Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GRAND LAKE
POP POP 450 / ELEV 8437FT
As the western gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake is a foil to the bust-
ling hub of Estes Park. Sure, both are fairly inglorious tourist traps compared to the magni-
ficent park in their shared backyard, but Grand Lake is more remote, suffers less traffic and
exploits its history as an old mining town for the feel of an 'intimate' tourist trap. The
namesake lake - with a yacht club founded in 1901 - is handsome, and offers a different
suite of recreational thrills in the summer. An amble along the boardwalk lining Grand Ave
is pleasant, with a hodgepodge of corny souvenir shops, decent restaurants, T-shirt stores
and a few character-filled bars. Unless you're staying for a few days at the sublime Shad-
owcliff Lodge, Grand Lake is no destination unto itself - it's more of a lunch-and-supplies
stop on the way in and out of the west side of the park.
Sights & Activities
Regardless of season, there's no problem keeping busy in Grand Lake: the town's bike and
boat rentals give way to sleds and skis as the season changes. Because of its location abut-
ting multi-use federal and state land, Grand Lake is a popular destination for snowmobiles
- you can even ride in Rocky Mountain National Park. Get information about rentals and
trails at the visitor center.
Several Rocky Mountain National Park trailheads are just outside the town limits, in-
cluding those to the Tonahutu Creek Trail and the Cascade Falls/North Inlet Trail, both near
Shadowcliff Lodge. Entering the park from these trailheads is an excellent way to dodge
many of the crowds that plug up the park's eastern side.
The town is 35 miles north of
Winter Park
, a popular ski destination.
Kauffman House Museum
( Grand Lake Historical Society 970-627-3351;
www.kauffmanhouse.org
;
407 Pitkin St; entry by donation;
1-5pm Jun-Aug; )
The Ezra Kauffman House is an 1892 log building that operated as a hotel
until 1946. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, it contains period furniture,
old skis, quilts and other dusty artifacts. Hardly hair-raising, but a nice stop for history
buffs.
MUSEUM
