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Trail Ridge Road Through Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Location
Rocky Mountain National Park is located northwest of Denver, Colorado. It has an area of 414 square miles. For comparison, the size of the English county of Bedfordshire is 477 square miles.
Denver is on the western edge of the Great Plains, which slope gently upwards from the Mississippi valley westwards. Denver is known as the mile high city because of its altitude above sea level. Immediately to the west of Denver the massive front range of the Rocky Mountains rises, marking a sharp transition from the plains. The Rocky Mountain National Park is located in this front range.
Description
The Trail Ridge Road, US34 through Rocky Mountain National Park, is the highest through road in the USA. Even in June you drive between eight foot high walls of snow. The highest point on the road is at 12,183 feet, well above the treeline and into tundra. The ascent is equivalent to driving hundreds of miles north into the arctic regions of Canada.
The Trail Ridge Road is a high quality road, paved for its entire length. The views from the road are magnificent.
This road hasn't got a toll as such but in order to drive it you must pay the entrance fee for the National Park through which it runs.
Winter Access
This road is closed in winter. The road closes with the first heavy snowfall, which can occur any time from late September to mid-November. The road normally re-opens around Memorial Day weekend near the end May, subject to snowfall.
External Links
For winter road closure information, including the Trail Ridge Road, select "Alerts and Restrictions". Verified May-04.
Colorado
Colorado Plateau
Highest Roads in North America
Historic Trails, Named Roads, etc
Mountains
Mountain Roads
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As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.
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Most recently modified 12-May-04