RMNP Trail Ridge Road

The Trail Ridge Roads takes off from the town of Estes Park, and so does the Fall River Road which can be seen in this photo. The upper road is the Fall River Road, a 9-mile one-way dirt road that ends at the Alpin Visitor Center on the Trail Ridge Road. From what I saw, the Fall River Road is even scarier than the Trail Ridge. This photo was taken from the Rainbow Curve stop, one of 12 stops along the route.

At different locations on the Trail Ridge Road, there are overlooks. Many of them have short walking trails, others have longer trails. They all have beautiful panoramic views. This stop (and in the photos below) is the Forest Canyon Overlook.

Terrah Tomah Mountain, 12,718 feet, can be seen from the Forest Canyon Overlook.

Gorgeous vistas can be seen from the Rock Cut stop at 12,110 feet. This is a tundra protection area. Paved trails lead to rock formations that are fun to climb.

The view of the Trail Ridge Road from Rock Cut. Right: a mushroom formation at the Rock Cut stop.

The Lava Cliffs Overlook offers views of volcanic rock that formed millions of years ago. To the left is a closeup of the cliffs.

This stop, the Gore Range Overlook, offers views of the Gore Range which is 60 miles away. The area between Lava Cliffs and Gore Range is the highest point of the Trail Ridge Road at 12, 183 feet.

This view from the Alpine Visitor Center is of a large bowl that has been filled with glacial ice many times in the past.

Elk laze in the pasture at the Medicine Bow Overlook. In the distance (in the pictures to the right) are the Medicine Bow Mountains in Wyoming.

The Trail Ridge Road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass. The photo to the right is of Lake Irene at Milner Pass.

Grand Lake and Grand Lake Village as seen from the Grand Lake Lodge

Columbine, Colorado's state flower

A flower box at the Grand Lake Lodge

Just north of Grand Lake, the Trail Ridge Road meets the Colorado River. It was in ths part of the park that we happened upon two moose off the side of the road. We, along with a couple dozen other people and a ranger, watched them graze for nearly half an hour.

The Colorado River near the Trail Ridge Road

To view more photos of Rocky Mountain Natinal Park and the town of Estes Park, click on one of the links below. A link on that page will lead you to the others.

Estes Park

Rocky Mountain NP hikes

Route 7 highlights

Or, you may wish to return to the Colorado home page,

Grand Lake Lodge is the brainchild of Roe Emery, a pioneer in Colorado tourism. Construction began in April of 1919. Using lodgepole pines from the area, it was completed a year later. It sits high on a ledge overlooking Grand Lake, Grand Lake Village and, to its right, Shadow Mountain Lake.

In 1973 a fire at the lodge did extensive damage and closed the hotel for seven years until the painstaking job of refurbishing it was complelted.

The photo above is of the lobby and its unique and cozy fireplace. The photo to the right shows the lodge's front porch, fondly called "America's Favorite Front Porch." It overlooks a 'grand' view.

Someone with a sassy sense of humor put this sign near the steps leading up to the lodge's lobby.

Grand Lake Village is definitely geared toward the tourists. Its wooden boardwalk runs the length of Grand Avenue for several blocks, offering shops, some of them souvenir-type, eateries and sporting goods stores, to name a few.

Grand Lake Village is just off Highway 34, a continuation of the Trail Ridge Road.

A block off the hustle and bustle of the shopping district, one can come sit and enjoy a more serene view.

To the west of Grand Lake is the larger Shadow Mountain Lake. By looking, one wouldn't realize it's actually two lakes. They are separated by a small strip of land. This bridge spans the canal where the two lakes meet.