We are going up to Grand Lake next week for a mini-getaway before our oldest starts kindergarten.

Has anyone been there before? Anything we should do or not miss out on?

Thanks!

You're not far from Rocky Mountain National Park. So you could either do a short hike, or with the young one do one of the scenic drives.

Assuming it's open, the drive on Hwy 34 to Estes park is supposed to be one of the prettier drives in the country

Trail Ridge Road (the road to Estes) should be open well into October, so definitely do that. There is a Visitor Center at the Top, with a very short hike to the Summit. Its more like a sidewalk with stairs, but at that altitude it feels like a hike.

There are typical touristy things to do in Grand Lake. I cant point you to anything in particular.

The headwaters of the Colorado River (the Grand Canyon one) are nearby in Granby, I thought that was cool.

RMNP is the jewel up there. There is more wildlife on the Grand Lake side of the park.

I remember when I was in Granby back in 2006, I heard a story that a moose attacked and trampled the former mayor to death. Rude moose. It is a beautiful area, though.

Edit: Didn't die, just severely injured. https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=granby+mayor+moose&ei=UTF-8&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-004

Thanks everyone!

Grand Lake is awesome. Enjoy!

Definitely make the drive to Estes Park and also visit RMNP. It's beautiful. There are some easy trails a 5 yo can handle. We took our son when he was about 6 and he hiked miles every day. He loved it and still loves the outdoors to this day. Great to expose the kids to our National Parks at a young age.

Driven through there, from Estes. Gorgeous little town.

Grand Pizza is gooood. Also Sagebrush Grill is pretty good too...kinda Texas Roadhouse-y.

Was there a few weeks ago and they had finally re-opened one of the mini-golf courses in town. The kiddo might enjoy that. Have fun and relax! We love it up there.

We contemplated staying in Grand Lake vs. Estes Park this summer. We decided on Estes Park.

Take Trail Ridge Road from west to east across RMNP. Stop and enjoy the sites, find some good hikes along the way. It's really worth it. Keep an eye out for wildlife.

On the way back, take Old Fall River Road from east to west. It's a one-way dirt road that follows the original route used to cross the mountains. That route provides a different perspective on your way back.

Head out early in the morning and return later in the evening for best wildlife viewing, especially for bighorn sheep at Sheep Lakes near the Old Fall River Road entry.

IMO the Grand Lake side of RMNP is the better side. Lots more wildlife to be seen. Cascade Falls is a pretty easy hike and real close to Grand Lake (you can see it from the trailhead). Valley Trail is a nice easy one too where you have a chance to see elk.

We rented a pontoon boat on Lake Granby had a great time.