
And you can also visit the Alpine Visitor Center, the highest visitor center in the USA.Įlk on Trail Ridge Road | Best Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National ParkĪlpine Ridge Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Road | Best Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National Park A few great hikes start and end along this road. The views from the overlooks are stunning. Along the way, there is a good chance that you will spot bighorn sheep and elk. Trail Ridge Road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass. It reaches its highest point at 12,183 feet. 11 miles of this road is located in the alpine tundra, which is above the treeline. Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through road, not only in Colorado, but also in the entire US national park system.įor 48 miles, this road runs from Estes Park in the east to Grand Lake in the west. In 2022, 4.3 million people visited Rocky Mountain National Park, ranking it 4th by the number of visitors.īest Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National Park 1.

This is one of the most visited national parks in the USA. In 1976, UNESCO designated this park as one of the world’s first Biosphere Reserves. Rocky Mountain National Park officially became a national park on January 26, 1915.

This photo was taken on the Ute Trail to Tombstone Ridge. Approximately one-third of Rocky Mountain National Park is alpine tundra.Īlpine tundra (with Longs Peak and the Rocky Mountains in the background). Above 11,000 feet, trees disappear, temperatures drop, and wildlife becomes scarce. The alpine tundra encompasses the highest areas of the park. Journey higher to the subalpine region (9,000 to 11,000 feet), into the evergreen forests and mountain lakes. The lowest zone (Montane, from 5,600 to 9,500 feet) encompasses the meadows and the lower slopes of the mountains. Several ecological zones can be seen in the park. You can cross the Continental Divide by foot or by driving Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved through road in the national park system. The Continental Divide runs north south through the park.

Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet, is the only fourteener in the park, but for serious hikers, getting to the top of this behemoth is one of the best things to do in Rocky Mountain National Park. There are sixty mountain peaks over 12,000 feet and many of these top out over 13,000 feet. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the highest national parks in the USA. Interesting Facts about Rocky Mountain National Park Best Time to Visit Rocky Mountain National Park.How Much Time Do You Need in Rocky Mountain National Park?.Map of Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National Park.Best Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National Park.Interesting Facts about Rocky Mountain National Park.
