Erie Lake Has a New Way In, and It Runs Through Schofield Farm
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
For years, most walks around Erie Lake started from a small lot off U.S. 287, near Arapahoe Road. That entrance is now closed for good. On the Town of Erie's Erie Lake page, the Highway 287 entrance and the parking next to it are listed as "permanently closed and no longer in use."
Visitors now park at the new lot at Schofield Farm. The farm has a 1905 barn and a bald eagle nest, and the town is turning it into a public gathering place. The town's October 9 Inside Erie update says the Schofield Farm lot is "now open for trail access."
The access changes started with the dam. Colorado Hometown Weekly reported that state dam engineers found a seep on the lake's east side during a routine inspection in 2022. They ordered the water lowered to slow the leak and find its cause. The lake was lowered to about 10 feet at the dam, and the visible seepage stopped. Normal operating depth at the dam outlet is 11 to 12 feet, with a maximum of 13. That gap is why Erie Lake has not been full in recent years.
Lowering the water was never a fix. The town's own wording, quoted in that Hometown Weekly story: "Lowering the water level stopped the visible leak, but not the underlying cause."
HDR Engineering was hired to find the source of the seep. The firm recommended an upstream cutoff wall on the inside face of the dam, which it called the most effective way to reduce internal erosion and water loss through the foundation. Town Council approved the construction contract on February 24, 2026. Geo-Solutions was chosen as the contractor, with the town's payment capped at $1,862,021. HDR's engineering contract was amended three times, growing from $298,956 to $595,362. Hometown Weekly put the combined cost of stabilizing the dam at about $2.4 million.
During construction, the path around the lake was fully closed. The fishing dock on the west side and the parking lot near U.S. 287 were also closed. The loop reopened to walkers on Saturday, July 25, 2026, according to the town's July 27 weekly update.
The 287 lot closed during dam work, but the dam is not why it stayed closed. In its online FAQ, the town says Parks and Recreation, Utilities and Public Works decided together to close it. They gave three reasons:
Erie Lake is a town drinking water reservoir that is also open for recreation. The Parks and Open Space Division manages it for fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing, and swimming and boating are prohibited. The town wants fewer cars near the water, and the entrance has moved to fit that.
According to the town FAQ, the parking at Schofield Farm is the "formal public parking for pedestrians, birders, and anglers," with direct trail access to Erie Lake, ADA parking and EV charging stations. An onsite public restroom is scheduled to open in 2027.
The lot is the first piece of a bigger project. In its 2025 report on the Big Barn rehabilitation, Hometown Weekly described the Schofield Farm site as 75 acres: 35 acres of Erie Lake and 40 acres of farmland. The lake and the farm sit on one property. The old highway entrance made it easy to treat them as two separate places.
The project was approved in 2018 and covers the whole historic farm: the farmhouse, the original shed and garage, the brooder house, the chicken coop and the greenery building. Erie broke ground in August 2025, using $1.6 million in grants from sources that include the Colorado State Historical Fund and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The barn is the centerpiece. Hometown Weekly reported that Erie Parks and Recreation Director Luke Bolinger called it
"the most iconic structure on the site."
It was built in 1905 from cement blocks made on site with a Wizard block maker sold by Sears and Roebuck. It is a "bank-in" barn, set into a hillside so two floors have ground-level access. The loft held hay, horses lived on the floor at the top of the hill, and cattle lived in the basement level at the bottom.
Restored, the barn will be a community event space for about 100 people indoors, or up to 200 with the outdoor space. Uses will range from neighborhood meetings to weddings. The sliding doors, glazed windows and cedar shake roof will be restored, and old horseshoes from the rafters will go on display. The silo that once fed corn to the basement will become a spiral staircase and observation deck. It puts visitors at eye level with the last cottonwood on the property, home to a family of three bald eagles.
So a trip to the lake now starts beside a working restoration site. As of the town's October 9 update, the barn's exterior work is done and interior work is underway. Hometown Weekly reported that the barn is slated for completion by 2027.
Schofield Farm is opening in stages, and right now the parking is ahead of the buildings. Here is where each piece stood in late October 2026:
The makerspace is the next building on the farm likely to bring in regular visitors. It is located at 2203 North 111th Street. Hometown Weekly reported that members will have access to pottery kilns, laser engravers, 3D printers and other tools. A September 14 town business newsletter said the building had received its Certificate of Occupancy and was ready for the operator to move in. CO-Create Erie's membership page lists planned monthly tiers from a $30 founding membership to a $130 corporate level, plus a $10 sustaining option. Enrollment is not yet open, and the site notes that prices may change before it opens. The group scheduled a quarterly public meeting for October 21 at the North 111th Street site so the community could meet the board and hear opening updates. Its website has a sign-up for opening notifications.
Anglers will have to wait the longest. The Erie Lake page tells them to hold off until the lake refills, which the town expects to take "likely through the rest of this year." At the time of that guidance, the lake had only about three feet of water, compared with a normal operating depth of 11 to 12 feet at the outlet. The fish were stressed by drought and the dam project.
The town estimated that refilling could take six weeks. Reopening also depends on the state wildlife agency finishing a fish count and restocking the lake. Some of the fish already in the lake do maintenance work. Grass carp feed on aquatic weeds, which helps keep the lake healthy. The Erie Lake page is the place to check for the reopening notice before you bring a rod.
Erie Lake Open Space is about 20 acres including its trails, near Arapahoe Road and U.S. 287. It connects to Schofield, Strieby and Arapahoe Ridge open spaces. From the new lot, you can walk the lake loop or head into the connected open spaces on foot. The trail can also still be reached from the south and east sides of the lake. The town asks anyone parking on nearby neighborhood streets to park legally and keep driveways clear.
Erie Lake has been a fixture in town for a long time, and Schofield Farm is still being finished, with its barn, restroom and makerspace all yet to open. If you're thinking about how a finished Schofield Farm might affect your home's value nearby, or anywhere else in Erie, Bethany Sartell and her team can help. Schedule a consultation and get your complimentary home valuation.
Get assistance in determining current property value, crafting a competitive offer, writing and negotiating a contract, and much more. Contact me today.
