Trail Ridge Road celebrates 90 Years taking travelers to 12K feet
On July 15, 1932, the first section of Trail Ridge Road — the 17.2 miles from Deer Mountain Junction to Fall River Pass — opened to the public.
This year marks 90 years since that section of road took the first travelers high into the tundra above 12,000 feet.
Old Fall River Road, which opened in 1920, was the original road to the tundra in Rocky Mountain National Park. Narrow, dirt and difficult to maintain, the Park Service struggled to keep it open. Increased visitation in the park made the road unsafe for the increasing number of vehicles on what was then a two-lane road, a drive that seems unimaginable considering its narrow width, sharp turns and steep drop-offs.
Shortly after opening Old Fall River Road, it became apparent that a more practical option was needed. But where?
Rocky Mountain National Park Superintendent Roger Toll walked the Ute Trail several times in 1926 to evaluate its potential.
This narrow route over Trail Ridge was used by Native Americans during game drives each summer thousands of years ago.
Keeping a ruling grade generally less than 5% and maximum grades to no more than 7%, less than half as steep as Old Fall River Road, the centerline for the future road was marked in 1927.
In April 1928, Congress appropriated $450,000 for Trail Ridge Road, and the Great Depression left many Americans available to work.
The pieces were falling into place to build this engineering feat. Construction started in October 1929, but the 150 laborers assigned to work on the road only had about four months of the year (midjune to mid-october) to work due to weather and extreme cold.
“It is hard to describe what a sensation this new road is going to make,” predicted Horace Albright, director of the National Park Service in 1931 during the road’s construction. “You will have the whole sweep of the Rockies before you in all directions.”
Throughout the construction of Trail Ridge Road, great care was taken to not destroy or disturb tundra, create scars on the landscape, or waste tundra sod that was removed. Barrier walls were constructed out of rocks matching the surrounding land. Waste rock was hauled down the mountain rather than piled up along the construction site.
As soon as this first section of Trail Ridge Road opened to the public, Old Fall River Road was made a more sensible one-way road. The second portion of Trail Ridge Road from
Fall River Pass to Grand Lake was finished in 1938.
Today, Trail Ridge Road extends 48 miles from Estes Park to Grand Lake across Rocky Mountain National Park, reaching its highest elevation of 12,183 feet above sea level between Lava Cliffs and Gore Range Overlook. This elevation gives the road the designation as the highest continuous paved road in the U.S. Eleven miles of this road into the sky travel above tree line at 11,500 feet. With scenic views of the Continental Divide, the Gore Range, the Never Summer Range, and the Medicine Bow Mountains, and a variety of alpine animals calling the area home, this road is a destination all its own unlike no other road in the U.S.
It takes on average 42 days to plow Trail Ridge Road after a winter season of snow and wind. Starting in mid-april, Park Service staff begins the arduous task of clearing the snow away, only to frequently redo the effort after a spring storm.
Trail Ridge Road is typically open from Memorial Day Weekend until midoctober, weather permitting.
The 90th anniversary season is quickly coming to a close so enjoy a drive up this Colorado Scenic Byway before winter sets in on the alpine tundra.