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'A heck of a sea monster': The story behind the creature spotted on Dillon Reservoir

The Dillon Reservoir is still frozen, but over the past few weeks, people have seen something strange popping up from the ice.

DILLON, Colo. — The Dillon Reservoir in Summit County is about an hour west of Denver and a long way from Scotland, but that hasn’t stopped some from seeing a "lake monster" that looks a little like the Loch Ness Monster.

Craig Simson, the operations manager at the Dillon Marina, said about a week after stay-at-home orders went into place, people started seeing something strange out on the ice of the Dillon Reservoir. 

About 100 yards from the shoreline near the marina, you can see a tail, part of the body, a long neck and a head sticking up from the ice — a creature some are calling the Dillon Ness Monster. 

“It’s a heck of a sea monster," said Simson. "When I first saw it took my head a minute to wrap around what was out there.” 

Credit: 9News

The good news is that the creature moves slow. In fact, it’s not moving at all. A closer look by marina employees found the lake monster is man-made from plywood and paint, but that hasn’t taken away from the charm, with the Dillon Ness Monster bringing smiles to a lot of people at a time when smiles are a welcome site.

“We have such a creative community,” said Simson. “I just love that someone woke up one morning and said, 'I’m going to make a sea serpent.'”

Credit: 9News

The Dillon Ness Monster will likely stay where she’s at on the Dillon Reservoir until the ice melts, then Dillon Marina staff said they hope to open the reservoir for boating around Memorial Day, depending on the health orders in place at that time.

Credit: 9News

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