Park County, Colorado, averages 300 sunny days per year. Our climate is that of a high desert. This region boasts more land area over 9000 feet in elevation than any other county in the US.

Snowstorms in winter are not uncommon at this elevation, however, due to the wide open nature of our valley and the frequent sunshine, it is very rare for snow to actually accumulate on the ground for long in most areas of the county. Our unique geography with the Continental Divide wrapping around our northern and western borders protects us from the harshest winter storms that can hit the northern and western mountains of Colorado, and we are also protected from the coldest storms that tend to flow down from Canada along the Front Range (including the Denver area) of the Rocky Mountains. When Denver gets hit with a bitter cold spell, it is not uncommon for us to be 20-30 degrees warmer, simply because the colder air is heavier and cannot make it over the mountains.

Winter temperatures can drop below zero occasionally, but more frequently our daytime highs are in the 20s to 40s, with nighttime lows in the single digits and teens.

During the summer months (and especially in August--the "monsoon" season), afternoon thunderstorms are very common. However, due to the extremely low humidities in this area (a very damp day might get up to 40% humidity), very little rain tends to fall from these storms. Daytime highs are normally quite pleasant, ranging from the 70s to the low 80s. Nights can be cool, with lows typically ranging in the 40s to low 50s.

	Fairplay	Bailey	Lake George
Average July Temp. (Min/Max) in F	41/69	44/80	41/76
Average January Temp. (Min/Max) in F	9/28	9/40	0/37
Average Annual Precipitation	13.6"	15.7"	15.1"
Average Annual Snowfall	84"	80"	59"