![]() ![]() Due to melting snow on the road and the potential for freezing temperatures visitors should be prepared for icy conditions. This afternoon, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opened for the season. TA does not permit links in these answers.Contact: Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs OfficerĬontact: Park Information Office, (970) 586-1206 I will send you the link for that topic by private message. On the TA Rocky Mountain National Park travel forum, there is a detailed description about driving and exploring Trail Ridge Road. The pine beetle and spruce beetle epidemics greatly impacted RMNP, more so than in many other areas of Colorado. You will also see millions of dead trees along Trail Ridge Road. The East Troublesome Fire burned almost 30,000 acres in RMNP in October this year. Don't count on the bighorn sheep being there, but the views from here to the west are wonderful.īe prepared to see fire damage in RMNP particularly on the west side. Be sure to stop at Sheep Lakes on highway 34. This is a short detour off highway 34 and is definitely worth it for the short walk to Horseshoe Falls. ![]() At the base of the hill on highway 34, you will see a side road (Endovalley Road) on your left to the Alluvial Fan area. From Deer Ridge Junction on your way downhill along highway 34, don't miss the semicircular pullout on your right for the Horseshoe Park Overlook. You can turn around and go back to highway 34 at Deer Ridge Junction. However, you should drive just a very short distance on highway 36 to stop at one of the Longs Peak viewpoints. Officially, Trail Ridge Road is highway 34. I've heard that this is the THIRD most visited National Park in the country so if you visit I think you will be glad you did! If you visit maybe you can hike this trail to see the beginning of this famous river. Not many people know this but the Colorado River starts inside this National Park but during our visit the trail to the site of the beginning wasn't open. Unfortunately during our visit both Visitor Centers were partially closed due to the virus and that was disappointing. We were able to drive through the park and exit near Estes Park.ĭefinitely drive "Trail Ridge Road" during the summer before they close it down during the winter (we heard that it can be closed during the winter). We went while the weather was still very nice so I can't comment on what's it like to visit during the winter hours but there was a fire nearby that closed Trail Ridge Road but we got lucky and didn't have to turn around and go back out the west entrance. The park charges a $25 fee per day and definitely due to the virus you should book your reservation 2 hour time slot prior to arriving. Rocky Mountain National Park is beautiful and easy to navigate to see in 2-days. However, if one is more limited in time, I would recommend turning around at the Farview Curve overlook as the road soon descends to the west side’s Kawuneeche Valley which is not nearly as spectacular as the rest. I enjoyed exploring the entire length, driving all the way to Grand Lake, just outside the west entrance, turning around and returning to Estes Park, stopping at all the overlooks, hiking a few shorter trails and viewing elk near Holzwarth Historic Site and in the valley below the Alpine Visitor Center. Having the overlooks nearly to myself, the experience was fleeting as the snow was gone in less than two hours and the crowds began to build rapidly.Įven without snow, Trail Ridge Road was still spectacular and arriving early, avoiding the crowds and with the low angle of the sun adding visual warmth, even if the morning is a bit chilly, is worth the early alarm. Finally reaching the tree line and clear skies simultaneously, I was treated to a surrealistic view or soaring mountains covered in a candy coating of snow, tundra displaying autumn colors, and the clouds passing through the tree covered valleys as the rain dissipated below. ![]() Hustling to eat my breakfast and get ready, I headed to Trail Ridge Road and carefully drove through the pea soup thick fog at the lower elevations. Logging onto NPS’s website, then navigating to the RMNP site and the webcam feed from the Alpine Visitor Center, I saw that it was above the cloud cover and light coating of snow decorated the mountain tops and tundra. Waking up in Longmont a bit before sunrise on morning in early October, I found the skies to be completely overcast with a steady drizzle and was afraid my plans for the day, beginning with a visit to Trail Ridge Road, may be a bust. ![]()
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