Trail Ridge Road
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| Trail Ridge Road | |
Schematic map of the Trail Ridge Road
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| Route information | |
| Maintained by NPS | |
| Length: | 48 mi (77 km) |
| Existed: | 1932 – present |
| Tourist routes: |
 Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | Grand Lake |
| East end: | Estes Park |
| Location | |
| Counties: | Grand County, Larimer County |
| Highway system | |
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Colorado State Highways
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Trail Ridge Road
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| NRHP Reference # | 84000242 |
| Added to NRHP | November 14, 1984 |
Trail Ridge Road is the name for a stretch of U.S. Highway 34 that traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in the west. The road is also known as Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway,
Trail Ridge Road is closed during the winter, and often remains closed until late spring or early summer depending on the snowpack. It requires access to Rocky Mountain National Park even for local residents.
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. 10,758 ft or 3,279 m) and reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft (3,713 m), near Fall River Pass (elev. 11,796 ft or 3,595 m). Near the highest point on the road is another pass, Iceberg Pass (elev. 11,827 ft or 3,605 m).
According 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.
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.
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Wikipedia