Granby is a town located about 14 miles southwest of Rocky Mountain National Park. Founded in 1904, it has been primarily prime cattle country. Now, it is a more affordable option to the nearby upscale communities of Grand Lake or Winter Park. From Steamboat Springs it was about a 1.5 hour drive to Granby.
Granby, Colorado
At an elevation of about 8,000 feet, it is dominated by its winters and is classified as a subarctic climate. Granby averages 128 inches of snow per year.
Sun Outdoors Rocky Mountains, Granby
This RV resort is a huge property that has only been open for a couple of years. They not only have RV spaces, but rent Airstreams, cabins, and covered wagons.
A huge pool, multiple hot tubs, pickleball, a huge gym, 2 bars, mini bowling, putting, bocce ball, and it also is a wedding venue.
We had a great time playing mini bowl.
We had 50-amp electric, good water pressure, sewer, and most days internet fast enough to stream. Our Verizon signal was poor, and at times we couldn’t make a phone call. The sites were spacious. Ours backed up to a lake, but the vegetation was overgrown and needed to be trimmed, unless that was their intention.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Established in 1915 it has an area of approximately 265,000 acres. Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through road in the continental United States at an elevation of 12,183 feet. Trail Ridge connects Estes Park with Grand Lake and is open from June through October.
The Colorado River originates in Rocky Mountain National Park and flows 1,450 miles through numerous US states into Mexico. It has over 25 major tributaries including; the Glia, Gunnison, San Juan, and Green Rivers. The Colorado River flows through numerous National Parks. Its water is extensively used by over 40 million Americans for agriculture, irrigation, urban water use, hydroelectricity and recreation. By the time it reaches the sea, there hasn’t been any water left since the 1960s.
From the east entrance, Grand Lake, there was a fire a couple of years ago that has been showing signs of recovery. It was nice to see moose in the area.
There were also elk.
On the way up Trail Ridge road to the summit there were scenic views looking east.
At timberline the views opened up.
The gift shop was at 11,500 feet. My brother Jim, wife Maggie, and my sister Terrie came to visit from the Denver area. We really enjoyed seeing them.
At around 12,000 feet, looking down into valleys we saw moose and elk.
Marmots were along Trail Ridge road above timberline. They were sunning themselves in the high altitude warmth.
A ground squirrel near the marmots at altitude.
We went up on multiple days. On one day, a low lying cloud filled the valley making for spectacular views.
A nice scenic short walk around Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Michael was first here in September 1973. He was a volunteer senior high school student counselor for sixth grade camp, teaching them about geology, botany, and the animals that lived in the Rockies. Magical times.
Along the trail there were chipmunks and squirrels.
The east side of the park, near Estes Park is scenic.
We were hoping to see the elk in rut. Even though we saw elk, they were mostly at a distance.
We saw a couple of moose near Sheep Lake.
Estes Park is touristy, but has lots of shops and things to do. We went for whisky tasting, coffee and pastries. Along the way there were a couple of turkeys crossing the road.
Winter Park
In the 70s and 80s Winter Park was a personal favorite for downhill and cross-country skiing because it wasn’t developed or crowded like Vail, Breckenridge, or Aspen. There were miles of back country cross-country ski trails. Wow, that has changed. The ski mountain is still there but I’m not sure if the cross-country trails are still there since the area has been more developed. Now there is an entire town/strip mall that sprung up including multiple breweries, distilleries, restaurants, condos, and other businesses. The amenities are wonderful and essential, but have taken away a lot of the charm. We came across a hummingbird hawk-moth getting the last nectar of the year from petunias.
