Trail Ridge RoadTrail Ridge Road stretches across Rocky Mountain National Park, from Estes Park to Grand Lake, for a total of 48 miles. It is without question one of the most beautiful scenic mountain highways in the world.Drive Trail Ridge Road and you can say that you have traveled the highest continuous highway in the United States. The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass and reaches an elevation of 11,796 near Iceberg Pass. More than eight miles of the road is above 11,000 ft.  Trail Ridge Road is closed to traffic from sometime in October until around Memorial Day. After Memorial Day snow could temporarily close the road. You can find out at the park entrances if the road is closed. Even if it is, you can travel for awhile up into the mountains until you see the gate across the road. The first time that we traveled the road was in January. The views on the shortened trip were spectacular. When the road is open to higher elevations words are inadequate to describe the the beauty. But take your time getting to the top. At lower elevations during early summer, the melting snow accumulates in low areas to become clear running mountain streams. Around the streams are wildflowers and lush green vegetation. Huge elk, deer and bighorn sheep are almost always sighted around these areas. When you see something that looks interesting, drive to the next pull-off and walk back to what you passed. We did that on a visit last year when we spotted two elk and a small deer around this stream.  At another time, we saw this bighorn sheep on rocky terrain.  The pull-offs aren't just for wildlife watching. From various vantage points, you can see past Denver and into Wyoming. You will see jagged cliffs in one direction and rolling hills from another.  As you get higher and higher, you see less and less aspens and ponderosa pines and more subalpine forests of spruce and fir. Finally, at above treeline, you will enter alpine tundra. The terrain gets rockier, and the weather is usually windier and 20 - 30 degrees colder than the weather you left in Estes Park, Denver, or most anywhere else you drove in from. In fact your going to feel like you are in the Alaskan Arctic. And that's in the summer.  A jacket or sweater certainly comes in handy on the tundra, but it makes better pictures to be dressed for the summer. At first glance the tundra doesn't look very lively, but it is. Over 200 species of alpine plants grow here, most of them perennials. Many of these plants bloom in vibrant colors, despite a growing season as short as 40 days. The best place to see the tundra close up is the Tundra World Nature Trail that can be accessed from the parking lot at Rock Cut. Signs are posted on the trail, asking visitors to stay on the trail; the tundra is very fragile. During the time that you will be able to visit, in the summer, there are usually wildlife in the area. We have been on the Tundra World Nature Trail many times, and we have always seen elk either just off of the trail or in the distance. Marmots are always sunning on the rocks.  The first stretch of Trail Ride Road coming from the east was opened in July 1932 as a sunnier alternative to Old Fall River Road. Many visitors pick one or the other route with the more well-known road, Trail Ridge, winning out. It's not a bad choice, but if you have time take them both. |
