While mud season marks the end of snow sports in the mountains, springtime presents the perfect opportunity to explore Grand County’s arts, culture and music scenes.
March 19, 2024
GRAND COUNTY, Colo. – Spring is the perfect time to expand your horizons and experience some of Grand County’s many cultural activities and amenities like creative classes, live performances and delightful museums that educate and entertain with local history and geography. Despite the muddy trails, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the great outdoors, like going for a scenic drive and watching wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park. Or, relax on a sun-drenched patio with a craft cocktail and enjoy the slower pace of the transitional season. Grand County proves there’s more to see than just ski resorts in the modern West!
Create and Craft with the Rocky Mountain Folk School
Grand County is home to the only folk school organization in the Rocky Mountain region that offers classes and workshops year-round where you can try your hand at a traditional art form like painting, woodworking, and pottery or challenge yourself to learn a more obscure craft like ice sculpting, fly tying or flute-making. The school attracts esteemed artisans and participants from around the country with its mission to “engage the hands, warm the heart and stimulate the mind in an inspiring and inclusive mountain lake community.” Classes are held in the idyllic town of Grand Lake, a special place whose breathtaking scenery has been an inspiration and respite for artists for centuries. Learn more and sign up at https://rockymountainfolkschool.org/.
Expand Your Mind at a Museum
Take time to learn more about Grand County’s rich and storied heritage by visiting one of its many museums and historic sites. The Cozens Ranch Museum and Stage Shop sits on one of the earliest ranching homesteads in Fraser. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers a glimpse at pioneer life during the late 1800s. In Granby, the Moffat Road Railroad Museum features nine pieces of railroad equipment and two model train layouts, including Colorado's largest permanent O-scale Christmas layout. Located in the original Hot Sulphur Schoolhouse built in 1924, the Pioneer Village Museum houses a collection of ancient artifacts and an impressive display depicting the humble beginnings of Colorado’s ski resort industry. The Heritage Park Museum in Kremmling is a collection of traditional ranch buildings, including a livery, fishing cabin, and ranch house, plus the original Kremmling town jail and railroad depot, each representing different aspects of early 1900s ranch life. The Headwaters River Journey in Winter Park is a state-of-the-art interactive museum that explores the waterways that sustain our region. Learn more and see a sample itinerary here: https://www.visitgrandcounty.com/places-to-go/history-museums/.
Take a Road Trip Journey with a Scenic Drive
Going for a drive is one of Grand County’s most iconic pastimes thanks to the area’s 360 miles of scenic roadways boasting vast, bucolic scenery, miles of meandering waterways and fence-lined ranches as far as the eye can see. And unlike most country songs, you don’t have to venture onto any backroads or dirt roads to snap photos of some of the region’s most insta-worthy scenery. One of Grand County’s main entry points, Highway 40 travels from Clear Creek County and crests the Continental Divide at Berthoud Pass where travelers are treated with dizzying alpine views and access to numerous backcountry trails and huts, including the 3,500-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, before descending into the town of Winter Park. On the other end of the county, Ute Pass delivers passengers from Summit County, a journey that travels through the Arapaho National Forest, past the Henderson Mine and offers views of towering peaks in the Eagles Nest Wilderness from the top.
Drivers who prefer to stay under 11,000 feet in elevation can cruise along the 80-mile Colorado River Headwaters Scenic & Historic Byway. This beautiful journey meanders along the Colorado River from its famous origination point in Rocky Mountain National Park through the stunning Byers Canyon and Upper Gore Canyon, a popular destination for white water rafting, kayaking, camping and canoeing. The route was designated as one of just 13 America's Byways® in Colorado in 2005, and more recently was also recognized as a Colorado Electric Byway thanks to infrastructure improvements to accommodate electric vehicles.
While driving, look for wandering wildlife and the insignias of the Grand County Quilt Trail, a local program that posts custom, enlarged signs resembling traditional quilt squares on private homes, public buildings, and historic sites. Get directions at https://www.visitgrandcounty.com/places-to-go/scenic-byways-drives/.
Memorial Day Weekend Marks the Start of Summer
This Memorial Day, join us in Grand Lake for the annual Memorial Day Parade & Ceremony to honor those who have served in the military. The parade will march down Grand Avenue and include veterans, service groups, horses, first responders and plenty of patriotism! Afterwards, the American Legion will hold a ceremony in Town Park. Spectators should plan to arrive early to set up their chairs and stick around later to stroll through the shops, restaurants and galleries along the boardwalk. Memorial Day also marks the official opening of the town’s lakefront activities, including the town beach, seasonal shops and restaurants, and the Headwaters Marina offering boat rentals, fishing charters and guided tours.
The surest sign of summertime, however, is the highly anticipated annual opening of Trail Ridge Road, which provides highway access through Rocky Mountain National Park to Estes Park. This 48-mile “highway to the sky” is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, reaching an elevation of 12,183 feet above sea level where travelers are treated to 360-degree views of the unique alpine tundra landscape featuring snow-capped mountain peaks in every direction and wildlife sightings like big horn sheep, marmot, moose, elk and bald eagles. Snowplow operations usually conclude around Memorial Day weekend, weather permitting, and the ribbon cutting of the road is celebrated by locals and travelers alike as the official start of the summer season. Will you be one of the first to witness Rocky Mountain National Park spring to life after its long winter’s slumber this year?
Please note that Timed Entry Permit reservations will be required to enter the park starting on May 24, 2024. The weather dictates the status of Trail Ridge Road and it may open or close at any time. Call (970) 586-1222 for current conditions.
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About Grand County
Located 67 miles west of Denver, Grand County is home to wide-open spaces, breathtaking mountain scenery and authentic old-west towns. Outdoor recreational activities include golf, boating, fishing, biking, hiking, fishing, hunting and horseback riding.
The area features more than 600 miles of mapped and marked trails, one national park, one national forest, two wilderness areas, two national scenic byways, two major ski resorts, five world-class dude ranches and four mountain golf courses. Grand County’s extensive water network includes Colorado’s largest natural lake, one-thousand miles of streams, thousands of acres of high-mountain natural lakes and 11,000 acres of reservoirs. Download Grand County’s new mobile app at
Media Note: To request photography, interviews or more information, please contact Gaylene Ore, Ore Communications, at 970-531-2336 or [email protected].