On the west side, about 1880, a wagon road was constructed along the Kawuneeche Valley from the town of Grand Lake to the mining camps of Lulu City and Gaskill. The present park Ute Trail follows partially that ancient route. The Ute tribe crossing the mountains at Forest Canyon Pass marked their route with stone cairns. Arapahoe Indians called the trail located on the ridge as 'taienbaa' ('Where the Children Walked') because it was so steep that children could not be carried, but had to walk. Trail Ridge had been used by Native Americans to cross the mountains between their home lands in the west and hunting areas on the east side. Trail Ridge Road - elevation profile, based on elevation values obtained from Google Maps Elevation Service (m/km here). The road follows Trail Ridge from the Fall River Pass near Alpine Visitor Center to the Deer Ridge Junction. Trail Ridge is a high flat spur range extending east from the main range of the Rockies between Fall River in the North and the Big Thompson River in the South. 11,827 ft or 3,605 m).Īccording to construction contracts and park maintenance files the east end of the road is located at the Fall River Entrance, however some guides state that earlier - at Deer Ridge Junction. Near the highest point on the road is another pass, Iceberg Pass (elev. 10,758 ft or 3,279 m) and reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft (3,713 m), near Fall River Pass (elev. The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (elev. There are several trailheads along this section of the road, notably the Colorado River Trailhead, which is the western terminus of the road segment closed during the winter. įrom Kawuneeche Visitor Center at the park's Grand Lake Entrance, Trail Ridge Road follows the North Fork of the Colorado River north through the Kawuneeche Valley. The height of the poles illustrate how deep the snowpack gets the road is closed through the winter. Route description Trail Ridge Road, with Longs Peak (left of center), Pagoda Mountain (center, in sun), Chiefs Head Peak (right of center, in shadow), and Terra Tomah Mountain (at far right edge, in shadow), from 12,000 feet (3,700 m) above sea level in Rocky Mountain National Park View of Trail Ridge Road The wooden poles mark the edge of the road for the spring snowplowing. The higher portion of Trail Ridge Road is closed from October to May. With a high point at 12,183 feet (3,713 m) elevation, Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in North America. Highway 36), Trail Ridge Road forms the 55-mile (89 km) Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, an All-American Road. Together with the connecting 6.9-mile (11 km) Beaver Meadow Road ( U.S. Highway 34 that traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in the west. Trail Ridge Road is the name for the 48-mile (77 km) stretch of U.S.

Trailridge road open