Grand Lake’s rural town has lake views and outdoor adventure
Bordered by its namesake, the town of Grand Lake sits in the Colorado Mountains about 15 miles north of Granby and roughly 47 miles southwest of Estes Park. In addition to the recreation on Grand Lake, the area is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park’s western entrance, giving it easy access to hiking trails and campgrounds. Homes range from small cabins to large mountain estates. “A lot of people refer to it as the Great Lakes of the Rockies,” says Realtor Shawn Bruton with The Real Estate Company, who has over 30 years of experience and lives in the area. “The people in Grand Lake seem to have a different lifestyle. They’re more laid-back and love the small-town atmosphere.”
Year-round recreation on lakes and in the parks
The area’s namesake, Grand Lake, is the largest natural lake in Colorado and a mecca for water recreation. Headwaters Marina has public boat slips and rentable paddle boats. Additionally, multiple parks are scattered along its shoreline. Gene Stover Lakefront Park has a sandy beach area for swimming and Point Park is known for its fishing pier. “The water is cold, like 50 degrees, but if you can stand it you can get in. Some people like to wear wet suits,” Bruton says. Town Park is an additional green space located in the downtown area that has a playground, basketball court and large open field. The space is decorated with flower gardens and used to host community events. Grand Lake Center is nearby and provides indoor facilities such as a fitness center, gymnasium and pickleball courts.
Adjacent to Grand Lake is Shadow Mountain Lake, which has its own marina and boat launches. Green Ridge Campground is located at its southern tip, and the former Elk Creek Campground, now known as Grand Lake KOA, is directly north – both have RV sites, camp sites and cabins to rent. West of Shadow Mountain is the Grand Lake Golf Course, with its 18 holes.
Several hiking trails carve through the landscape. The East Inlet and East Shore trails both surround a lake, while the Tonahutu and Livery trails head up into the mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park surrounds the town on three sides. The area has over 350 miles of hiking trails, multiple campgrounds and over a hundred lakes to explore. Visitors can go backpacking, rock climbing, wildlife watching, snowshoeing, skiing and more.
Custom homes and condos spanning the decades
Most homes in Grand Lake are either located along residential streets close to town or are spread out along country roads to the west of Shadow Mountain Lake. They have driveways, sit on large lots of land and are surrounded by thick pine trees. “Most of these homes are second homes,” Bruton says. “It’s a very seasonal community. Most of the homeowners are from the Denver Front Range and will pop up in the summer for a weekend or holiday.”
Single-story cabins with wood siding are common. Some were built in the 1930s and some as recent as the 2000s. There are also traditional single-story homes and contemporary ones with front porches and stone accents. Prices range from $325,000 to $875,000. Multi-story, custom mountain homes and estates are another popular housing type. Many are cabin-inspired, with wood exteriors, raised porches, balconies and large picture windows. These properties cost anywhere between $600,000 and $3 million, depending on property size, age and location. In town, there are a handful of contemporary and modern condos – some were built in the 1970s, and some as recent as the 2020s. Units go for $390,000 to $515,000.
The CAP Index Crime Score for Grand Lake is 1 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
Local shops, restaurants and bars found downtown
Downtown Grand Lake – also called the “Boardwalk” by locals – is the town’s main area for commerce, with dozens of shops and restaurants. “It’s all mom-and-pops here, and little trinket stores. They will not allow chain restaurants in the area,” Bruton says. There are several gift shops like Spirit Lake Traders and Colorado’s Artisan Collective, plus stores for clothes and sporting goods. Local eateries include Firefly Pizzeria and Sagebrush BBQ & Grill, which has Western-themed decor and peanut shells littering the floor from snacking patrons. A handful of bars like The World’s End Brewpub provide nighttime entertainment. Mountain Market is a locally owned specialty grocery store in the area that doubles as a butcher shop.
Celebrating the community through annual events
The town of Grand Lake puts on multiple events throughout the year. Buffalo Days takes place in August and is one of the more popular festivals. The event starts with a parade and has a carnival, live music, line dancing and an authentic buffalo barbeque tasting – all to honor the area’s western heritage. The Winter Carnival is held in February and hosts multiple winter sports competitions for snowmobile racing, ice sculpting and curling. In the summer, free concerts are held in Town Park on Wednesday afternoons.
Navigating in and around Grand Lake
Vehicles are required to travel through Grand Lake’s mountainous landscape. U.S. Highway 34, known in some places as Trail Ridge Road, is the area’s main commuter route, traveling north and south. “It’s one-way-in-one-way-out for a good part of the year because Trail Ridge will shut down in the winter, so it’s a little bit more of a trek to get here,” Bruton says. The Denver International Airport is roughly 125 miles away.
B-rated East Grand public schools
Children living in the area can attend schools in the East Grand School District. Granby Elementary School earns a B grade from Niche, while East Grand Middle has a B-plus. From there, students can attend the B-rated Middle Park High School, which has a theater program and Career and Technical Education courses in trades & technical sciences, outdoor recreation leadership, natural resources and hospitality.
The challenges of mountain living
Grand Lake’s location and unique landscape come with environmental hazards. Heavy rain can create a risk of flooding around the lakefront, while hot, dry weather can create a risk of potential wildfires. In 2020, the East Troublesome Fire made its way to the Grand Lake area. As such, the Grand Lake Fire Protection District provides extensive fire and rescue services.
The average annual snowfall for Grand Lake is about 100 inches, which is higher than Colorado’s average of 67 inches.
