Is Grand Lake, CO worth visiting?

Grand Lake, CO is definitely worth visiting. It’s a town that offers summer time activities as well as many winter time activities. Aside from the vast outdoor activities, there are many restaurants, old time bars, putt-putt golf facilities, ice cream shops and some fantastic shopping. Grand Lake is a small town that packs a punch when it comes to entertainment.

Why Grand Lake, CO is Worth Visiting

Grand Lake is essentially the gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park, one of the most beautiful national parks in the States. This proximity lends itself to regular visits from all kinds of wildlife. In Grand Lake, there are regular sightings of moose, bear, deer, rams and more. There are unmatched views everywhere you turn in Grand Lake, only to be outdone by the great activities you can partake in while taking in said views. The list of things to do in Grand Lake is endless: Biking, hiking, snowmobiling, fishing, ice fishing, boating, swimming, golfing, cross country skiing, to name a few. One of the greatest winter activities: SNOWSHOEING.

Snowshoeing in Grand Lake, CO

We recently took a trek up a ridge that overlooks Shadow Mountain Lake. Most of the time, we had fresh tracks and no wind. The elevation in Grand Lake is just over 8,300 feet, so if you are from a lower elevation, you’ll want to make sure you’ve had some time to adapt to the elevation and make sure you are well hydrated. Colorado hills get pretty tough with deep snow, large snowshoes and over 8,000 feet of elevation, even for a local. We wore waterproof boots (Sorrells or snowboarding boots), waterproof pants, long johns, a good mid-layer up top, down jacket, gloves, winter hat and some solid trekking poles. Depending on your size, your snowshoe size will vary. 6’ foot 200 lbs, I used 22” snowshoes in very deep soft snow.

Once we got on our way, it felt like we were in a winter wonderland. It was extremely calming to be out in the deep, fresh snow, with amazing views and little dollops of snow on each branch of every tree. The snow probably got up to 3 feet deep. It was soft snow, which made for amazing scenes and a challenging hike. Our legs and lungs were burning at times, but it totally paid off when we made it to open fields or ridges overlooking the lake. Everyone was able to stay warm, even our dog friend who is a Berner. We were out for about an hour and made it back in time to warm up with some coffee. It always levels the soul when you get to spend some time in nature. Snowshoeing is a fantastic way to reconnect and slow your brain down. a 10/10 experience.

Here is a local resource for snowshoeing, not far from the Grand Chalet.

https://grandlakerecreation.com/nordiccenter/snowshoe-info/

Here is a resource for all of Grand County.

https://www.visitgrandcounty.com/play/snow-sports/xc-skiing-snowshoeing