Sun Outdoors Rocky Mtn, Granby CO
Route 91 was the road that led us north towards Granby, CO, once we passed through Leadville. We passed by Climax Mine; it was a strip mine for molybdenum ore, so part of the mountain was mined away. It looked horrible, just a massive scar on the mountainside.
As we drove north, we knew that Breckenridge, which we had visited the previous year, was just on the other side of the ridge. Then we hit Copper Ski Area just before getting on I-70. We went east, passed Frisco and Dillon Reservoir, and exited I-70 in Silverthorne. We have so many memories from our stay last year!
Now, we were not familiar with the road. We passed Green Mountain Reservoir, a lovely area situated in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. There were many wildflowers in the meadows and small streams as well. There were campgrounds with sites right by the water, though they had no facilities.
We drove through a small canyon that put us right in Hot Sulfur Springs; yes, that's the name of that town. And a short distance later, we were in Granby and our campground. The campground was large, featuring two main loops, a loop for Airstreams, tents, and cabins. Sun Outdoors was a large resort spanning 200 acres. We were eager to explore it and get our bikes off the camper as soon as possible.
Sadly, as soon as we landed, Tom's cold worsened significantly. I had issues before, and now it was his turn. He needed to take a day off to rest, but we still wanted to explore the park.
We were unable to secure timed entry for Rocky Mountain NP, but if you arrive before 9 am or after 2 pm, you won't need a reservation. The next day, we got up extra early and drove to the park, heading towards the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. We had our senior (yikes!) passes handy and got right in, whew!
We had our "Just Ahead" app running in the truck; it's very helpful in providing an overview of points of interest as you drive. We followed Trail Ridge Road, past Milner Pass and the Continental Divide. The road climbs very quickly through a series of switchbacks, and soon, you are above the tree line. We made it to Rock Cut and Tundra Communities Trailhead, then hiked up to Mushroom Rocks and beyond. The hike was amazing; you start at 12,110 feet and gain another 200 feet. The air got thin very quickly, but I made it, and it was worth it. The wildflowers were everywhere; they only had less than two months to do their business. We saw a marmot scampering away, and I heard pikas chirping their warning call.
The park became increasingly busy as the day progressed. We were unable to find parking at the Alpine Visitor Center, as the lot was overwhelmed by many people and tour buses. There's a nice hike from this lot, and many people weren't just dropping in to talk to the Rangers, but were hiking for a couple of hours. It is a challenging location to accommodate a large number of people.
We decided to stop and hike at Medicine Bow Curve. You can see the Cache la Poudre River valley below, but you are hiking on the side of the ridge in a tundra environment, surrounded by its many wildflowers. To the northwest, you can see the Medicine Bow Mountains and Wyoming. Magical views!
After a quick stop at Milner Pass, as it is on the Continental Divide and has minimal parking, we descended to the Colorado River Trailhead. It is a short hike to the Colorado River. We were not up to hiking the full distance to the headwaters, especially since Tom was not feeling well, so we hiked to the Colorado itself, just under a mile one way. This river has been part of our trip for so long, it was great to come close to its headwaters.
We knew from our few days in Granby that the afternoon would bring cloudy and possibly stormy weather. We stopped at Kawuneeche Visitor Center and then drove into Grand Lake for lunch. The town's walkable Grand Street has many shops and restaurants. We found a quick lunch at Firefly Pizza . Yes, another pizza stop, but it was excellent, especially paired with some Moose Drool Ale from Big Sky! And what do you need at the end of a busy day? Ice cream, of course, we stopped at Grand Lake Chocolates (and Ice Cream)—a fitting end to a busy day.
The campground was a great place to bike or walk around. We were here on the July 4th weekend, so it was jam-packed with lots of families and kids occupying the pool. On Saturday, they had a July 4th parade of golf carts and bicycles, all decorated with flags and red, white, and blue. It was fun watching them go by.
We took a drive to see Winter Park ski resort, the runs and the mountain are massive! The town of Winter Park has many condos and places to eat, but we opted to eat at Brickhouse 40 in Granby. Tom had a chicken sandwich, and I had pulled pork tacos, both excellent. As we were chatting with our server, we found out that he's from Ukraine and spent a couple of years in Kraków, Poland. Small world!
Tom loved the sandwich so much that he told the chef, and as we were checking out, he got a complimentary chicken sandwich! The young chef was very pleased with his comments!
We were leaving the next day and starting our fast-tracked journey home. I took one last walk to the Colorado River, and hopefully, we will return and explore the West more.
