Grand Lake (Colorado)
Encyclopedia
Grand Lake is Colorado
's largest and deepest natural lake
, one of the headwaters of the Colorado River
in Grand County, Colorado
. On its shores is located the eponymous town of Grand Lake
. The elevation of the lake surface is 8,367 feet (2,550 meters). It is formed by the damming of several streams by a glacial
moraine
. It is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park
. Grand Lake was named Spirit Lake by the Ute Tribe
because they believed the lake's cold waters to be the dwelling place of departed souls and avoided it.
,
Grand Lake forms a continuous body of water with the artificial Shadow Mountain Lake
, which then flows into Lake Granby
. Water collected in Lake Granby is pumped to Shadow Mountain and Grand Lake, then under the Continental Divide
via the Alva B. Adams Tunnel
to the Big Thompson River
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains
. From here, the water flows into the South Platte River
and is used for agriculture
, human consumption, and industry
. The "C-BT" is the first of many large-scale diversions of water from the Colorado River Basin between Colorado
and the Gulf of California
.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
's largest and deepest natural lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, one of the headwaters of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
in Grand County, Colorado
Grand County, Colorado
Grand County is the 21st largest of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 12,442 at U.S. Census 2000...
. On its shores is located the eponymous town of Grand Lake
Grand Lake, Colorado
The Town of Grand Lake is a Statutory Town located in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The population was 447 at the 2000 census....
. The elevation of the lake surface is 8,367 feet (2,550 meters). It is formed by the damming of several streams by a glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
. It is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails...
. Grand Lake was named Spirit Lake by the Ute Tribe
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
because they believed the lake's cold waters to be the dwelling place of departed souls and avoided it.
Colorado-Big Thompson Project
As part of the Colorado-Big Thompson ProjectColorado-Big Thompson project
The Colorado-Big Thompson Project is a water diversion project in Colorado designed to collect West Slope mountain water from the headwaters of the Colorado River and divert it to Colorado's Front Range and plains...
,
Grand Lake forms a continuous body of water with the artificial Shadow Mountain Lake
Shadow Mountain Lake
Shadow Mountain Lake is a reservoir in Grand County, Colorado, near the headwaters of the Colorado River. Shadow Mountain Lake is created by Shadow Mountain Dam...
, which then flows into Lake Granby
Lake Granby
Lake Granby is the second largest body of water in Colorado. It was created as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project and forms a continuous body of water with Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake. On its own, Lake Granby contains approximately 40 miles of shoreline. The lake is popular...
. Water collected in Lake Granby is pumped to Shadow Mountain and Grand Lake, then under the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
via the Alva B. Adams Tunnel
Alva B. Adams Tunnel
The Alva B. Adams Tunnel is the principal component of the largest transmountain water project in Colorado--the Colorado-Big Thompson Project . The tunnel transfers water from the western slope of the Colorado River drainage to users on the eastern Front Range of Colorado. The tunnel is long and...
to the Big Thompson River
Big Thompson River
The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles long, in the U.S. state of Colorado.- Course of the river :...
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. From here, the water flows into the South Platte River
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
and is used for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, human consumption, and industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
. The "C-BT" is the first of many large-scale diversions of water from the Colorado River Basin between Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
.