town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Grand Lake, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 59% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in fall (73rd percentile) and lowest in spring (32nd). Nearest mapped water: open water, less than 0.1 mi away.
When is the honey flow in Grand Lake?
- First forage: Apr 1 (willows, dandelion)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking early Jun (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, fireweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Grand Lake, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Jun 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows, garden flowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, fireweed, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Grand Lake
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe; Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Mesic Meadow.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.08 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.09 mi NE.
How Grand Lake ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 40th | 19th | 71st | 85th |
| Colorado | 59th | 32nd | 68th | 73rd |
| Southern Rockies | 65th | 56th | 61st | 73rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Grand Lake: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Granby 13 mi · Allenspark 16 mi · Estes Park 18 mi · Tabernash 19 mi · Hot Sulphur Springs 19 mi · Ward 20 mi
All towns in Colorado · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Grand Lake (40.2465, -105.8264); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.