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Grand Lake is a small town in Colorado that sits just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, at the western end of Trail Ridge Road. It makes a great base for exploring the park.
Overview of Grand Lake, Colorado
Grand Lake was established in 1879 and is named for the lake on which it’s situated. Originally a supply point for mining towns such as Lulu City, Teller City, and Gaskill, it now caters to mostly to tourists visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. The town was incorporated on June 23, 1944.
Grand Lake, Colorado’s largest and deepest natural lake and a source for the Colorado River, is a popular location for water sports and fishing. You’ll find several lodges and cabins along the shoreline, and both private and public marinas as well as a public boat ramp and docks serve boaters. Shadow Mountain Lake, a reservoir that began filling in 1947, creates one continuous body of water with Grand Lake. They’re separated by gates.
The East Inlet Trail, part of Rocky Mountain National Park, is on the east side of the lake. You can reach it by driving Portal Road through town until it ends at the parking lot for the trailhead.
Grand Avenue
Grand Avenue, the main street through the town, has plenty of opportunities for food, shopping, and more. Many of the buildings are in a rustic log cabin-style.
One block of shops along Grand Avenue is called the Boardwalk. It’s lined with small locally owned and operated boutiques — no chain restaurants or shops. You’ll find cafés, jewelry, art, and souvenirs.
Grand Lake Lodge
The most famous lodge in town is historic Grand Lake Lodge, perched above town with excellent views of both the lake and town. It consists of over 100 historic structures, including rustic cabins and smaller lodges.
Billed as Colorado’s favorite front porch, the lodge was founded by Frank Huntington and Roe Emery (1874–1953) on land owned by the National Park Service on the edge of the park. It opened in 1920 and was affiliated with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
T.J. Manning purchased the lodge from Emery in 1952, and brothers Isaac and Ted James acquired it the following year. The James brothers negotiated a land exchange in 1963 to move the park boundary, and the lodge became private property. A kitchen fire in July 1973 closed the lodge for seven seasons. It was reconstructed and reopened in 1981. The lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The James family sold the lodge in the 2000s, and after a brief closure, it reopened around 2011 under Regency Hotel Management. Highway West Vacations purchased the property in 2018 and began major renovations that were completed in May 2019.
