Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [343]
Within the park's 415 square miles are 17 mountains above 13,000 feet. Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet, is the highest.
Trail Ridge Road, which cuts west through the middle of the park from Estes Park, then south down its western boundary to Grand Lake, is one of America's most scenic highways. Climbing to 12,183 feet, it's the highest continuously paved highway in the United States. The road is usually open from Memorial Day into October, depending on snowfall. The 48-mile drive from Estes Park to Grand Lake takes about 3 hours, allowing for stops at numerous view points. Exhibits at the Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River Pass, 11,796 feet above sea level, explain life on the alpine tundra.
Fall River Road, the original park road, leads from Estes Park to Fall River Pass via Horseshoe Park. As you negotiate its graveled switchbacks, you get a
clear idea of what early auto travel was like in the West. This road, too, is closed in winter. Among the few paved roads in the Rockies that lead into a high mountain basin is Bear Lake Road, which stays open year-round, with occasional half-day closings to clear snow.
Avoiding the Crowds. The park is only fully accessible for half the year, so few of the park's almost 3 million visitors come in the off season. The busiest time is from mid-June through mid-August— essentially during school vacation—so just before or just after that period is best. But winter is gaining in popularity, too, because it is the quietest time. You won't be able to drive the entire Trail Ridge Road, and the park can be bitterly cold, but it is also beautiful. Regardless of when you visit, the best way to avoid crowds is to head out on a trail.
Just the Facts
GETTING THERE & GATEWAYS
Entry to the park is from either the east (through the town of Estes Park) or the west (through the town of Grand Lake). Connecting the east and west sides of the park is Trail Ridge Road, open during summer and early fall, but closed to all motor vehicle traffic by snow the rest of the year. Most visitors enter the park from the Estes Park side. The Beaver Meadows Entrance, west of Estes Park on U.S. 36, leads to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and park headquarters; it is the most direct route to Trail Ridge Road. U.S. 34 west from Estes Park takes you to the Fall River Visitor Center, just outside the park, and into the park through the Fall River Entrance, which is north of the Beaver Meadows Entrance. From there you have access to Old Fall River Road or Trail Ridge Road.
Estes Park is about 71 miles northwest of Denver, 44 miles northwest of Boulder, and 42 miles southwest of Fort Collins.
The most direct route from Denver is U.S. 36 through Boulder. At Estes Park, that highway joins U.S. 34, which runs up the Big Thompson Canyon from I-25 and Loveland, and continues through Rocky Mountain National Park to Grand Lake. An alternative scenic route to Estes Park is Colo. 7, the "Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway" that transits Central City (Colo. 119), Nederland (Colo. 72), and Allenspark (Colo. 7) under different designations.
Heading south from Estes Park on Colo. 7, you can reach two trailheads in the southeast corner of the national park, but there are no connecting roads to the main part of the park from those points. These are Longs Peak trailhead—the turnoff is 9 miles south of Estes Park and the trailhead about another mile, and Wild Basin trailhead—another 3½ miles south to the turnoff and then 2¼ miles to the trailhead.
In summer, a free national park shuttle bus runs from the Glacier Basin parking area to Bear Lake, with departures every 15 to 30 minutes.
Those who want to enter the national park from the west can take U.S. 40 north from I-70 through