In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, America's most prominent families built summer retreats that came to be known as the Great Camps of the Adirondacks. Built and decorated with the region's natural resources, the camps reflected the serenity and indelible power of their surroundings and the rustic Adirondack style was born. This architectural style, with its mixture of logs, native stone and decorative rustic work of twigs and branches, has been adopted for hotels and private homes throughout the West, including those in the Town of Grand Lake. In 1916, the Adirondack architectural style was adopted by the National Park Service for their lodges, thus making this regional style familiar to people across the country. The Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon Lodge, Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park and others have their architectural roots in the Adirondack style.

The Adirondack style is a harmony of the natural beauty of the environment, the logical combination of local craftsmanship traditions and readily available indigenous materials. It is architecture with a special, intrinsic approach to the natural surroundings. It was spawned from the picturesque natural beauty of wooded mountains and the vistas of mountain peaks. In an atmosphere of roaring brooks and high mountain lakes, it has emerged as a spectacular form of rustic, yet refined, architecture.

It is poetically fitting that the Adirondack style found its way to the Grand Lake region. Amongst the great natural beauty of Grand Lake, from the deep, wooded forest to the "mirrors in the mountains", the picturesque lakes, the Adirondack style is represented in the Grand Lake Lodge, as well as many private homes built in this area in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Here, amongst the robust climate and roaring mountain streams that thread their way down to the high altitude lakes, are jewels of the Adirondack style.

The Lodge, built in 1920, has distinct architectural relationships to the Great Camps of the Adirondacks. The hand peeled log trusses and columns, the fireplace of regional stone, the covered porch with articulated wood railings supported by peeled log columns, highlight the rustic, yet eloquent, design.

The interior experience of the main lodge is classic Adirondack in theme. Hickory furniture, open pit fires, Indian rugs and taxidermy exude the rich local history of Grand Lake and the Rocky Mountain region.

The style is characterized by indigenous stone foundations, peeled and unpeeled log siding, brainstorming and half-log applications, peeled interior trusses, articulated wood railings at balconies and covered porches, and extended eaves that evolved from their Swiss and Alpine roots.

Stone fireplaces with stone chimney caps, decorative rustic workmanship of twigs and branches to accent the natural wood and stone features, multiple roof lines varying in pitch with cedar and asphalt shingles, and the decorative structural elements, can be integrated into new structures.

True to its history, a commitment of architectural continuity will be preserved throughout the Grand Lake Lodge property. Each home and structure should embody the living history of this architectural style, collectively forming an indigenous environment with the spectacular natural beauty of Grand Lake. It is important that each new building embrace this commitment of spirit, history and environment.

Tonahutu Ridge
at Grand Lake Lodge
PO Box 567 - 15500 U.S. Hwy 34
Grand Lake, CO 80447 USA
970.627.3497 email