Granby Colorado
Nestled in a scenic Colorado Rocky Mountain valley, with breathtaking views of the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain National Park surrounding you, it is easy to see why they say that Granby, Colorado is the heart of something grand. Granby was established at the beginning of the last century to serve as a railhead for the recently constructed Moffat Railroad; by the 1920s, the town was a thriving commercial and service center for local farmers and ranchers. Today, the town is the county’s commercial hub, home to many service and retail businesses. Granby, Colorado is located close to hiking, mountain biking, and boating, rafting, horseback riding, and hunting, as well as gold medal river water and trophy lake fishing. Granby is situated along U.S. Highway 40 in Middle Park about 85 miles (136.8 km) west of Denver, Colorado.
More Granby Town Facts
| Region: Northwest | County: Grand | |
| Latitude: 40.086396 | Longitude: -105.936487 | Elevation: 7935 ft. (2,418.5 m) |
Because its directly between Grand Lake and Winter Park, Granby offers visitors an unparalleled opportunity to enjoy everything that you would expect from the Colorado Rocky Mountain experience — all in a friendly, small town atmosphere. In the summer you can enjoy hiking, mountain biking, and boating, rafting, horseback riding, and hunting, as well as gold medal river water and trophy lake fishing. Winter time offers skiing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, sledding, sleigh rides and more!
Granby and Grand County have a long and interesting history and characters, from the days of the Ute Indians, to the first white explorers, to the rail roads and beyond. Middle Park was a prime summer hunting ground for several modern day Indian tribes. Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians frequently crossed the divide from the eastern plains to hunt an abundance of buffalo, elk, deer and antelope in the area. Ute Indians predominantly summered here on a regular basis before the white man showed up in the mid 1800′s. The Colorado gold rush of 1859 brought some of the first white men to Middle Park although not for the promise of mineral wealth, yet. As things turn out, it’s the magical springs and the promise of direct travel west that would prove the greatest influence to the early history of Grand County. Early settlers in Granby discovered that the climate and soil were perfect for growing lettuce; thanks to the proximity of the railroad, the area soon became a major supplier of lettuce to restaurants as far east as Chicago and New York.
Today, Granby’s centralized location makes it a perfect base for exploring the area at any time of the year. Nearby Granby Ranch and Grand Elk Ranch and Club offer 2 golf courses, a ski area, hiking, mountain biking and fly fishing. The Arapaho National Recreation Area and National Forest are just up Highway 34, and encompasses five lakes and reservoirs as well as thousands of acres of forest lands open for hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, boating, and camping. Also within a 20-mile radius of Granby are Winter Park Resort, SolVista Ski Resort, Grand Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Hot Sulphur Springs.
