Leadville Grocery Stores and Group Supply Run: Safeway, Liquor, Propane, Firewood and Gas

The closest full grocery store to The Big Mack is the Safeway at 1900 N Poplar Way in Leadville, about 20 to 30 minutes from the house and open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. It covers the basics for a group of up to 12: produce, meat, a bakery, a deli, a pharmacy, and beer and wine. For liquor, propane, firewood and gas, plan on a few more stops, including two much closer to Twin Lakes, plus a few cooking adjustments for 9,200 feet once you are unpacked.

Quick answer: shopping before a group stay at The Big Mack

• Groceries: Safeway, 1900 N Poplar Way, Leadville, open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (719-486-0795); pharmacy keeps shorter hours.
• Closer to Twin Lakes: Twin Lakes General Store, 6451 CO-82, open late May to early October only (it closes for the season by early October, so plan on Leadville the rest of the year), for basics, beer, wine, spirits, firewood, ice and fuel. Saturday's Fast Stop Travel Center, 12655 US-24 (719-486-5700), has groceries, a liquor store, Shell fuel and propane fills and exchanges; call ahead for current hours.
• Smaller Leadville groceries: Tenderfoot Market, 609 US-24 Bay A, open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; summer hours run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday — check the site. La Victoria Tienda Mexicana for Mexican grocery items.
• Beer, wine and liquor: Safeway sells beer and wine under Colorado's 2019 and 2023 grocery-store rules, and its own store page also lists liquor; call ahead for a specific bottle, or plan on Saturday's Fast Stop or the seasonal Twin Lakes General Store.
• Propane: AmeriGas propane at the Leadville Safeway, and Saturday's Fast Stop fills and exchanges tanks too. Ferrellgas's Hwy 91 location is delivery only, not a walk-in stop. Check with your host whether the grill needs a propane tank before buying one.
• Firewood: Twin Lakes General Store sells firewood and ice in season (late May to early October) only; the rest of the year, ask your host about firewood for the house fireplace before you arrive.
• Gas: fill up in Leadville. The Sinclair on Harrison Ave offers 24-hour fueling, and Saturday's Fast Stop (12655 US-24) is the last station before the turn toward Twin Lakes, where the General Store also sells fuel, but only in season.
• Altitude note: water boils around 193 degrees at 10,000 feet, about 19 degrees cooler than at sea level, so boiled and simmered foods need more time.

Where to buy groceries in Leadville

Safeway's own store page confirms the details that matter for trip planning: 1900 N Poplar Way, open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., phone 719-486-0795, with a produce section, a meat and seafood counter for grill night, a bakery, a deli, and beer and wine. The pharmacy keeps separate, shorter hours: weekdays 9 to 1:30 and 2 to 8, Saturday 9 to 1:30 and 2 to 5, and Sunday 10 to 1:30 and 2 to 5.

If Safeway does not have everything on your list, Leadville's own tourism directory lists Tenderfoot Market and La Victoria Tienda Mexicana as additional retailers in town. Tenderfoot Market, at 609 US-24 Bay A, is open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (summer hours run 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday — check the site), good for a smaller top-up run. La Victoria Tienda Mexicana covers ingredients a chain supermarket might not stock.

For a group of up to 12, the easiest pattern is one big Safeway run on arrival day covering staples, proteins and grill supplies, then a shorter top-up trip mid-week if needed. Leadville is roughly 20 to 30 minutes from the house, so a forgotten ingredient is not a disaster, but it does eat into vacation time at 9,200 feet.

Groceries and gas closer to Twin Lakes

Two stops sit much closer to the house than downtown Leadville. The Twin Lakes General Store, at 6451 CO-82 in Twin Lakes village, has operated for more than 140 years and stocks hiker-oriented food, basics, beer, wine and spirits, firewood, ice, and regular and non-ethanol premium fuel. It typically closes for the season in early October, so plan on Leadville for fall and winter stays. Saturday's Fast Stop Travel Center, at 12655 US-24 between Leadville and Twin Lakes (719-486-5700), combines Shell fuel, propane fills and exchanges, a liquor store, and groceries and snacks in one stop; call ahead for current hours.

Beer, wine and liquor for the group

Colorado changed its alcohol rules twice in recent years: grocery stores could start selling full-strength beer on January 1, 2019, and wine followed on March 1, 2023. Safeway in Leadville sells both alongside your groceries, and the store's own page also lists liquor among its departments, though small-town locations do not always carry a full assortment, so call ahead if your group needs a specific bottle.

For a sure thing on spirits, Saturday's Fast Stop advertises a fully stocked liquor store, and in season the Twin Lakes General Store sells wine, beer and spirits too. Hours can shift, so call ahead if arriving late or outside summer.

Propane, firewood and gas before you settle in

For propane, the simplest option is AmeriGas propane at the Leadville Safeway, so you can pick up a tank with your groceries; Saturday's Fast Stop also fills and exchanges tanks. Ferrellgas has an office on Highway 91 near Leadville, but its own page says that location is delivery only, not a walk-in stop. Check with your host whether The Big Mack's grill needs a propane tank before you buy one.

If you want firewood for the house fireplace or an evening fire where it is allowed, the Twin Lakes General Store sells firewood and ice in season (late May to early October), minutes from the house. The rest of the year it is closed, so check with your host about firewood for the fireplace before you arrive rather than planning on a local retailer.

For gas, fill up in Leadville before the last stretch to Twin Lakes on the Sinclair's 24-hour pumps on Harrison Ave; the Twin Lakes General Store sells fuel too, but only in its short season. If you are coming in winter, check our Leadville and Twin Lakes weather by month guide before you finalize a shopping run, since a storm can make a second trip into town less appealing than stocking up once.

What to grab in Denver before you drive up

Denver is roughly 2 to 2.5 hours from Twin Lakes in good conditions, and it has every big-box grocery and warehouse store a mountain town does not. If your group wants bulk items, specialty dietary groceries, or a cooler and ice for the drive, buy them in the Denver metro area rather than tracking them down in Leadville. Also worth packing: a refillable water bottle per person, sunscreen, and extra layers even in summer, since evenings cool off fast at 9,200 feet. If anyone in your group has not spent time this high before, read our altitude guide for Twin Lakes and Leadville before you go, and see our guide to driving from Denver to Twin Lakes and Leadville for the route itself.

Cooking at altitude in the house kitchen

Twin Lakes sits around 9,200 feet, so kitchen basics behave differently than at home. Colorado State University Extension puts water's boiling point at about 193 degrees Fahrenheit at 10,000 feet, roughly 19 degrees below sea level, so anything boiled or simmered, from pasta to a pot of chili, takes longer to cook through.

Baking needs the opposite adjustment. CSU Extension recommends raising oven temperature by 15 to 25 degrees, cutting back baking powder or soda slightly, adding a little extra liquid, and trimming sugar, since faster evaporation concentrates sugar and weakens cake and quick-bread structure. For a big baking project, look up a tested high-altitude recipe rather than guessing.

The easiest way around this during a short stay is to lean on The Big Mack's grill for proteins and vegetables, where altitude mostly just means a bit more patience, and save the stovetop and oven for simpler dishes. Between the full kitchen and the grill, a big group can cover breakfast, a packed lunch and a real dinner without eating out every night, which matters when Leadville's restaurant options are limited.

Where to stay for a Leadville grocery run and a real kitchen

The Big Mack sleeps up to 12 across four bedrooms (three king rooms plus a downstairs bunk room with four doubles and two twins), with a full kitchen, a grill, a hot tub and a fireplace, about 20 to 30 minutes from Leadville's Safeway and closer still to Saturday's Fast Stop. That is close enough for an easy grocery run on arrival day, with enough kitchen and grill space to actually cook for a group all week. Check your dates and book direct.