Colorado

Things to Do in Grand Lake, CO

by Ingrid

The mere mention of Grand Lake brings a smile to my face. We first discovered this charming little Colorado mountain town in the late ’90s. At that time, we were living in Colorado Springs and looking for an affordable place to take the children on a winter ski vacation. Plus, we wanted ski slopes that weren’t too challenging for beginner skiers.

What started out as a nice Colorado winter spot quickly turned into one of our favorite summer mountain towns. The fact that Grand Lake is also located near the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and sits along the shores of a picturesque mountain lake just adds to her overall appeal.

Main Street in Grand Lake, Colorado

Continuing -Top 5 Favorite Colorado Mountain Towns

In no particular order, these are my top 5 favorite picks for must-see Colorado Mountain Towns … towns that I have returned to time and again because they’re just that lovely.

Discovering Grand Lake

While picking up my children from summer camp (1997), a staff member overheard that I was looking for a recommendation for a winter destination and mentioned we should look into Snow Mountain Ranch.  Little did I know, Snow Mountain Ranch would quickly become our go-to place to spend Christmas and ring in the New Year.

favorite Colorado mountain towns and why you should visit, #VisitColorado, #ColoradoLoveOur adventures on the western side of Colorado’s Continental Divide were plenty. Over a ten year period, it was our family tradition to rent a cabin in the woods and savor the amazing views. As the week unfolded, the days were filled with outdoor activities; snow skiing, snowmobiling, sledding, tubing, snowshoeing. The evenings included games and storytelling near a toasty fire blazing in the cabin’s fireplace.

Snow Mountain Ranch is world renowned for its Nordic Center and groomed trails, but not for downhill skiing. For that, we would need to go to either Winter Park or Granby Ranch (previously known as Silver Creek and Sol Vista). Granby Ranch is the perfect place for beginners. Al and I would put the children in ski school while he and I lounged around the fireplace in the ski lodge exercising our arms by lifting mugs of hot chocolate. 😉

The outside deck offered a perfect vantage point for me to photograph and videotape the kids in ski school.  As Al and I got more comfortable leaving the children in ski school, he and I would venture off (with the instructor’s knowledge of course) and explore the surrounding area.  Those explorations always included lunch and shopping in the quaint little town of Grand Lake, about a 30-minute drive from the slopes. Strolling the wooden walkways connecting the rustic buildings made us feel like we had stepped back in time, a time when life was a little simpler and slower.

This is where we used to spend Christmas. Granby, CO
My daughter as we head into the backcountry on snowshoes.

When the kids needed a break from skiing, we would rent a couple of snowmobiles near the town of Grand Lake and make a day of exploring the backcountry at 9,000 plus feet in elevation on some of the best groomed and scenic trails around. Views of the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain National Park were breathtaking. We always wanted to return during the summer to rent ATV’s, but somehow life got in the way. Sure, we returned to Grand Lake many a time during summer excursions but we never seemed to have enough time to hit the trail in an ATV. Oh well, I guess that gives us reason to return … again.

Grand Lake is NOT a winter destination

We loved our winter excursions to the high country, but summer is even better. Although visiting Grand Lake during winter conditions is beautiful and fun, the town is much more of a summer and fall destination. It is, after all, the western gateway into Rocky Mountain National Park. Actually, during the winter, about half the businesses in the town of Grand Lake appear to be closed, especially the galleries and tourist shops. Yeah, I don’t think they sell a lot of ice cream during the winter. Plus, once the snow starts falling, access into the national park is closed off at the western end. Crossing the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park during the winter is not an option.

Grand Lake, Colorado
My daughter during one of our fall excursions.

What makes Grand Lake so popular during the summer months is the easy access into Rocky Mountain National Park and the summer recreation available throughout Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest. And let’s not forget about the beautiful lake itself; Grand Lake. (The town AND the lake share the same name. Hmm, that can get confusing.)

Grand Lake (the lake) is a popular draw for anglers and water enthusiasts.  Personally, I can’t imagine engaging in any activity that would require me actually touching the water as the water temperature appears to always be COLD. I remember one time standing on a dock at the water’s edge and feeling a wave of coolness rise and sweep over me.  It felt like I had opened my refrigerator’s freezer door and was greeted by a rush of cold air.  Yep, that’s some cold water!

Grand Lake, Colorado, wildflowers along the shores of a mountain lake, #picturesqueColorado, #mountainLakes
The town of Grand Lake sits at the shores of Grand Lake, Colorado’s largest and deepest natural lake.

Wildlife!

As the summer season winds down, leaf peepers and wildlife enthusiasts flock to the area. Actually, September is one of the most popular months to visit Grand Lake, Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Can you believe this is also when the national park starts closing campgrounds … seriously? ☹

September is when the Elk are in rut, the boys are fighting and posturing for the ladies attention, and their bugling sound is easily recognizable. Spotting a herd of Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park during the rut season is not a problem. Fall is, in my opinion, one of the best months to visit the area.

Rocky Mountains

As much as I love Elk, I’m a tad more drawn to Moose, and Grand Lake is the place to spot these fascinating animals. During one of our summer visits, I was on a quest to find and photograph a moose. I hear that it’s not uncommon to see a moose walking down Main Street early in the morning.

It wasn’t that easy for Al and me to find Bullwinkle. We had to spend a little time moose hunting searching for me to get that photo-op. Hint: ask a local. The gal in the ice cream shop shared a few moose hang-outs with us.

Finally found a moose after driving around for an hour.
He’s gorgeous!

After driving around for about an hour to the popular ‘moose hang-outs’, we were near the verge of giving up when Al spots the most gorgeous bull moose feeding in a small pond. Score! We pulled off to the side of the road and stayed a safe distance away knowing moose can be mean and deadly. Thank goodness for zoom lenses. He was such a treat to watch!

Between the amazing wildlife, the beautiful scenery, and the fond memories of our family adventures, it’s no wonder why Grand Lake, Colorado remains a favorite.

Lodging

Winter Park lodging, Alpine slide Colorado, #alpineslide, #winterparkfun
One summer, my daughter and I stayed in a condo in Winter Park. We loved riding the Alpine Slide!

There are several private and national forest campgrounds in the area and of course plenty of little hotels. However, we’ve never personally overnighted in Grand Lake. We have stayed at the base of Granby Ranch mountain in a ski-in-ski-condo.

But our preference was renting a cabin at Snow Mountain Ranch which is about a 30-45 minute drive away from Grand Lake. The ranch also offers room style lodging and in the summer they have a campground.

While RVing, we quite often camped in the national park (close to the town of Estes Park) and then visited Grand Lake for the day. Camping and lodging options near Estes Park are plentiful considering its close proximity to Denver.

The drive from Estes Park to Grand Lake is not to be missed, but do note, the road does not open until the end of May and usually closes in October depending on snowfall.

Rocky Mountain National Park road, how to get to, Colorado scenic road, #sightseeing in Colorado

How to get there?

There are three different routes to access the town of Grand Lake. All three routes are easily navigated with a regular vehicle but not so much with an RV.

Most scenic: From Denver, head west to the town of Estes Park, Colorado. From Estes Park, you’ll enter Rocky Mountain National Park. A leisurely drive through the national park via Trail Ridge Road is a memorable scenic drive with stunning views accompanied by wildlife sightings.  I highly recommend this drive, but keep in mind, this road is not RV friendly. Depending on your personal comfort level with mountain driving will determine whether or not you should take your RV via this route. We’ve never driven this road with our RV in tow, nor do I think we ever will.

(This post is intended for entertainment purposes only and all road information should be researched and verified before driving. Road conditions change regularly.)

My recommendation: If you drive a motorhome and pull a toad, I recommend you not tow, but rather, drive each vehicle separately. If you’re pulling a trailer/5th wheel, go early (before 8:00 a.m.). The tight switchbacks on the western side of the Continental Divide on Trail Ridge Road will require swinging into the oncoming lane (depending on your length and direction of travel) to make a few hairpin turns. The majority of scenic pull-outs and parking lots will not accommodate most RV’s, especially during busy traffic periods.

Altitude and elevation need to also be taken into consideration. The 50-mile drive between Estes Park and Grand Lake will take you up and over the Continental Divide with elevations exceeding 12,000 feet. Plan at least 2 hours to drive the 50 miles (no services) and more if you plan on stopping at any of the numerous scenic pull-outs. Note; the combination of grade and altitude may be too challenging for older vehicles. Also, anyone with health issues should take the high elevation into consideration. I highly recommend talking to a ranger for more information before embarking on this drive.

trail ridge road Colorado, Roads above treeline, Rocky Mountain National Park, #can I drive an RV, #coloradoroads
A small section of Trail Ridge Road near 12,000 feet in elevation. This photo was taken a few years ago in late August and early in the day before tourist traffic picked up.

RV route: Although longer, these roads will be a little easier to navigate with an RV. From Denver, take Interstate 70 west to the town of Silverthorne and then head north on Highway 9. Once you get to the town of Kremmling, take Highway 40 east to the town of Granby, then north on 34 to Grand Lake.

Winter route: This is the route we often took during our winter excursions driving our F150. From Interstate 70, we would head north on Highway 40 through Berthoud Pass heading toward Winter Park.  Although fine for a regular vehicle, we would not personally pull the RV up this road. The grade is such that it would put a tremendous strain on the engine not to mention navigating all the switchbacks.

During winter conditions, beware of avalanches. One year we cut our vacation short knowing weather (i.e. snowstorm) was rolling in. The day after we drove Hwy 40 over Berthoud Pass there was an avalanche that crossed the road and damaged some vehicles. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, and we were very glad we didn’t experience this personally.

Next week, I’ll take you to another one of my favorite Colorado mountain towns.

making family memories in Colorado, family destinations in Colorado, family-friendly ski towns, #loveColorado, #familymemories, #familyinColorado
Any time of year is a great time to visit Colorado’s high country for making family memories – me, my daughter, husband, and son.

For those of us that spend our time exploring mountain states with big rigs, I highly recommend picking up the Mountain Directory for Truckers. This is not an affiliate link, but a product I’m glad we own. It has saved us from driving on roads, that due to our size, we shouldn’t. At the very least, it helped prepare us for the grade and width of a given road.

(Thank you for shopping my affiliate links)

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54 thoughts on “Things to Do in Grand Lake, CO”

  1. So nice to hear about this magical part of the world. I lived in Grand Lake, Granby, Fraser, and Winter Park when I was a ski bum and loved adventuring in Rocky Mountain National Park — in all seasons. Breathtaking beauty. Great memories. Thanks for sharing yours.

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  7. In a couple more years I will be retiring. So one plan is to do a one year road trip through Canada and the USA. So who knows – we may meet you in person!

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  8. Love it and thanks for taking me back to the Rocky Mountain NP. It brought a smile on my face when I saw the photo of the Trail Ridge Road, for that was an exhilarating drive. Where was this post when we were planning to get there?

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    1. Rocky Mtn NP remains a favorite of mine and writing this post is a reminder that I need to return. Too much fun and beauty not to. That Trail Ridge Road is an experience!

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  9. This is a neat little town. Colorado has so much beauty to offer.

    Looking at you header reminded me of that spectacular hike you took through the colorful slot in the Page area that is now off limits without a tour. Well, our friends from England just took the tour which is now very expensive and limited to 12 people. Good thing you did it when you did. I am just sorry we didn’t know about this on our various visits to Page and I researched. Oh, well!

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    1. So many great, fun, and beautiful towns in Colorado. Yeah, we really lucked out being able to take that hike. So sad that they closed it off due to vandalism.

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  10. Colorado towns are really neat, as they nestle into the mountains backdrop. Your capture of the Elk was awesome and the pic of the moose as well. We were able to get some good pics of a couple moose in the Tetons when we were there…they are such awesome animals.
    Thanks for the great post and pics.

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  11. Those Colorado mountain towns are cute and attractive, especially during the summer (we wouldn’t survive a winter in Colorado). Mark and I drove through Grand Lake after visiting the NP from east to west one fall, right before the road closed. We didn’t stop, however.

    Seeing moose is special and spectacular. Those are amazing shots and memories, Ingrid!

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  12. We stopped in at Grand Lake while camping in the National Park. Lovely little town. Ate tasty sandwiches at Blue Water Bakery Cafe. We drove across the Rockies pulling our 30’ fifth wheel. A stressful drive but all went well. The worse road we took pulling the fiver was the one through Jerome, AZ. We’ll never go that way again. I’m enjoying the write ups of your favorite Colorado towns. Looking forward to your thoughts on Steamboat Springs, one of our favorites we visited last year.

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    1. Wow, I cannot believe you towed through Jerome and over Mingus Mtn. That road through town is stressful with just the truck. I would agree that that road is more of a challenge than Trail Ridge.

      I’m not sure how well of a write up I’ll be able to do on Steamboat since our last visit there was 7 years ago. 😏

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  13. Ingrid Let me know when you guys get to colo ? I am here now until June 21st would like to meet up with you.

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

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  14. We have been to Maine, Alaska and the area as which you speak of… not one single MOOSE for me!
    I loved your Moose… one day some day… I’ll see a MOOSE!

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  17. Great photos Ingrid!!! Great place to spend time. We can’t wait to get there. We were scheduled to be there through May and June but we ended up not going because we bought another home. Next year we’ll get there. Keep teasing us with photos.

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  18. Well, since we’re swearing off cold for a good long while (Thanks, Colorado), it’s good to know there are plenty of gorgeous places to visit when it’s warm (Thanks, Colorado!!!) 🙂 What a great town! Seems like just the kind of place we would love. These posts are so informative and helpful, I’ll definitely be bookmarking them for future travels.

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    1. Thanks Laura. Colorado has so many beautiful and fun places to visit, but the winters are long in the high country. And this year, the weather everywhere has been especially fickle. Hopefully, you found some warmer weather by now.

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      1. Tooo many choices. A great state to explore. We are heading west mid-June for a long weekend in Colorado wine country. We stop in Frisco on the way to eat shrimp kabobs from the Golden Toad wagon at the Frisco BBQ Fest. Then we drive to Carbondale, past Mt. Sopris, and over quiet McClure Pass to Paonia for several nights, where we will drink and purchase the fine wines of Stone Cottage Cellars, Azura Winery, and Black Bridge Winery, to name a few. Monday we head to Palisades by Grand Junction for Greystone Winery ports and samplings from Plum Creek Winery. We will stay one night at the Wine Country Inn before the I-70 drive back to Denver.

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        1. Agree, too many choices. I really had a hard time narrowing down my list for that very reason. I’m familiar with those locations of your upcoming trip. Hopefully you’ll post about it so I can share with my sister-in-law who lives in Denver. She and her husband are trying to take time off more frequently to explore more of the state. I have a brother in GJ and we’ve attended the wine festival in Palisades.

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    1. A beautiful place to visit. At one time we even thought of buying property somewhere in this part of Colorado, but those winters are loooong.

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  21. Loved this blog Ingrid. Bill and I are planning our tour of NM and Colorado the end of June. We’ve been to Grand Lake but plan to return with our kayaks. Maybe we will moose hunt while in the water. Love that ice cream shop you mentioned. 💕

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    1. Awesome! Can’t wait to hear all about your trip. My upcoming posts will be about Crested Butte and Telluride and you might get some ideas for stops on the western slope. Let me know if you need anymore ideas 😀

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  22. Looks amazing. I’ve been to Colorado a few times and I always hate leaving – such beauty.

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    1. We actually considered buying property somewhere in this part of Colorado, but the long winters quickly had us moving on. Great place to visit though!

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    1. You MUST put Rocky Mountain National Park on your “travel” list. You won’t be disappointed. Have I ever steered you wrong?

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  26. I sure enjoyed visiting the Rockies with you and your family, Ingrid, thanks so much for this informative and comprehensive post. Great photos, as always. I loved the bull moose and elk captures, and thoroughly enjoyed listening to the elk bugling.

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    1. Thanks Jet. Yeah, hearing the elk bugle is really a fun treat as is seeing the guys quarrel for the ladies. Writing this post has me wanting to go back this fall.

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