2 Best Sights in Grand Lake, Boulder and North Central Colorado

Whether you're staying in Grand Lake or merely stopping on your way to another destination, the 80-mile (one way) Colorado River Headwaters Scenic and Historic Byway between Grand Lake and State Bridge is worth a side trip. The route takes you along the Colorado River, past hot springs, ranches, and reservoirs, through wide spaces with views of mountains, along deep canyons, and through a seemingly incongruous sage-covered desert. Along the turnouts within Gore Canyon, you can get a good look at the roaring Colorado River and train tracks below. Stop by the viewing platform at the Gore Canyon Whitewater Park at Pumphouse to see paddlers and boarders playing in the waves.

The largest and deepest natural lake in Colorado, Grand Lake offers calm waters for boating, fishing, and kayaking. It also feeds into two much larger man-made reservoirs, Lake Granby and Shadow Mountain Lake. These three bodies of water, along with Monarch Lake and Willow Creek and Meadow Creek reservoirs, are called the "Great Lakes of Colorado."