species in the reservoir include rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout, mackinaw, kokanee, northern pike, and brook trout in the tributaries. The summit of Cottonwood Pass lies a few miles east of the reservoir and can be accessed via Gunnison County Road 209 during the summer months.