What Grand Lake is known for

The destination is most famous for the Rocky Mountain National Park. The national park was established in 1915 and contains sizeable amounts of wildlife to see. Activities that can be done while visiting include hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, fly-fishing, snowshoeing, bird-watching, and cross-country skiing. There are over 300 miles of trails that accommodate hikers, horseback riders, and backpackers. The park has 60 peaks that reach over 12,000 feet and are perfect for hikers looking for a challenge. The Trail Ridge Road is located in the park and is the highest and most continuous paved road in the United States. The park has various campsites available within its boundaries for visitors' use.[3] The Rocky Mountain National Park reached their peak visits in 2018 with over 4 million tourists.[5] 

Summer and fall weekends are the times of the year that see the most visitors. Summer is the best time for activities such as backpacking, wildlife viewing, rock climbing, and fishing. For tourists who want to avoid large crowds, winter is the best season and comes with many different conditions. The winter season offers a vast amount of snow recreation options.[6] 

Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is another draw to the area and popular attraction. The national forest has hiking trails, fishing opportunities, waterfalls, and places to camp.[1] Curt Gowdy State Park is a public recreation center with many amenities and activities, including an archery range, biking and hiking trails, a boat dock/ramp, cabins, campsites, fishing, and a picnic shelter. Other popular activities include wildlife viewing and hunting.[2] Red Feather Lakes is located within the territory and is a desirable spot for those looking for whitewater rafting, kayaking, and fishing.[4] 

Fort Collins is one of the larger cities in the destination and is a historic place to visit. Downtown Fort Collins offers various unique things to do while in the area. The Fort Collins Foodie Walk takes guests through 11 of the town's best culinary shops. Downtown Fort Collins contains unique artwork that is indigenous to the area. Visitors and locals can experience the town on the bike paths and the historic streetcars.[15]

Geography

Wildlife is one of the main attractions of visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park. Those visiting will come upon a variety of animals that may include black bears, moose, elk, coyotes, hawks, bighorn sheep, and mule deer. There is also an extensive assortment of wildflowers in the area that cover the hills and add to the view that is offered.[3] Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest has streams, lakes, and reservoirs. The forest is full of various native fish and wildlife. Animals including bears, cats, coyotes, weasels, rodents, hares, raptors, waterbirds, grassland birds, woodland birds, and corvids can all be found throughout the forest.[9] 

Lodgepole Pine is the tree species that are mostly found in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Aspen, Subalpine Fir, and Engleman Spruce are also found throughout the forest. Wildflowers that can be found include Mules Ears, Columbines, Scarlet Gilia, Phlox, Lupine, Indian Paintbrush, Glacier Lillies, and Marsh Marigolds.[10] Rocky Mountain National Park sees a variety of weather conditions throughout the year. June, July and August are the warmest months, reaching up to the high 70s and getting down in the 40s. December through February are the coldest months of the year. The most snowfall is typical during February and March. July and August are the months that see the most average days with precipitation.[12]

History

The Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the prominent features in the destination. The Paleo-Indians were some of the first inhabitants of the area. The area was a thriving spot for hunting and gathering food. Settlers eventually came to the area during the mid-1800s. By 1860, the Native Americans were taken over by the settlers and left the area. The ideas for creating a national park in the Rocky Mountains began in 1915. Enos Mills, James Grafton Rogers, and J. Horace McFarland were all highly involved with the park's opening. Enos Mills moved to the area in 1884 and spent a substantial amount of time exploring the area, writing about it, and taking in all the area had to offer. Enos Mills wrote about the area and advertised the idea to many people; the bill to open the park was passed on January 26, 1915. The area continued expanding from then on, with lodges, roads, and trails being constructed. The Rocky Mountain National Park was an area that the locals and travelers alike enjoyed.[13] 

Fort Collins is one of the largest cities in the region and has a population of around 170,000 people. Fort Collins is known for the two colleges in the town, Colorado State University, and Front Range Community. The city was founded in 1864. The first school and church opened in 1866. Some of the early industries in the area included sugar-beet farming, stone quarrying, and sheep slaughtering. From the 1870s and on, the area continued to see growth and development. Fort Collins is now the fourth most populous city in Colorado. 82.4% of the population is white, 3.01% are black or African American, .60% are Native American, 2.48% are Asian, .12% are Pacific Islanders, and 3.61% are other races. 2.53% are from two or more races, and 10.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino.[14]