Highline Lake State Park bills itself as an Oasis in the Desert. It goes so far as to call itself  "the recreation epicenter for the Grand Valley with two lakes, lush grass, trails and trees."

It's a pretty nice place, to be sure, but the epicenter of recreation in the valley??? Well, you be the judge.  If you've got a boat, that may be true.  Nonetheless, Highline Lake offers a cool reprieve from the heat of the summer.  Highline Lake caters to action like jet and water-skiing, while Mack Mesa Lake, a little smaller and a little to the west of the big lake, is much quieter, allowing only wakeless boating.  Fishing is available on both lakes.

During the summer, when it's hot outside, a dip in the Highline Lake swim beach is just the thing to cool you off.  Birders have plenty to see here. The Audubon Society designated the park an important bird area; thousands migrate through the area every winter, yet there's plenty to see in the summertime, as well.

If you go the state park's activities website, you'll find information on boating, swimming, birding, hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, jet skiing, sailboarding, picnicking, waterskiing, wildlife watching and volleyball.  You'll even find educational programs.

That's a lot of stuff.  Of course, there's also information on ice fishing and ice skating, but those are only dreams as this summer blazes by.

Check out Highline Lake.  You'll be pleasantly suprised.