Media Contact: Gaylene Ore Ore Communications (970) 887-2536 e-mail:  gaylene@orecommunications.com       TOP TEN REASONS FOR VISITING GRAND COUNTY COLORADO   Grand County, Colorado – From the headquarters of the Grand County Colorado Tourism Board, here are the top ten reasons to visit Grand County, Colorado this year:   10.        Open space, views and more.  Grand County is home to the Rocky Mountain National Park and the Arapaho National Forest.   9.         Two alpine ski resorts, five Nordic centers, and thousands of acres of backcountry.  (SolVista Basin at Granby Ranch comprises two hills with 33 predominantly beginner- and intermediate-level trails; Winter Park Resort’s system has 134 trails covering nearly 3,000 acres on 5 mountains.  Groomed Nordic trails and rentals are available Devil’s Thumb Ranch, YMCA of the Rockies/Snow Mountain Ranch, SolVista Basin at Granby Ranch, Grand Lake Touring Center, and Latigo Ranch. Many more miles of backcountry trails are accessible in the Rocky Mountain National Park and nearby National Forest and Wilderness Areas.)   8.         Four unique mountain golf courses.  (Pole Creek Golf Club, Headwaters Golf Resort at Granby Ranch, Grand Elk Ranch and Club, and the Grand Lake Golf Course.)   7.         “Slow-and-go” traffic means someone’s spotted a moose in Grand Lake.  (Elk, moose, deer, and bighorn sheep are frequent autumn visitors along Rocky Mountain National Park trails.  The Windy Gap Reservoir, just west of Granby on U.S. Highway 40, serves as a sanctuary for dozens of species of migrating birds, and bald eagle sightings are becoming increasingly common in the area.)   6.         Saturday-night action during the summer involves calf roping, barrel racing, and bull riding.  (Fraser’s High Country Stampede Rodeo at the John Work Arena, and the Flying Heels Rodeo in Granby, with the season’s finale at the annual Middle Park County Fair Rodeo in September in Kremmling.)   5.         During the winter, you can really go to the dogs…..dogsleds, that is. (The Colorado Blue Ididarace, held each February in the beautiful Blue River area near Kremmling, is one of the older and more respected dogsled events in the lower 48. )   4.         Who needs karaoke?  (We’ve got the JVC Jazz Festival, the KBCO World Class Rockfest, the 103.5 Fox Hawgfest, and the Grand County Blues Festival – and that’s just in July!)   3.         Hey, dude, just call me “pardner.”  (Six world-class dude and guest ranches, each with its own personality:  King Mountain Ranch, Aspen Canyon Ranch, Bar Lazy J Guest Ranch, C Lazy U Ranch, Drowsy Water Ranch, and Latigo Ranch.)   2.         What exactly is a marmot, anyway?   and finally, the number one reason for visiting Grand County:   1.         We’re just a 90-minute drive from the Denver area, so it’s easy to get on up and into the fun at any time of the year!   For more information about Grand County, Colorado, including a free vacation guide, visit the website at www.grand-county.com, or call toll-free (800) 729-5821.