Historic lake, summer campsite in Boulder County could become wellness travel site

BOULDER — A property steeped in Colorado history is now poised to stake its claim in the luxury and experiential travel market. 

Real estate brokerage Slifer Smith & Frampton just listed, with an asking price of $12.5 million, a property west of Boulder and just northeast of Ward that is set up to potentially become Colorado’s latest mountainous, lakeside wellness destination.

The property is composed of 90 acres surrounding and including Gold Lake, the backdrop to many a wedding photo in the past several years, but also a former gathering place of Chief Niwot; a mining operation in the 1860s Gold Rush rush era; and, in the 1920s, the Camp Newaka girls summer camp.

Site owners have been working with Boulder County officials for the past two years to get it development-ready with the potential to become a wellness center or a new addition to Colorado’s growing inventory of luxury or experiential travel destinations. An approved development framework is ready and waiting, but plans can be pliable, according to the brokers representing the sellers. The ownership group, with the help of Sopher Sparn Architects LLC, have drawn up plans for several new buildings to make the site shovel-ready. 

The property is owned, according to Boulder County real estate records, by Gold Lake Ventures LLC, an entity registered with the Colorado Secretary of State to a residential address in Boulder.

“We’re convinced it’s a magical site,” Slifer Smith & Frampton broker Joel Ripmaster said. “The water, the lake is second to none. It’s the largest mountain lake in Boulder County, and it’s private. There are spectacular views of Indian Peaks and Mount Meeker, and once you’re on the shoreline of the lake, you think you’re in an IMAX movie or something you’re so close.”

Since the pandemic, experiential travel has grown in popularity, and this group plans to cater to this growing trend. According to National Geographic, glamping, a portmanteau of the words “glamorous” and “camping,” bridges “the gap between luxury and low-cost travelers searching for one-of-a-kind experiences in unique locations.” Brokers said that Gold Lake is one such location.

“A lot of it is about reconnecting with nature and mindfulness,” said Orly Ripmaster, Front Range market president for Slifer Smith & Frampton. “This plan is created with that connection in mind.”

Experiential travel, she said, is “one of the hot-button words in leisure media. People are not looking for hotels anymore. They’re looking for experiences with their families and spending quality time, and that’s what makes this investment so relevant now. It’s this intersection of everything that’s relevant now, slowing down and getting back to nature.”

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