Winding River Resort, Grand Lake, Colorado

Submitted by Melody

"Not ideal for campers- buggy, marshy site. Reservations process had several problems. They say they are kid friendly but soap and paper towels in the restroom were out of reach for my average-height 7-year-old, much less my 4-year-old. Read on for details if you're interested. In the end we booked a water/electric tent site for a week, but it was so far out of our expectations that we left early and returned to our previous campground from the week before on the other side of Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park. This was due to several different things, so I'll break down the review into Reservations, Campground Experience, and Local Stuff. Reservations Process Ours was a last-minute vacation, so our reservations had several changes. They didn't receive the email with the first set of changes (sent a week before our trip began), and we had to re-make those changes while on the road with spotty cell phone coverage. What we were told on the phone regarding fees for changes in lodging reservations and what we were told upon check-in were VERY different, and not to our benefit. Campgound Experience This might be a great place if you bring your own horse, but for a family with children (7 and 4) staying multiple days in a tent, you'd be better off in the national park. The tent site was unkemp, with poor drainage. Flying insects were after us from the moment we stepped out of the car until we left. The site was not plane allowing for standing water under the tent and making trenching pointless. At nearly $40/night for a w/e tent site, this is no where close to my expectations. The restrooms/showers were somewhat small. There is a request in the camp map to keep showers under 5 minutes in length to not overload the septic system. The soap and towels at the sinks were out of reach of my kids unless the 7-year-old climbed on the counter. I would send them with our own soap and a roll of paper towels if they were coming from the tent site, but this wasn't always an option, such as going to the restroom from the stables. The trail ride was extremely basic, with walking only. I've been on several camp-type trail rides in Texas, and if the group is small and is confident on the horses, the wrangler usually will find ways to go off-trail and find some more interesting things to do than walk nose-to-tail along the path that the horses know by heart. That didn't happen here in 2 rides, one 2-hour and one 1-hour. The chuchwagon breakfast was OK. The pancakes were HUGE, but there was not as much choice as most are accustomed to. Frisbee golf course hasn't been maintained. At least one flag was missing. On the good side, they do take very good care of their horses, and the horses are very gentle and good with kids. Also, there are few lights, so you can really see the stars at night, including the Milky Way, something that many city-dwellers haven't seen. Local Stuff Grand Lake itself was fun- good pizza at Grand Pizza and good food at the Sagebrush Grill & Bar. Good ice cream at the icecream stand across from the arcade at the marina. The library is neat with a good selection (it is closed on Tuesdays). Hang around long enough and you might see a motorized barstool in action. The kids really enjoyed the playground near the theater and library. The Buffalo BBQ Festival had a diverse selection of musical acts for entertainment, and the food was interesting, tasty, and reasonably priced. In the end, I won't stay here again, although I will come to Grand Lake."