As summer gets closer, residents and visitors alike will flock to Grand Lake to browse the town’s boardwalk, attend concerts and festivals — but most of all, to enjoy the waters.

“With proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park and Arapaho National Forest, the area is teeming with miles of lakes and rivers,” a popular boating website wrote on April 14. “The historic Grand Lake was formed 12,000 years ago by glaciers and is the largest, deepest natural lake in Colorado. When the weather is warm, you’ll find swimmers, anglers and boaters alike exploring the lake.”

For this reason, Boatmart named Grand Lake the third best lake town in the country. Grand County’s lake treasure was beat only by Burlington, Vermont (first) and Sandpoint, Idaho (second).

Grand Lake is also connected to Shadow Mountain Reservoir, which serves as conduit to Lake Granby. This three-lake system provides many recreational opportunities.  

“Many mountain destinations offer water activities, but few have as many options in one spot as Grand County, including Grand Lake,” the Grand County Tourism Board stated. “From pontooning and paddle boating to paddleboarding, fishing, sailing, and kayaking, Grand County’s lakes are a blank canvas for memory-making.”