Herein we delve into the science of counting heads ... PageDown (or press spacebar)
for details. The firgures here are from the 1990's when this www.MountainLake.com
joined the Internet. The main number which is too low is the moose count!
People:
800-1000 year round residents from Grand Lake to the south end of Lake Granby.
This figure has been obtained by Donna Ready using her prodigious memory to sort the
year round residents from the second home owners listed in our local phone bo ok.
Click here to learn where our property owners have their primary residence.
Animals:
Grand County is an immense watershed called Middle Park, an "Island in the Rockies" surrounded
by wave upon wave of mountains. The Colorado Division of Wildlife and National Park Service try to
count the Wildlife which roams our vast and open acreage. It is a difficult task, but essential for monitoring
the quality of our ecosystems. Shown below are estimates for some of our larger animals. Hunting and
Fishing licenses are issued based on these population counts. Grand County welcomes hunters and
fishermen, but we expect you to behave responsibly. Learn how to catch and release fish, and for trophy
animals, shoot with your camera. For photos, see our scenery & wildlife section. We welcome your entries.
- ELK: 7300 in Middle Park, (including about 2800 elk in the Blue River basin, 30+ miles from
Grand Lake.) The estimate for the entire Rocky Mountain National Park is about 3300 during
the summer, and 2000 during the winter when elk leave the park and seek food at lower elevations.
Approximately 3000 elk are close to the Grand Lake & Granby areas, but they wander freely.
You can see 200 at a time, or none at all! The average bull weighs 600-700 pounds (300 kilos).
Females weigh about 100 pounds less. Colorado has the largest population of elk among the USA states.
- MOOSE: 130-150 in Middle Park. 30 in National Park Land near Grand Lake. Watch for them
in wetland areas. Moose have recently been reintroduced and their numbers are growing.
Average bull weighs 800-1600 pounds! (500 kilos). Females: 600-1000 pounds (360 kilos).
- DEER: 7000 in Middle Park 250 in Rocky Mountain National Park. 200-300 close to Grand Lake.
These are mule deer, with large ears and 4 stomachs. Bucks weigh 200 pounds (90 kilos).
Does: 150 pounds (70 kilos).
- ANTELOPE: Pronghorn sheep. 500 in Middle Park in lower open range areas 10-40 miles
from Grand Lake. Males weigh 90-135 pounds (50 kilos). Females weigh about 25% less.
- BIGHORN sheep: 750 in Rocky Mountain National Park, mostly on the east side of the
Continental Divide. Big and majestic. They can also be found near the rugged southern edges
of Middle Park.
- BLACK BEAR: 30 in Rocky Mountain National Park. Many others are widely scattered in
Middle Park. A major research project is under way to tag and observe these curious animals.
They are often brown or cinnamon-colored. Average weight is about 275 pounds (125 kilos).
Actual weight varies greatly. 5 feet tall when standing.
- RIVER OTTER: 15 in Rocky Mountain National Park These endangered animals are making a come back.
- FOXES, COYOTES and Yellow-Bellied MARMOTS are abundant.
MOUNTAIN LIONS: a few sightings each year
- 260 bird species have been sighted in Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Bald Eagles and Osprey can be seen diving for fish and tending their young in protected areas.
- 800 HORSES in East Grand County, from Grand Lake to Winter Park along the Continental
Divide and also including towards Hot Sulphur Springs and up Hwy. 125 towards the C Lazy U
dude ranch. The winter population is about 550. About 250 of these horses are available for
public use for short or long expeditions, hunting parties, or sleigh riding. A large number of
horses are also in the west end of the county around Kremmling, Parshal, the Latigo dude ranch,
and up the Blue River tributary of the Colorado River. To visit Grand County's Dude Ranches,
click here: The Dude Ranch Capital of Colorado. Use your Back Button to return here.
This horse count is courtesy of veterinarian Mike Brooks in Granby.
Although Middle Park (aka Grand County) is a well defined geographic
area, the Grand Lake area within it doesn't have any definite boundaries.
Large animals freely roam through our mostly undeveloped landscape.
- Fish Species in the Lake Granby include Rainbow Trout, Lake Trout,
Cutthroat Trout, Brown Trout and Kokanee Salmon.
Grand County has 1,186,300 acres (480,283 ha) of Classic Colorado High County.
76% of our land is government owned. 20% is ranches. Just 4% is in other private hands!
Percentage Ownership of this land is as follows:
- 50% National Forest Service
- 12% Bureau of Land Management
- 8% National Park Service (2/3 of the Park extends into other counties)
- 4% State of Colorado
- 1% Colorado Division of Wildlife
- 1% Denver Water Board
- 20% Ranches
- 4% other private hands (homes, land, commercial)
These land ownership figures are from the Grand County Assessor office in Hot Sulphur Springs.
They are a few years old.
77% of the property in Grand County is owned by people whose primary residence is not in
Grand County. Many of our locals have purchased property in their neighborhood in addition
to their primary residence. If we include these purchases, then over 80% of the property in
Grand County is held for investment, rental income or as a second home. People buy property
here because they consider it a rare find and a privilege they have earned.
The location of the primary residence of our property owners is as follows:
Colorado: 77.6%. Of these, 30% are Grand County locals.
Texas: 2.8%
California: 2.8%
Illinois: 1.9%
Florida: 1.3%
Arizona: 0.8%
Nebraska: 0.8%
The Rest of the World: 10.5%
As you can see, Grand County is a secret that Coloradoans are trying to keep to themselves.
These figures are compiled from Grand County's 1995 tax roles.
© Text & Structure of this site is Copyrighted 5/1/96.
Population Counts