Is there any way to tell which little lakes in Fort Collins have public areas?

No one ever accused Colorado of being the Land of 1000 Lakes. Heck, most people look at our lakes and call them ponds. They look at our ponds and asked if it rained earlier today. Year after year, we put in a lot of effort to deal with the drought conditions of our region (not to mention the wild fires).

As such, a number of folks have taken it upon themselves to build their own bodies of water, whether it's a watering hole for cattle or beauty and recreation for landowners.

And generally, that means other folks can't use the man made lakes and ponds. Warren Lake and most other small lakes around the city are not open to public access. Generally, they are privately owned and often have different ownership for the surface rights and the land along the shoreline. If it’s not in a public park, such as Sheldon Lake in City Park, you should probably assume the lake is not open for public use.

That said, there are several natural areas around town that are open to the public. The city's website will show you which activities are allowed at which areas.