Shadowcliff Sustainability workshops start with registration from 3:00-5:00 PM on the first day with an educational get acquainted and hospitality hour from 5:00-6:00 PM and dinner at 6:00 PM. The evening program follows dinner and  closes by 9:00 PM. We provide a detailed schedule approximately two weeks in advance of the workshop, but you can assume that there will be working sessions from approximately 9:00 AM -12:00 PM and 7:00-9:00 PM daily. In the afternoon there will be hikes and interpretive experiences that are very much part of the workshop, but (*except for one afternoon) usually are not classroom focused. The schedule of a faculty member or guest lecturer or the other workshop participants will sometimes necessitate a variance in this schedule and result in an afternoon session in place of an evening session..

Additional Family Guests and Extended Stays

It is possible for some workshop participants to bring family members or other guests who are not actually participating in the workshop. Depending upon the number, age, nature of accommodations and availability, the rates vary. Please contact Judith Christy concerning any such requests at 970-627-9220 or judith@shadowcliff.org. If you desire to come before the workshop or stay after the workshop, some limited accommodations are usually available. Please contact Judith in this regard as well.

Travel

Please do not underestimate the amount of time it will take from Denver to Grand Lake. Highway traffic, picture taking, altitude acclimation almost always cause our guests to take more than the actual 2.5 -3 hours from Denver. If you are driving from Kansas City, you should allow 12.5 hours driving time if you drive at or near the posted speed limits and do not tarry on your periodic stops.

Airplane

If you arrive by airplane you will fly into Denver International Airport. You should allow approximately one hour after your arrival time to collect baggage and get to a rental car or shuttle. We always think that we can do this more quickly – and we are always wrong. It is a very big airport and usually works quite smoothly but there are large distances to cover. Driving time from DIA is approximately 2.5 - 3 hours plus any stops you choose to make and any allowances you make for mountain driving. The roads to Grand Lake are excellent and all but 15 miles is major U.S. four-lane (or more) highway. Car rentals are abundant at the airport and we suggest shopping online for best rates and encourage you to carpool or share a rental car if at all possible. We encourage you to car pool or consider the limited public transportation options whenever possible.

Shuttle Service

An excellent shuttle service is available through Home James and the price is approximately $80 each way per person from DIA to our door at Shadowcliff. Their schedule is available online atwww.homejamestransportation.com or by calling 800-359-7503 or 970-726-4730. They offer very prompt, excellent service and often provide commentary on the area as you travel. If you prefer not to drive in the mountains this is a great service. There is a per person discount for three or more traveling together and reserving 72 or more hours in advance. Home James leaves Denver Airport only once or twice each day so please check the schedule in advance of making your airline reservations.

Train Service

Amtrak serves Granby (15 miles from Shadowcliff) and we will be happy to meet the train and bring you to Shadowcliff. The ride through the mountains is beautiful and whether you take the train, bus or airplane to Denver, the train is a real treat through the mountains. The main limitation is the limited departure and arrival times. Amtrak arrives from Denver at approximately 11:30 AM and is often late. From the west the train arrives in Granby at 3:30 PM. Please check with Amtrak for schedules and prices and be sure to let us know in advance if you will need us to meet the train in Granby. These schedules are in the midst of change so please confirm well in advance. We will arrange to meet the train in Granby so please let us know a day ahead that you need to be met. It is 15 miles from Granby to Shadowcliff.

Bus Service

There is new bus service to our area. The Greyhound bus departs  Downtown Denver and has scheduled arrivals in Granby, Colorado, 15 miles from Shadowcliff. With advance notice Shadowcliff staff will meet guests in Granby and provide transportation to Shadowcliff.

Weather

Spring in the mountains begins in late May and early June. Temperatures in early June may be as low as the high 20s in the early morning, but typically will be in the 60s or 70s during the day – with lots of sunshine. Late June and the rest of the summer offers warmer days and evenings, but a sweater and jacket are still advised. Afternoon showers are common but usually last only a short time. Nighttimes are cooler but not cold. There will still be visible snow in the higher passes in June and the very first spring flowers will be popping through the cold ground. The flowering season varies depending on the altitude, but on most trails it is at its best in late June through July.
September brings cooler evenings and mornings (more like late May and early June) but the days are usually in the 60s and 70s. Rain is common but usually short lived. Weather here, like everywhere, is unpredictable and changing as a result of more global changes — so being prepared is always good advice.

Clothing

We suggest that you bring long sleeve tops with the possibility of layering because of the wide variation in temperatures from early morning to afternoon. A jacket and rain gear are a must as well as comfortable walking shoes. We have only short hikes planned and you do not need hiking gear – except for a water bottle. In June and September you may want to bring light cotton gloves and a headband if your hands and ears get cold easily. Shadowcliff and Grand Lake are very informal places and the dress is always casual – so focus on comfort rather than looks. Sport coats and the equivalent are never required in Grand Lake.

What To Bring

Shadowcliff furnishes all of your linens, blankets and, of course, lodging and meals. We suggest that you bring writing supplies and a flashlight. You may also want binoculars and a camera, but they’re not necessities. Your preferred clothing and personal items are the only things you will need to bring. We have wireless internet service available but encourage you to leave as much technology as home as is possible under your current circumstances.

Accommodations

We suspect you have heard many different stories about Shadowcliff accommodations. The best information is probably obtained by looking at our website, seeing the photos and reading the narrative descriptions. Simply stated, there will be two persons in each room and your roommate will be a workshop participant. If you have a roommate preference, let us know. Rooms are ample in size and private, most with a double or queen bed and one or two sets of bunk beds. Several of the rooms overlook the lake or the north inlet stream and views are beautiful. Bathrooms and showers are centrally located on each floor and large enough to accommodate all of our guests. There is a large fireplace in each lodge and an outdoor fire circle on the point and we use all of them with great frequency in the private and group conversations that always seem to grow out of the workshop sessions.

Food Service

All of your meals are provided. This is not a vegetarian food service, but we do always provide a vegetarian option and focus on local and/or organic wherever possible. We work very hard to model sustainable food service practices encouraging the preparation of nutritious and tasty foods while minimizing the impact of our food choices on the natural environment. If you have special dietary needs or allergies of any kind, please let Judith Christy know in advance so we can work with you to find suitable alternatives.

Alcohol

Wine and beer are permitted in our closed workshop sessions, but no other alcoholic beverages and, of course, we encourage moderation.

Smoking

Shadowcliff is a no smoking facility, both inside and anywhere on the grounds. We are a wooden facility in a natural forest and fire is a concern in these mountains. We also are concerned about the health of our guests and the Board of Directors has chosen to make this a smoke free environment.

Grand Lake Information

If you are interested in knowing more about Grand Lake, Colorado or Shadowcliff, the following websites will be helpful: www.Shadowcliff.org
www.grandlakechamber.com/ 
www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm

Carbon Offsets

As a leader in sustainable responsibility, Shadowcliff is offsetting its emissions from electricity use and heating in all buildings and operations. Shadowcliff is also offsetting the emissions associated with transporting participants to each of our Sustainability Series Workshops, through a unique arrangement with Native Energy.

We invite workshop participants or their sponsors to calculate the emission created by traveling to Shadowcliff and to consider offsetting them by helping to build new renewable energy projects through Native Energy. (www.nativeenergy.com) To the extent that our workshop participants choose not to purchase such offsets, Shadowcliff will do so on your behalf.

Preparation

We suspect you have more than enough to do just getting your desks cleared so that you can come spend this time with us, so our only assignment is to start thinking about something you are working on – that you would like to address in a more sustainable way – and bring that challenge to the workshop.

We also suggest that you go to this very interesting website with another member of your family or workplace and compute your own ecological footprint. This is not required, but may help you to better understand the importance of the challenges we confront together. www.myfootprint.org

We hope you will choose to join us for one of our workshops at Shadowcliff this summer. If you need to be picked up in Granby or have questions, please do not hesitate to call 970-627-9229 or e-mail us at rjm@shadowcliff.org or judith@Shadowcliff.org.