Entry No. 39 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: dark-history
Packer Saloon & Cannibal Grill
In 1874, Alferd Packer led five prospectors into the San Juan Mountains during a brutal Colorado winter and emerged alone — and well-fed. He was tried and convicted at the Hinsdale County Courthouse a short walk from where you're now sitting. The Packer Saloon leans all the way into that legacy: tagline "Alferd Killed 'Em, We Grilled 'Em," a menu featuring the Cannibal Salad and the Lake Fork Philly, and a porch overlooking the same Silver Street where Packer was once sentenced to hang. Lake City itself is the seat of Hinsdale County — the most remote county in the lower 48, with a population under 800 — which gives the whole enterprise a genuinely frontier-weird atmosphere that no manufactured theme bar could replicate.
The move: Order the Cannibal Salad and a round of San Juan Wings on the dog-friendly patio, then walk two blocks to the Alferd Packer Massacre Site marker. Pair it with a drive down the Lake Fork of the Gunnison on the way back — the canyon is legitimate.
📍 Before you go Hours vary sharply by season: summer (roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day) runs Thursday–Tuesday 11am–9pm; winter hours shrink to Friday–Monday 11am–8pm with Tue–Thu closed. Lake City sits at 8,671 ft and the sole access road (US-50 west of Gunnison or CO-149 from South Fork) can be icy or closed in shoulder seasons. No reservation system — first come, first served. The massacre site marker is free and open year-round but the interpretive kiosk is unstaffed. Call ahead in spring or fall to confirm they're open: (970) 944-4144.
- 📍 Lake City
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 310 N Silver St, Lake City, CO 81235
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11