Bonny is now a wildlife area, and the lake is much smaller than the maps show

If you grew up hearing about Bonny Reservoir in southern Yuma County, it helps to know the place has changed. What was Bonny Lake State Park, on the South Fork of the Republican River, is now managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as the South Republican State Wildlife Area. The reservoir was partially drained, so the wide blue lake printed on older road maps and atlases is no longer there in the same form.

That change matters for two reasons. First, the water: fishing and any boating depend on conditions that are very different from the full reservoir, so plan around what is actually there now, not the old picture. Second, the rules: a state wildlife area is not a state park. Instead of a parks entrance pass, access generally runs on a hunting or fishing license or a separate wildlife-area pass for visitors of a certain age. Some of the old campgrounds and beaches have closed, while others may stay open with fewer amenities.

It is still a large area along the river with hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing. The simplest move before a trip is to check the current South Republican State Wildlife Area page from Colorado Parks and Wildlife for what is open and what pass or license you need.