This is the gateway community to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, accessed at Battle Pass, 15 miles to the west on Highway 70. Hikers and horseback riders can take the rugged trail from Canada all the way south to Mexico along the Continental Divide, a total of 3,100 miles. Encampment is also a good place to launch trips into four nearby wilderness areas in the Hayden District of Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest—Platte River, Savage Run, Encampment River, and Huston Park—where you can go hiking, fishing, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. Although recreation is a quickly emerging industry, there’s still a lot of quiet mountain country to explore, and it’s not yet crowded in this town of about 400 residents. The tiny, adjacent community of Riverside has just a fraction of that population but also has some of the area's amenities.
Every July, the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering celebrates the Western lifestyle, with performances by cowboy musicians and poets. There's also stick-horse rodeo for children. Events take place at the Grand Encampment Museum and other venues around town.
