Milner PassMilner Pass, at 10,757 feet, is just a few miles past the Alpine Visitors Center on Trail Ridge Road, going towards Grand Lake. The Continental Divide crosses this area. Water falling to the west flows to the Pacific Ocean, and water falling to the east drains into either the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean.This is a section of Rocky Mountain National Park that you will have to visit before snowfall closes the higher elevations of Trail Ridge Road for the winter (usually sometime in October) or after it is cleared for summer (near Memorial Day).  Poudre Lake, a beautiful alpine lake, lies just east of the Pass. Don't bother to get your fishing tackle out of the car. It looks like it would be teeming with fish, but since it freezes sold every year it is a "dead lake" - no fish can survive the winter. The lake is the source of the Poudre River which flows from here through Roosevelt National Forest in Poudre Canyon, continuing into the foothills north of Fort Collins and finally entering the South Platte River near Greeley.  Most tourists on their first visit into Rocky Mountain National Park are surprised at how easy it is to find wildlife. Wildlife watching is very good during the summer at Milner Pass. As it gets warmer, deer, bighorn sheep, and elk make their way to the higher elevations. The wide open vistas in the areas makes it easy to spot the big animals. A short trail nearby leads to the Crater where sheep can be viewed from a distance. The trail is closed from May to mid-July for the lambing season. During this time the sheep move from the Crater to the alpine tundra. The road near the pass provides a breathtaking view of the Never Summer Mountains to the west. |
