Grand Lake?

[seth25]

Me and the wife are going up to Grand Lake this weekend. It is our first time sledding there. We do mostly trail riding with a little bit of playing in the meadows. What areas do we need to go to? How is the snow lately?

Any other things that we need to know about?

Thanks

 

[Qreiff]

Snow is going to be fantastic and deep (hopefully that is good in your book) anywhere you go. May be a little tough on a trail sled. Pack a lunch and all of the appropriate gear. You may be stuck a lot if you venture off trail.

Watch out for people. GL can be a crowded place with many rookies on rentals.

Good luck.

 

[seth25]

This is our first year of riding and our fifth trip so far. I say that we will mostly be sticking to the trails because we are relative beginners and still feeling out the sleds, handling, snow conditions, etc. I have an 02 Ski Doo Summit 800 144" and my wife has an 00 Arctic Cat 700 Powder Special 136" so we will not be on trail sleds. We will be staying in town on the main strip. I assume that we will unload the sleds on Friday when we arrive and will not have to load up until Sunday when we leave? Are the good trails accessable from town, or do I need to trailer there?

Thanks
Seth

 

[DBS]

If you are staying in town there is easy access to the trail system. If the trails get to beat up then you might want to consider trailering up to the Idleglen parking lot, Roughly 8 miles away.


Go to this link and it will also show a trail map
http://www.coloradosledcity.com/merchant.ihtml?id=325&step=2

 

[XLR8ER]

put her on the summit !

 

[410Fortune]

enjoy it! The trails are well marked and easy to ride and navigate
Grand lake has ALOT of trails...make sure you get a trail map either online or in town. my wife and I are too on our first season, so we like to stay on the trails a bit, Grand Lake should be perfect for you.....just go prepared this year even on trail can be dangerous so make sure somebody knows your plans and where you are. My Cingular cell phone has service on most of the trails so make sure your phone is fully charged.... have fun!

 

[seth25]

Just read on another forum that the trail from town was very beat up. Is the Idleglenn parking lot the best place to start from?

thanks

 

[ztmp99]

Idleglenn is a good spot but the trails from town are just fine, i was out there today. At this time the trails are great and there is plenty of powder and if thats not what you want there are meadows that are packed just off the trail. But still pack the gear, you never know what may happen. If you what a good trail report for the day, there is a rental place at the base of the trails called On The Trail, they nomaly get news first on trail conditions.
Have Fun

 

[Mrs Snowrider]

Just read on another forum that the trail from town was very beat up. Is the Idleglenn parking lot the best place to start from?

thanks

We were just up there Saturday. Trails to town were awesome in the morning, good in the afternoon. I have seen it MUCH worse! They have more snow than I have EVER seen up there! You will have a great trip. More snow tonight and tomorrow up there! Enjoy, post pics!

 

[seth25]

Ok, looks like we'll try the trails from town. Do they groom these trails daily? Also, do you guys just chain up your sleds outside of your hotel room? What's the best way to do this? We have never been to a ride in/out place before.

thanks

 

[powderpro]

Grand Lake is very snowmobiler friendly, you'll enjoy walking out the front door, jumping on your snowmobile, and hitting the trails.

 

[BackCountryBob]

Its probably a good idea to chain the sleds together. However, I have not heard of any sleds being stolen out of town.

You will have a great time---just keep as far right on the trail and signal to on coming riders to let them know how many riders you have, one finger for each trailing sled and the last sled holds up a left fist signifying the last rider.

You will get on the top of the world with 360* panaramas.

Have a great ride,

Bob

 

[ztmp99]

Yes they do groom the trails daily. Do chain your sleds, never heard of a sled stolen from town but don't be the first. Also keep the tie downs in the car, those are stolen a lot.

 

[Pubguy]

Idelglen Parking Lot

Does anyone know if you can camp over night in the Idleglenn parking lot? We will be up there next weekend, and would like to stay in our 5th wheel.

Thanks!

Sorry about hijacking the post...and my spelling...lol

 

[Aspencreek]

Does anyone know if you can camp over night in the Idleglenn parking lot? We will be up there next weekend, and would like to stay in our 5th wheel.

Thanks!

Sorry about hijacking the post...and my spelling...lol

You can camp there over night. You probably won't be the only one camping there either.

 

[Pubguy]

You can camp there over night. You probably won't be the only one camping there either.

How early do I need to get there? will it be full?

 

[BackCountryBob]

No later than 9:00--but you can park on the road and move the camper into PL after most of the sled trailers have gone home. If it snows alot, you will be parked (snowed) in.

Check out Stillwater Campgrounds just before you get to (south of) CR 4. They usually plow the PL by the boat launching ramp and you could probably stay there in a pinch.

 

[Borninsnow]

Hey Qreif,

You couldn't be more right about newbies on trail sleds in the vicinity. Been ridin in that area at least 10 times a year for several years and the weekend of the fishing derby was full of buried riders. I think that my buddies and I pulled out 1/2 dozen people in one day. Usually families on huge 2 ups. One guy was trying to pull his 700 lb sled up hill We started pulling downhill and he was like "what are you doing, I need to go that way", uphill. We got the machine out and the wife says, "sorry this is our first time!"

Great place to ride, but stay on the trail if you are not sure!!

 

[CuzzinOlaf]

A group of us are thinking about heading out to Grand Lake next year but some of these stories scare me. Is it really that crowded around town? Do you really need to worry about stuff getting stolen? Is the "off-trail" riding worth the other headaches that might occur? I have never ridden in Colorado and will be coming from Jan. 1st through the 5th or 6th. I know that time can be busy but would love to hear some feedback about the play areas, the climbs, meadows, etc. Do you have to ride the trails to get from one good area to the next? With all the stuck stories an obligation to dig out a fellow sledder, the worry about theft and the overcrowding, what are your honest thoughts?