BOOKSTORE

Shopping Cart My Account Help

Welcome:
Login/Register

 

Trail Ridge Road Review

Read our Rocky Mountain NP sights reviews. Or post your own.

Trail Ridge Road

  • Address: Trail Ridge Rd. (U.S. 34), Rocky Mountain National Park, CO | Map It

Fodor's Review:

This is the park's star attraction and the world's highest continuous paved highway, topping out at 12,183 feet. The 48-mi road connects the park's gateways of Estes Park and Grand Lake. The views around each bend -- of moraines and glaciers, and craggy hills framing emerald meadows carpeted with columbine and Indian paintbrush -- are truly awesome. As it passes through three ecosystems -- montane, subalpine, and arctic tundra -- the road climbs 4,300 feet in elevation. As you drive the road, take your time at the numerous turnouts to gaze over verdant valleys, brushed with yellowing aspen in fall, that slope between the glacier-etched granite peaks. Many Parks Curve affords views of the crest of the Continental Divide and of the Alluvial Fan, a huge gash a vicious flood created after an earthen dam broke in 1982. Pick up a copy of the Trail Ridge Road Guide, available at visitor centers, for an overview of what you will be seeing as you drive the road. In normal traffic, it's a two-hour drive across the park, but it's best to give yourself three to four hours to allow for leisurely breaks at the overlooks. Note that the middle part of the road closes down again by mid-October, though you can still drive up about 10 mi from the west and 8 mi from the east.

  • Open: June-mid-Oct.

Get Advice From Other Travelers

Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip >>



Buy the Guidebook

  • Fodor's Colorado, 8th Edition
    $18.95
  • Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West
    $21.95

Get the Fodor's Newsletter

Read the current issue
For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Browse previous issues.

Current Fodor's Newsletter

Copyright © 2008 Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.