Grand Lake, Colorado

By Ron Stern | SDUN Travel Writer

The “Spirit” of Grand Lake
Native Americans discovered Grand Lake in the 1800s and several tribes settled along the banks, drawn to the lake’s natural beauty and proximity of buffalo and other game.

One of the most famous tales involves a battle between warring tribes. As the story goes, a fierce thunderstorm came across the mountains one night and a small group of Grand River Utes, camping on the shore, were attacked by an Arapaho-Cheyenne war party. Caught by surprise, the Utes quickly loaded their women, children and elderly onto rafts and sent them adrift in the cold, icy blackness of the lake.

What ensued was a ferocious battle with both sides losing many warriors. After driving off the invading force, the chief of the Utes looked across the lake for his people and was stunned by what he saw. Floating on the lake were only the rafts, all capsized and broken up into just pieces of timber.

The next morning, the frightened Utes saw the spirits of their dead relatives rising as spirits from the mist on the water. The tribe fled, vowing never to return to “Spirit Lake.”

Historical Roots
The headwaters of the Colorado River originate in Grand Lake, and in 1879, gold was discovered along the river’s banks, bringing an influx of miners and prospectors to the area.

In short order, Grand Lake was a thriving town with a hotel, general store and saw mill. But, all good things come to an end and just four years later, the gold boom went bust and so did much of the town’s prosperity.

Things came back to life again in the 1900s as the rich and wealthy built summer homes along the shoreline and people discovered fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities.

Grand Lake’s future was further secured when it became the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and was given official National Park status in 1915.

Today, the town attracts thousands each year who come to experience its wooden boardwalk, western-styled storefronts, fresh mountain air, and of course, the main attraction, the transquil waters of Grand Lake itself.

One of Grand County’s first permanent residents was Joseph Westcott, who settled in the area in the late 1800s. While not considered a particularly skilled mountain guide, he did have many friends who were.

In one of the accounts, Westcott entrusted his entire catch of trout to one of these friends who was supposed to go to nearby Georgetown and sell the fish in exchange for a winter’s food supply.

After a few weeks’ winter set in, so did the realization that he had been hornswoggled by the young lad who apparently wasn’t coming back. With no food and the lake frozen solid, Westcott tried to make do with whatever he could find, including eating pieces of old deer hide.

At last, before all hope was lost, some hunters happened upon him, saving his life. Afterwards, Westcott found that the person in whom he put his trust had sold not only his trout but his burros as well and kept all the money for himself.

Western Hospitality
With more than 60 shops, galleries and restaurants, visitors can stroll the historic boardwalk on Grand Avenue. Many of the buildings date back to the town’s founding in 1881. Here, the spirit of the old West lives on with hitching posts still a part of the modern landscape.

And as for food, you won’t have to look (or walk) far as everything is located within just a few short blocks. For breakfast, the Fat Cat Café has hearty, affordable lumberjack-style meals. They also feature wonderful scones, which were some of the best I’ve had this side of the U.K.

If you like barbecue, the Sagebrush BBQ and Grill just down the block has a wide selection of mouth-watering taste temptations. The walls are adorned with western memorabilia as well as the original city jail doors that date from the 19th century.

For relaxing with views of the lake along with some great Tex-Mex, I found Poncho and Lefty’s the place to go. I tried their chicken fajitas, which was enough for two, and their combination of lightly seasoned chicken together with their sautéed peppers was awesome. They also serve all manner of cocktails and are quite generous with the size of their beverages.

For an upscale dinner, The Historic Rapids Lodge and Restaurant gets its name from its proximity to the Tonahutu River and the cascading rapids right outside the window. The sight and soothing sound of the flowing waters go quite well with the cuisine, which features items like seasonal beef tenderloin, ruby red trout and elk medallions. Each entrée comes with a jumbo-sized shrimp cocktail and a salad—delicious!

Finally, if you like microbrews, try the Grand Lake Brewery and Tap House. They currently have two locations for their brewery and I visited their newest one located at the edge of town off Highway 34. They have come up with some unusual names (and stories) for their brews including Wooley Booger Nut Brown Ale, Plaid Bastard and my favorite, Hoppy’s One Ton Pale Ale. The latter is named after a real one ton head bull involved in recycling their grain. Just sidle up to the bar and ask to hear the stories while you grab a brew. You won’t be disappointed.

Grand Lake Yacht Club
So how did a small mountain town like Grand Lake get its own yacht club?

Back in the late 1800s, wealthy folk (That’s what you called them back then— folk.) from Denver came up to the area to build vacation homes. In 1902, two friends, let’s call them sailing buddies, had a racing competition, not with yachts but with rowboats rigged with small sails. Yup, you heard right.

Flash forward to 1912. Remember Lipton Tea? Some friends of Lipton were traveling the world bestowing the now famous Lipton Cup to the world’s most prestigious yacht clubs, including San Diego and New York as well as Sydney, Australia and Cape Town, South Africa.

Since Grand Lake is landlocked, how did this happen? Here’s where the story gets interesting. One cold day in 1912, the members threw a party for the visiting Sir Thomas Lipton at a club in Denver and many homeowners from Grand Lake came dressed in sailing attire. Apparently, Lipton was so impressed that he decided to eventually bestow the priceless cup to the hospitable folks at The Grand Lake Yacht Club, all without ever having set foot in the place.

The Rocky Mountain repertory Theater
After a day filled with fun, food and frolic, what is there to do in Grand Lake in the evening? Well, step out in grand style, of course, to the theater.

The Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater was started in 1967 as the Troupe of American College Players and was intended as a place where young artists could learn their craft and perform.

It then fell on hard times and was closed for a few years, but in 1995, it was bought by a couple who revived the theater experience and made it a permanent part of the community. It has been growing every year since.

It has done so well, in fact, that a new complex was built in 2011 and they run about 70 performances each season and are typically 90% sold out.

During my visit, they were performing Beauty and the Beast, typical of the high caliber productions that this town has to offer.

Outdoor Activities
If you forgot to bring your yo-yo to pass the time, you can hike along 350 miles of scenic mountain trails in nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. If you have a keen eye for flora and fauna, there are 80 species of wildflowers and many more species of birds as well as all manner of wildlife. Golfing is also accessible at affordable prices with many specials available at different times of the season at the Grand Lake Golf Course, which has been dubbed The Jewel of the Rockies.

Not surprisingly, fishing is one of the top attractions of the area and Grand County has more fishable waters than any other county in Colorado. With miles of streams and lakeshore, you can cast from the shore, troll off a boat or fly fish for rainbow, brown or lake trout as well as kokanee salmon.

The Kauffman House Museum
Ezra Kaufman was somewhat of a notable figure in Grand Lake history. As a trapper, barber, hunter, guide, and cobbler, he was a true jack of all trades.

Kauffman built his house, a home as well as a hotel for guests, with his first wife in 1892. Like true pioneer men, Ezra had his idiosyncrasies including tying his rocking chair into his small rowboat. Guess he liked the view better from the lake instead of his front porch.

After 14 years, however, his first wife had enough and Ezra took the kids and left.

His second wife, Bell, was now on deck. Hopefully, she fared better.

Today, you can tour the Kauffman House, which is operated by the Grand Lake Area Historical Society. It is an excellent example of an early residence and hotel and is the only remaining example of a log hotel built in the city before 1900. There are a variety of accommodations in Grand Lake and I stayed at a rental condo via Grand Lake Rentals. Condos can be an affordable alternative to hotels and my room was comfortable and spacious and had a view overlooking Grand Lake.

With a beautiful lake, mountain scenery, shopping, great food, and loads of activities, this is one little town that knows how to entertain. If you are planning a trip to Colorado, take the high road over Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and spend some time on the other end in the grandest town of them all, Grand Lake.

Disclaimer: All meals and accommodations were sponsored by the providers mentioned in this article.