The West Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park
Near Grand Lake, Colorado
Just up the road is the Grand Lake entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, the quieter, wilder western gateway to one of the most visited national parks in America. Most park visitors pour in from the busy eastern side at Estes Park, which means the west side, the Grand Lake side, tends to see far fewer crowds. What it lacks in crowds it makes up for in wildlife.
This is one of the best corners of the park to see moose, along with elk, mule deer, and the occasional black bear. The animals gather in the marshy river valley that stretches north from town, where willow thickets line the young Colorado River. From here you can pick up gentle, mostly flat trails along the river with wide open views of the water, the meadows, and the peaks beyond.
Because the west side climbs more gradually and holds more moisture, the forests here feel lusher and greener than the drier eastern slope. For a lot of travelers, entering the park from Grand Lake is a well kept secret. You get the same towering scenery, the same continental divide, and a much better chance of standing quietly and watching a bull moose wade through the shallows.
