Tabernash can be explored through a historic landmark and a range of recreational interests. The former Junction Ranch is connected with the founding of the town; nearby trails, cycling options, and golf offer other focal points. When planning, you can first decide whether your main interest is local history, non-motorized trails, cycling, golf, or the setting for a meal.
Junction Ranch and Transportation History
Tabernash was founded in 1905 at the site of the former Junction Ranch. The Berthoud Pass Stage Road also ran through Junction Ranch in Tabernash. In 1913, the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad moved its locomotive terminal from Fraser to Tabernash. The dates can be distinguished when considering the town’s history: 1905 marks the founding at the ranch site, while 1913 marks the relocation of the locomotive terminal. The Stage Road adds a separate historic transportation route through Junction Ranch to this story.
Trails and Cycling at Strawberry
Strawberry is in the Tabernash area and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The approximately eight miles of singletrack, non-motorized trails there are known as The Phases. The Phases trails connect to a 10.5-mile road loop network that offers a range of cycling options. Keep the two measurements distinct when making your choice: approximately eight miles refers to the singletrack trails; 10.5 miles refers to the roads connected by the loop network. These are different components, so you should not add them together into a single trail length. This can help you decide whether to focus on the non-motorized trails or on the cycling options offered by the loop network.
A Golf Course with a Distinctive Landscape
Pole Creek Golf Course features a 7,107-yard course with lush fields of native wildflowers, significant elevation changes, expansive bentgrass greens, and water hazards at two ponds and five lakes. The length provides a measurable point of reference; the wildflowers, elevation changes, greens, and water hazards describe the course’s landscape and layout. This is a different activity from the non-motorized trails at Strawberry: you can consider whether golf or trails and cycling are more important to you.
Different Settings for Dinner
Tabernash Tavern Restaurant & Wine Bar serves upscale cuisine in a relaxed mountain atmosphere. Dinner at Ranch House Restaurant & Saloon takes place in the original 1930s homestead at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. These offer two distinct settings for a meal: at the Tavern, the emphasis is on the cuisine and relaxed mountain atmosphere; at Ranch House, it is on the homestead as the setting for dinner.
Directions to Junco Lake Trailhead
Junco Lake Trailhead provides access to a hiking trail and is northeast of Winter Park on Highway 40, one mile south of Tabernash and four miles north of Fraser. These distances provide a brief reference in relation to Tabernash and Fraser.
Discover more destinations: Grand Lake, Kremmling, Hot Sulphur Springs, Winter Park, Granby
Return to the overview of the region: Grand.
