Blog Post

Grand Lake

From the airport we headed for Grand Lake, arriving on a Friday evening at about 6 pm. We had not slept much the night before, so we decided to grab a bite to eat and go to bed early. As The Inn at World’s End, a historic brewpub and Bed-and-Breakfast, was our home for the night, we just went downstairs to the pub to eat. The beer was great, and the food, although typical pub food, was just what we needed. Meryl went up to the room afterward, while I went for walk to get some fresh air.

Immediately I realized that Grand Lake is an amazingly charming little town. There was even a Bingo event taking place under a pavilion next to the main road.

Early the next morning, we went back out and walked the town. It has the feel of an old Western town, somewhat updated. Everything about is quaint and pretty. Lots of pubs, coffee shops, restaurants and craft type stores.

The morning we were there they were having some sort of Corvette Expo. They blocked off a section of the main road and Corvette owners came to show off their rides. This classic Stingray was my favorite.

Obviously, the main attraction of the area is the incredibly beautiful natural surroundings. Starting with the lake itself, there is plenty to do. You can rent a boat, or go down to the local beach right in the center of the town.

Or you could travel into the Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoy its multitude of trails.  We hit on a rainy and cloudy day, so were prevented from enjoying the outdoors. We had not come prepared for rain, but there were many people still hiking the trails, riding bikes despite the bad weather. You can blame the weather for the lack of photos of the area!

But there is more to nature to attract you to this gorgeous little town. The Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre has nothing but 5 stars reviews on Trip Advisor.

Or you can enjoy one of the 2 local spas. In the winter you can go cross-country skiing at the Grand Lake Nordic Center that boasts 20 miles of trails.

Of course, there is food!! We weren’t there long enough to enjoy the wide variety of restaurants in the town, but I look forward to going back. TripAdvisor lists the many options. Given the small population of the town, the choices are remarkable.

One of the things that I really enjoy doing when traveling is going out early in the morning and finding a local coffee shop or breakfast dive, buying a cup of coffee and a croissant (or similar), and then watching the locals start their day. Sometimes in a tourist town like Grand Lake, the tourists far outnumber the locals, but it’s still fun to enjoy your coffee and observe the world around you. We did this at an excellent coffee shop called Blue Water Bakery.

Rocky Mountain National Park

After a leisurely morning, we set out for the Rocky Mountain National Park, just as it started to rain! With the low cloud cover, we were denied the iconic views of the Park’s peaks. Despite that, the Aspen and pine forests that cover the hills and slopes were still beautiful. The wildlife (black bears, moose, bighorn sheep) were scarce but we did come across a large herd of elk with their majestic horns.

People come to hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park, and despite the lousy weather, they were not going to be denied. We lacked the rain gear and were not convinced that the limited views were going to justify getting soaked, so we, remained in our car. There are trails for every kind of hiker – from expert routes (like the Keyhole Route to the summit of Longs Peak) to paved nature trails like Bear Lake Loop that any family can do. For popular trails to hike in the park go to Alltrails.com or Rocky Mountain Hiking Trails. 

Important to note is that there is a shuttle service that runs between Denver International Airport and Estes Park, the town on the other side of the park from Grand Lake. And then there are shuttle services from Estes Park to some of the trailheads. That means you can avoid the expense of a rental car if you want to come and hike.

Estes Park

Speaking of Estes Park, this is the most visited mountain village in Colorado. And it shows. We arrived on a Saturday and were immediately overwhelmed by the number of people and traffic. Being the “base camp” for Rocky Mountain National Park, it is extremely popular. Only 90 minutes away from Denver, with lots of amenities makes it a very popular choice for people.

For Meryl and I, it’s a bit of a turn-off. I would rather travel the extra distance to go to somewhere like Grand Lake and avoid the crowds. Just finding a place for lunch (other than at a fast food place) proved a challenge. Not because there aren’t many options, but because parking and traffic are a nightmare. I don’t know about you, but when I go into the wilderness I don’t want to have the same problems of city life.

We did, however, thanks to Yelp, find a great place for lunch – Boss Burgers and Gyros. It is on the outskirts of Estes Park, going towards Rocky Mountain National Park on the 36. No parking issues and their chicken gyros were excellent. It has a slightly more upmarket feel than a “hole-in-the-wall”, but not by much. However, the tell-tale sign that the place is really good is that it was busy, mainly with locals.

We loved our day and a half in Rocky Mountain National Park and are glad we have an excuse to visit frequently!