Grand Lake, Colo., is looking for donated bicycles it can let through-hikers borrow when they stop in town. This summer, hikers tackling the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail (CDT) will have an easier way to get around the small mountain town, resupply, and hit the restaurants — without having to walk everywhere.
“We are collecting bicycles to lend to hikers who camp overnight at the [Grand Lake Center] during their journey on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT)!” the Grand Lake Center wrote in a May 26 Facebook post. “Since these folks are traveling by foot, they will be able to borrow a bike to get around town during their visit to Grand Lake.”
Grand Lake is a hiker-friendly town and a “gateway community” to the CDT. However, historically, hikers have found it difficult to access showers, restaurants, and grocery stores in Grand Lake without transportation. In that spirit, the Grand Lake Center wanted to help hikers access some wheels during their long journey.
According to Grand Lake Center staff, it has already received six bikes. It is hoping to collect about four more ahead of the busiest time of year for thru-hiking. Then, hikers who pay to camp at the Center will be able to access those 10 bikes for free.
The Center wrote, “If you have any good-condition bikes leftover from your garage sales this weekend, please bring them to us!”
Bike Borrow Program: The Grand Lake Center
Community Engagement Manager for the town of Grand Lake, Katie Hearsum, told GearJunkie that the idea for the bike share program started earlier this spring. She noticed a lot of bikes for sale as Grand Lake locals started doing their spring cleaning.
“I saw everyone on Facebook posting about their garage sales, and I was seeing a lot of bikes,” Hearsum said. “So I just made a post asking for leftover bikes to be donated for hikers to use while they camp.”
Grand Lake is one of the only towns on the CDT where the trail goes directly through the town itself. However, its close proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park and popularity among boaters and fishermen make it a hard place to secure camping. During the busy summer season, most hikers choose to pass over Grand Lake in favor of somewhere with more available campsites.
Instead of watching the hikers pass through town altogether, Hearsum wanted to bring them into town. She wanted to make it easy for them to overnight in the area before heading down the trail.
“So, last year we opened up the baseball field for tenting for the through hikers on the CDT,” Hearsum said. “Because most hikers hit Grand Lake during the week of July 4th when everything in town is booked up.”
Over the summer of 2024, 120 campers paid to stay at the Center and camp in the field. This year, Hearsum is hoping that by providing camping and an easy transportation option, hikers will stay for a couple of nights on their CDT adventure and enjoy all the summer festivities that Grand Lake has to offer.
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