Skirting the water, we hiked a few miles up the valley on the flat Colorado River Trail, saw more elk and a couple of families picnicking at water's edge, then doubled back. The counterbalance to all that wilderness was the throbbing urban core of Grand Lake, whose main drag, Grand Avenue, claims no stoplights. The town counts fewer than 400 year-round residents but has 54 holes of miniature golf. That's not a slam. Grand Lake looked to me like mountain paradise for any kid under 12, and, consequently, for the parents of those kids, too.
Pedestrian boardwalks line the main street.
In summer, the population swells to 3,000. On my own for the last full day in Colorado, I hiked up the East Inlet Trail near Grand Lake, which meant about four miles of gradually climbing trail, headed toward Lone Pine Lake. As I progressed, the view of Grand Lake widened and deepened behind me, and I saw fewer and fewer fellow hikers. My original plan was to reach the lake, but the sky began to cloud up, and I decided not to risk a soaking or a lightning strike. Through the pine forest, along the rock ledges, beside the rushing stream, I retraced my route in silence.