Grand County opens the door to the quiet side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Nestled in northern Colorado, RMNP is one of the top 10 most visited national parks in the United States, with nearly 2.8 million visitors each year. Want to enjoy this natural wonderland without the hassle? Visit the Park’s “quiet side.” The western side of the Park – accessed via the Kawuneeche Visitor Center – sees only a third of the traffic of the more popular eastern side.

On the quiet side, you’ll find sweeping vistas, rugged terrain, peaceful meadows, plentiful wildlife – and no crowds.
• Kawuneeche Visitor Center
• Historic Holzwarth Never Summer Ranch and Trout Lodge
• Adams Falls – short hike from the parking lot at the East Inlet Trailhead, just east of Grand Lake
• Longer hikes – Other local trailheads serve as starting points to hikes to Lone Pine Lake, Granite Falls, and the remains of the former mining camp, Lulu City.

Many of the facilities on the quiet side are wheelchair-accessible.
• Kawuneeche Visitor Center
• Never Summer Ranch
• Restrooms – Beaver Ponds Picnic Area, Green Mountain, Coyote Valley, Timber Lake and Colorado River trailheads
• Bowen/Baker Trailhead – Six accessible picnic tables and firepits and restrooms
• Baker Gulch one-mile interpretive trail – Not wheelchair-accessible but offers an easy walk through one of Colorado's oldest spruce-fir old-growth forests.

The Village of Grand Lake, at the western gate to Rocky Mountain National Park, is a charming lakeside town with a beach, marina, hotels, shops, and restaurants.
• Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater – Nightly performances during the summer and fall
• Arts-and-crafts fairs and musical performances - In the town park all summer long
• Bingo – In the Pavilion every Friday and Saturday night during the summer
• Kauffman House Museum
• Ice fish and snowmobile - snowmobiling capital in winter

Year-round, Rocky Mountain National Park’s “quiet side” can be reached from Denver via I-70 and U.S. Highway 40. Trail Ridge Road (U.S. Highway 34) travels through the Park from the town of Estes Park and is open during the late spring through late fall.

The Kawuneeche Visitor Center is open year-round. Snowshoe and Nordic trails on the Park’s western side are accessible in winter, but automobile access further into the park from the visitor center is weather-dependent.

For additional information on Grand County, and an online trip planner, contact the Grand County Tourism Board at www.grand-county.com or 800-729-5821.