Trail Ridge Road#History

File:Trail Ridge Road and Longs Peak by RO.jpg (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 {{convert|12000|feet}} above sea level in Rocky Mountain National Park]]

File:Trail Ridge Road 01.jpg

File:Trailridgeroadkea.jpg

From 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. 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.

The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (elev. {{convert|10758|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}) and reaches a maximum elevation of {{convert|12183|ft|abbr=on}}, near Fall River Pass (elev. {{convert|11796|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}). Near the highest point on the road is another pass, Iceberg Pass (elev. {{convert|11827|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}).

According to construction contracts and park maintenance files, the east end of the road is located at the Fall River entrance, however some guides list Deer Ridge Junction as the east end.{{cite book |last=Quin |first=Richard |series=Historic American Engineering Record |title=Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, HAER No. CO-31 |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/co/co0100/co0193/data/co0193data.pdf |access-date=2020-06-08 |date=Aug 1993 |publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior |location=Washington D.C. }}

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. The road follows Trail Ridge from the Fall River Pass near Alpine Visitor Center to the Deer Ridge Junction.

File:Trail Ridge Road - elevation profile, ft mi.gif Elevation Service (m/km here).]]

{{Weather box

|location = Trail Ridge High Point 40.4093 N, 105.7142 W, Elevation: {{cvt|12149|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)

|single line = y

|Jan high F = 19.9

|Feb high F = 20.3

|Mar high F = 27.3

|Apr high F = 34.7

|May high F = 43.4

|Jun high F = 54.8

|Jul high F = 61.5

|Aug high F = 59.0

|Sep high F = 52.2

|Oct high F = 40.7

|Nov high F = 27.0

|Dec high F = 20.1

|Jan mean F = 12.1

|Feb mean F = 11.9

|Mar mean F = 18.0

|Apr mean F = 24.1

|May mean F = 33.0

|Jun mean F = 43.8

|Jul mean F = 50.7

|Aug mean F = 48.7

|Sep mean F = 41.8

|Oct mean F = 30.9

|Nov mean F = 19.4

|Dec mean F = 12.3

|Jan low F = 4.3

|Feb low F = 3.6

|Mar low F = 8.7

|Apr low F = 13.6

|May low F = 22.6

|Jun low F = 32.8

|Jul low F = 40.0

|Aug low F = 38.3

|Sep low F = 31.5

|Oct low F = 21.1

|Nov low F = 11.8

|Dec low F = 4.5

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.79

|Feb precipitation inch = 3.85

|Mar precipitation inch = 3.73

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.88

|May precipitation inch = 4.07

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.77

|Jul precipitation inch = 2.37

|Aug precipitation inch = 2.23

|Sep precipitation inch = 2.16

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.82

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.34

|Dec precipitation inch = 3.51

|source=PRISM Climate Group{{cite web

|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/

|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University

|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University

|access-date= October 10, 2023

|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.}}

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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. 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 follows partially that ancient route.

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 camps were abandoned after a few years when short-lived mining boom ended and later the road was used only occasionally by hunters and tourists.

File:Trail Ridge Road map north.gif

Fall River Road was the first road into the park's high country. 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/romo/visit/weather/scenicdrives.html |title=Scenic Drives |access-date=2007-08-23 |work=Rocky Mountain National Park |publisher=National Park Service }} Construction began in 1929 and was complete to Fall River Pass by July 1932, with a maximum grade of 7%. The road was complete through the Kawuneeche Valley to Grand Lake in 1938.{{cite web|title=History of Trail Ridge Road|url=http://www.nps.gov/romo/historyculture/trail_ridge_road_history.htm|work=Rocky Mountain National Park|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=29 August 2011}} The route followed what was known to local Arapaho Indians as the Dog Trail. 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 road was designed to intrude as little as possible into the landscape, in accordance with Park Service design principles.{{cite book|last=Noel|first=Thomas J.|title=Buildings of Colorado|year=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-515247-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/buildingsofcolor0000noel/page/457 457]|url=https://archive.org/details/buildingsofcolor0000noel/page/457}}

Hidden Valley (or Ski Estes Park) was a local ski area attraction from 1955 – 1991, off of Trail Ridge Road, now defunct.{{Cite web |title=Hidden Valley Ski Area (Ski Estes Park) |url=http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/skiestespark.html |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=www.coloradoskihistory.com}}

{{portal|Colorado|U.S. Roads}}

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Larimer County, Colorado{{Clear}}

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{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}

• [https://www.nps.gov/romo/ Rocky Mountain National Park]
• [https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/trail_ridge_road.htm Trail Ridge Road]
• [http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2102/stories/47312 Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road Overview] on the National Scenic Byways website
• [http://www.coloradodot.info/travel/scenic-byways/north-central/trail-ridge-rd Trail Ridge Road] on the Colorado Scenic Byways website
• {{HAER |survey=CO-31 |id=co0193 |title=Trail Ridge Road, Between Estes Park and Grand Lake, Estes Park, Larimer County, CO |photos=21 |color=1 |data=69 |cap=2}}

{{Rocky Mountain National Park}}

{{NRHP in Rocky Mountain NP}}

{{National Register of Historic Places}}

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{{coord|40.4177|-105.7467|dim:50000_region:US-CO_type:pass|name=Trail Ridge Road Summit, Colorado, USA|display=title}}

Category:Colorado scenic drives

Category:Transportation in Grand County, Colorado

Category:Transportation in Larimer County, Colorado

Category:All-American Roads

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Rocky Mountain National Park

Category:Toll roads in Colorado

Category:U.S. Route 34

Category:Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado

Category:Estes Park, Colorado

Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Colorado

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Larimer County, Colorado