If you thought the journey to Rocky Mountain National Park was beautiful just wait until you experience roads inside the Park. To help you out we’ve selected our favorite three and included the highlights. So why not jump in the car and start exploring? No matter what you’re looking for there is a good chance one of these roads will take you there.
Trail Ridge Road
Completed in 1933, Trail Ridge Road links Estes Park and Grand Lake, winding past countless 12,000-foot peaks, high-alpine tundra, and some of Rocky Mountain National Parks best views.
Known appropriately as the Highway to the Sky, Trail Ridge Road crosses the Continental Divide at a whopping 12,183 feet. Colorado has also designated Trail Ridge Road as a scenic and history byway.
Most Park visitors chose to drive Trail Ride Road, pulling over periodically to take advantage of countless turnouts and sweeping views along the way. The drive is fairly relaxing since the two-lane highway never reaches grades above 7 percent and has only a few hairpin turns.
If you plan on driving, heed our advice and start early. Tour buses, RV’s, and other drivers usually pack the road around 10 or 11 a.m. and an early start can mean enjoying the scenery at your own pace, while also photographing stunning sunrises and grazing wildlife.
To access Trail Ridge Road, start from either Estes Park on the eastern side of the Park, or Grand Lake to the west. The road quickly ascends 4,000-feet breaking tree line and emerging into open tundra resembling a baron moonscape of rock and jagged peaks.
Some of the most popular turnouts alone the way includes: Many Parks Curve, Forest Canyon Overlook, and Medicine Bow Curve.
Alpine Visitor Center sits close to the halfway mark, and is a perfect place to grab a cup of hot chocolate and soak in the views.
Old Fall River Road
A stark contrast to the wide, low-grade Trail Ridge Road, Old Fall River Road is a steep one-way access road climbing up the north wall of Fall River Valley. The valley, one of the Park’s most spectacular remnants of damage done by massive glaciers, is rugged and steep, providing drivers with plenty to look at.
To drive, enter the park at Fall River Entrance Station and head west along CO-34. Turn right at West Horseshoe Park onto Old Fall River Road and head up to Endovalley, a small turnout with bathrooms and picnic areas.
From here on Old Fall River is not paved, but the national park service does grade the roadway each spring eliminating most major potholes. (A four-wheel drive vehicle is not needed for this route) As you begin climbing the road passes through ponderosa pine en route to Chasm Falls – a beautiful waterfall leaping 25-feet from a tight narrow rock slot. After the falls the road continues climbing passing into subalpine ecosystem filled with Englemann Spruce and fir. Views soon open up and if time permits make sure to take a moment and stop at Down Valley View. From the turnout the view looking back down Fall River Valley is spectacular.
After snapping a few pictures continue ascending to Willow Park, a popular summertime viewing area for Elk and Mule Deer. Past Willow Park, the forest begins to shrink as the high-elevation climate becomes more treacherous. Soon the road passes Fall River Cirque – the top of the valley, which looks as if a scoop was taken out, and then crests tree line into open tundra. Here Old Fall River meets up with Trail Ridge Road. To return back to Estes Park turn left and head east on Trail Ridge. Turning right takes you west to Grand Lake.
Bear Lake Road
This extremely popular section of roadway passes through Moraine Park and parallels glacier gorge creek en route to Bear Lake – one of the Park’s most popular alpine lakes. Driving Bear Lake Road is pretty straight forward, but a few turnouts are not to be missed.
Starting out at the Beaver Meadows Entrance and driving southwest on Bear Creek Road, one of the best views of Moraine Park can be found at the Moraine Park Museum just a few miles from Beaver Meadows. The museum has large picture windows looking out over the valley and surrounding peaks, as well as nature displays to help you interpret what you’re looking at.
After checking out the museum make sure to stop at Bierstadt Lake trailhead for a short hike to Bierstadt Lake. Several more turnouts dot the road to Bear Lake, but many typically fill up in by early morning. One of the best ways to experience Bear Lake Road is by the parks free shuttle, which during summer months can be accessed at a variety of parking lots inside the Park.
