Tips for Travelers and New Settlers

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Friend, every path into and out of our kingdom is pleasant! We are NOT on the road to anywhere.
To find us, you will have to make a detour. It might change your life! During the summer you can
walk in via Arapaho Pass from Boulder .. or come over Flattop Mountain from Estes Park .. or
try Troublesome Pass .. or .. Devils Thumb! You can also reach us by working your way up the
Colorado River. Most people arrive via Rocky Mountain National Park or Hwy. 40. Here we will
emphasize what is hidden and deeper. For basics see maps and orientation and remember that
the Park road is closed in the winter.

We are an enormous "Island in the Rockies" surrounded by wave upon wave of mountains.
Much of our land is still untouched. A generation or two (or three) ago a few tenuous roads
and trails were sent into the "back country" like feelers ... Some logging was done and a bit of
mining, but not much. Now these delicate trails are falling in intentional disrepair and no new
ones are being created. The amount of unseen and neglected back country in Grand County is
astonishing. The few areas which can be partially reached by car (even a Hummer) has shrunken.
All of our visitors are now confined to a few roadways. To city dwellers, our roads might still look
like the open frontier, but if you want to see real wilderness, you must to turn off the pavement,
and head up the old wagon roads. And then you'll have to hoof it, by foot or trusted steed.

For those of you who are horseless or flatfooted, we have 2 inventions which can dramatically
increase your range. They are the mountain bike and the snowmobile. Today you can get the high
performance and reliable machines you need for our high terrain and you can find enthusiasts who
will cheerfully guide you as far as you want to go. If you want to be away from these machines, you
can hike, snowshoe or ski into The Park, designated Wilderness Area and unnamed virgin forests
where you can enter and hear your heart beat.

More coming ...

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