Mountains
Grand County
29 Porch Notes tied to Grand County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Money and taxes (1)
Home and property (1)
Water and land (4)
Water and land
A well on a Grand County parcel does not mean unlimited water
Many rural Grand County properties rely on a permitted well, and the permit usually limits how the water can be used.
Read note ->Water and land
Hot Sulphur Springs is named for warm water that rises along faults and cracks in the rock
The town of Hot Sulphur Springs takes its name from natural hot springs that surface where deep-warmed water finds a path up through faults and permeable zones to the Colorado River valley.
Read note ->Water and land
Not every lake in the Arapaho National Recreation Area allows motors
The Arapaho National Recreation Area holds several reservoirs around Granby and Grand Lake, and the boating rules differ from one to the next.
Read note ->Water and land
The Never Summer Mountains are the young volcanic edge of the park
The Never Summer Range west of Grand Lake is made of volcanic rock far younger than the ancient granite that forms most of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (10)
Outdoors and wildfire
Around Granby and the Fraser, the fishing rules change water by water
Grand County has many rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, and the fishing rules can differ from one stretch of water to the next.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Before you launch on Lake Granby, your boat gets inspected
Trailered and motorized boats must pass an aquatic nuisance species inspection before launching on Grand County reservoirs.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Byers Peak Wilderness rises right above the Fraser Valley
Byers Peak Wilderness sits in the Arapaho National Forest above Fraser, and reaching its high trails takes a long forest-road approach.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Dispersed camping near Granby follows the forest's vehicle-use map
On the Sulphur Ranger District around Granby and Grand Lake, dispersed camping with a vehicle is allowed only along forest roads where the Motor Vehicle Use Map permits it.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Gore Canyon and Pumphouse: pick the river stretch that fits you
Just southwest of Kremmling, the Colorado River runs two very different stretches—steep Class IV-V whitewater in Gore Canyon and mellow floats below at BLM's Pumphouse—so the trick is matching the water to your skill.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Grand County is moose country, and moose deserve real distance
Moose are common in the willows and wetlands of Grand County, and they can be dangerous up close, especially around dogs.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Grand Lake's winter case for "Snowmobiling Capital of Colorado"
When the snow piles up, Grand Lake trades cars for sleds and opens a trail network that runs from town across national forest to the edge of the national park.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Kemp-Breeze and Hot Sulphur Springs are wildlife areas, not parks
Grand County's State Wildlife Areas along the Colorado River give fishing access, but they require a license or SWA pass and follow their own rules.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The backcountry off Berthoud Pass is avalanche terrain
The slopes around Berthoud Pass draw backcountry skiers and riders into real avalanche country, where the CAIC forecast is part of the plan.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The young Colorado River winds through the Kawuneeche Valley near Grand Lake
The Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park holds the young Colorado River and trails to old mining sites.
Read note ->Cars and driving (1)
Local rules (2)
Local rules
In Grand County, the county seat is one of the smaller towns
Grand County's seat of government is Hot Sulphur Springs, while most county residents live in or near other towns and unincorporated areas.
Read note ->Local rules
Short-term rental rules in Grand County depend on which town you're in
Whether you can run a short-term rental in Grand County, and under what rules, depends on whether the property is in a town or in unincorporated county land.
Read note ->History and culture (10)
History and culture
Fraser wears 'Icebox of the Nation' like a badge
Fraser keeps recording the coldest overnight low in the lower 48, and the town has turned that reputation into part of its character.
Read note ->History and culture
Grand County is named for a river that no longer goes by that name
Grand County took its name from the Grand River, the old name for the upper Colorado River that begins within its borders.
Read note ->History and culture
Grand Lake is a lakeside town with a surprising yacht club
The town of Grand Lake sits beside a natural mountain lake and is home to a high-altitude yacht club with roots in the early 1900s.
Read note ->History and culture
Grand Lake's 1881 Boardwalk and Its Summer Musical Stage
Grand Lake pairs a wooden Old West boardwalk along Grand Avenue with a summer repertory theater that draws more than 1,200 actors to audition each year.
Read note ->History and culture
Kremmling grew where the river, the ranches, and the railroad met
Kremmling started as a store and became Grand County's shipping point when the Moffat railroad arrived, anchored by ranching in lower Middle Park.
Read note ->History and culture
Long before the towns, Middle Park was Ute hunting ground
The high valley that holds Grand County's towns was a long-used hunting ground and gathering place for Ute people, including the hot springs at Hot Sulphur Springs.
Read note ->History and culture
Lulu City is a ghost town at the top of the Colorado River
Lulu City was a short-lived silver-mining town near the Colorado River headwaters, and its ruins now sit inside Rocky Mountain National Park.
Read note ->History and culture
The Colorado River Headwaters Byway follows the river out of Grand County
A scenic byway traces the young Colorado River through Grand County, linking the towns to the river that shaped them.
Read note ->History and culture
The county's history lives in an old schoolhouse in Hot Sulphur Springs
Grand County's main history museum sits in a 1920s schoolhouse in Hot Sulphur Springs, alongside an early courthouse and other moved historic buildings.
Read note ->History and culture
Winter Park Resort began as Denver's city-owned ski hill
Winter Park Resort opened around 1940 as a ski area owned by the City and County of Denver, and much of its ski terrain sits on Arapaho National Forest land in Grand County under a Forest Service permit.
Read note ->