Glen Haven

Glen Haven is a small mountain community in southern Larimer County with origins dating back to the early 1890s.

History

The Knapp family from Illinois established a sawmill near Harding Heights and relocated it to what is now Glen Haven in 1897. In 1903, the Boulder Presbytery, with help from the Knapp family, formed an association selling plots of land for a summer resort. This marked the beginning of Glen Haven as a vacation destination. The Glen Haven General Store was built in 1921, followed by the construction of a lodge-style hotel, The Homestead, in 1938, which later became known as the Inn at Glen Haven. The Inn was notably mentioned in a 1986 Los Angeles Times travel article. Summer camps such as the Trail's End camps of Cheley Colorado Camps are also nearby. Glen Haven remains a small community primarily consisting of summer family cabins and some year-round homes. Population estimates vary but it has never grown beyond a small mountain resort community.

Major Industries

Tourism has been the central industry in Glen Haven's history with hospitality, summer resorts, and camping contributing heavily. The community has also historically dealt with lumber from its sawmill roots.

Geography

Glen Haven is situated in a narrow canyon accessed from U.S. Highway 34 via Larimer County Road 43 (Devil’s Gulch Road), approximately 15 miles west of Loveland and 7 miles north of Estes Park. It lies at about 40.4317°N latitude and -105.3341°W longitude, surrounded by Roosevelt National Forest and the Comanche Peaks Wilderness Area.

Obscure and Notable Facts

Glen Haven has repeatedly faced severe flooding due to its canyon location. The 1976 Big Thompson Flood notably shifted the town hall several feet from its foundation. The devastating 2013 Colorado floods destroyed about 80% of the downtown area and severely damaged the only access road (County Road 43), which was partially reopened later that year. Early residents historically collected mail from a covered wagon once weekly before a formal post office was established. The name "Glen Haven" was suggested by Rev. William Schureman when the summer resort plots were first sold in 1903.