Touring Rocky Mountain National Park

Today is Monday, September 11, 2017, the 16th anniversary of the horrible events of 9/11.  We had hoped to do a long hike today, but the weather forecast predicted certain rain, with thunderstorms.  So we reduced our ambitions, waited until we could see what the morning weather held, and then devoted part of the day to driving the two main roads of Rocky Mountain National Park.

One of our favorite spots is at the summit of Alpine Ridge Trail, at the Alpine Visitor Center on Trail Ridge Road (Hwy 34), near the top of the park.  The elevation is 12,005 feet, and today it was a little chilly with a breeze - enough that we needed an extra layer or so:

The summit is in a classic alpine environment, and is dramatic for its views of the mountains in the Park.  To get the idea, take a look at this 360-degree video from the summit of Alpine Ridge Trail.

From the top, we could see snow still clinging to other peaks, and to the edges of this stony cirque:

The view down the Fall River Valley inspired us to drive the Old Fall River Road, which was the historic road through the park:

Fall River Road was the first road into the park's high country.  It linked the east side of the park near Estes Park with Grand Lake on the west side. Work on constructing the road began in 1913 but was interrupted in 1914 by World War I, with final work being completed between 1918 and 1920.   It opened in 1921 and quickly proved inadequate for motor travel as a single-track road with steep grades (up to 16%), tight curves and a short annual season due to snowpack.  It was partly replaced by Trail Ridge Road in 1932, which incorporated sections of the Fall River Road. A rockslide closed the old road in 1953 and it was not re-opened until 1968 when the National Park Service cleared the rocks and paved the lower third of the route. The one-way road is open only from July 4 to September, weather and snow permitting, and runs westward from Sheep Lakes to the Alpine Visitor Center.

Construction on the newer Trail Ridge Road, which we drove from our campground near Grand Lake, up to the Alpine Visitor Center, began in 1929 and was complete from Estes Park, on the east side, to Fall River Pass by July 1932, with a maximum grade of 7%. The road was completed down through the Kawuneeche Valley to Grand Lake in 1938.  Internal opposition to the construction of a road through the park's alpine tundra was overruled by National Park Service director Horace Albright, who wished to encourage park visitation.

The route of Trail Ridge Road follows what was known to local Arapaho Indians as the Dog Trail. Trail Ridge, generally, had been used by Native Americans to cross the mountains between their home lands in the west and hunting areas on the east side. 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. The Ute tribe crossing the mountains at Forest Canyon Pass marked their route with stone cairns. The present park Ute Trail, which we hiked two years ago when we last visited the Park, partly follows that ancient route.

The first third of Old Fall River Road is paved, but the higher 9 miles is a narrow dirt road with ruts and generally no safety rails or barriers.  All the same, it was a beautiful and exciting road to climb in our Jeep:

One of the Park's classic attractions, Chasm Falls, can be reached on Fall River Road.  We stopped and hiked the short trail down to a viewing platform below the falls:

While the old road, due to its rough nature, is only braved by a relatively small number of Park visitors, nevertheless, it is well-traveled, and by many who have not driven forest roads often.  As a consequence, we had more, and less experienced, company than we might have wished.  However, most of the other drivers who were slower were also polite enough to pull to the side to let us pass.  The speed limit on the road is 15 mph.  We generally did about 10 mph, but there were plenty who were unable or unwilling to speed along at more than 5 mph - especially on the deeply rutted hairpin turns.  As we neared the top, we got a glimpse back down the Fall River Valley, the road perched on the hillside:

After about an hour's driving, we neared the top, and could see the Alpine Visitor Center at the top of the pass.  Just about here, the cars in front of us all jammed up and stopped.

We soon discovered the reason:  a large elk was grazing below the road, and no one wanted to miss a photo:

Just before the top, the road took us by a gorgeous alpine tarn, with a view of the peaks behind it:

Nearing the exit at the top by the visitor center, we were congratulating ourselves on an interesting ride, when Kathy caught sight of this golden eagle soaring on the thermals above us.  It was hard for her to capture a clear photo of the beautiful, hovering raptor, but she did a pretty good job!

As we finished our drive, the heavens opened up and the threatened rain and thunderstorms closed in.  We hightailed it down to Grand Lake for lunch at our favorite Sagebrush BBQ & Grill.  We're hoping the more favorable forecast for tomorrow will hold, and that we'll have much sunnier weather for our long hike up to the source of the Colorado River!