Granby

Never mind that Granby is a ranching town in the mountains near Winter Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, or that several rodeos are staged here every year. What most Coloradoans associate with Granby these days is a bulldozer. In June 2004, a 51-year-old muffler-shop owner, Marvin Heemeyer, was reportedly upset about a local zoning-board decision and all but destroyed the town with a 75-ton, armor-plated bulldozer he rigged himself. After demolishing several Agate Avenue businesses, including a general store and the local newspaper office, Heemeyer ended the carnage by shooting himself to death. It's a freaky story, even more so because ...

Never mind that Granby is a ranching town in the mountains near Winter Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, or that several rodeos are staged here every year. What most Coloradoans associate with Granby these days is a bulldozer. In June 2004, a 51-year-old muffler-shop owner, Marvin Heemeyer, was reportedly upset about a local zoning-board decision and all but destroyed the town with a 75-ton, armor-plated bulldozer he rigged himself. After demolishing several Agate Avenue businesses, including a general store and the local newspaper office, Heemeyer ended the carnage by shooting himself to death. It's a freaky story, even more so because Granby, founded in 1905, is an otherwise uneventful mountain town at an elevation of 7,935 feet, famous for its cowboy culture and history as a major lettuce-production hub. Along with ranches, mountain views and three lakes, Granby is conveniently located, within a few miles of the Winter Park, Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Loveland ski areas, as well as Rocky Mountain National Park and Hot Sulphur Springs. Bird-watching is huge here, particularly at Windy Gap Reservoir about two miles west of town.

About the Expert

Steve Knopper is the Denver-based author of Moon Handbooks Colorado as well as a contributor to numerous Fodor's city guides.