Photographs and text by Elaine Skylar Neal / Travels and Curiosities
winter and summer in grand lake, colorado
April 21, 2020
Grand Lake, Colorado is a thriving summer hotspot that surges with thousands of visitors strolling between their quaint shops, and restaurants and boating on the three glacial lakes that make up this gorgeous high-mountain region. This is especially true after Trail Ridge Road opens on Memorial Day or soon after, connecting visitors from Rocky Mountain National Park by way of the highest continually paved road in the United States.
But by winter, Grand Lake becomes a virtual ghost town. Apart from snowmobilers—Grand Lake is known as the snowmobile capitol of Colorado—there is a dramatic drop off in visitors. Trail Ridge Road closes in early October, the town’s central shops reduce their hours or close completely, and many of the seasonal restaurants shutter.
Visiting Grand Lake for the first time in February of 2019 and again in August of 2019, I was fortunate to not only experience this dramatic difference in population but also the stark contrasts in the scenery which I’ve shared here in a handful of scenes.
US-34 hugs the frozen and unthawed shore of Lake Granby in February 2019 and August of 2019, respectively.
The Grand Lake Marina boardwalks snow covered and hidden versus exposed and filled with summer visitors.
Martin the moose dressed warmly, then ready for a summer swim inside The Quacker Gift Shop in Grand Lake.
The view from a mobile home park in Granby in winter and summer of 2019.
A 1970s Lincoln surrounded by snow and tall grass.
A frozen Grand Lake under a crisp morning sky versus a mid-summer storm.
