Rocky Mountain National Park and beyond

Views from Old Fall River Road


Grand Lake and our $30 condo



We decided to come across the Rockies on a different road, though still in the Park. We took the Old Fall River Road from the east side of the park to where it connects with the Trail Ridge Road at Fall River Pass. The Old Fall River Road is the original road across the Park and was built in the early 20’s. After digging it out and cleaning up the avalanches they decided they needed a different path so they built the Trail Ridge Road which follows the trail the Utes used to get across the mountains. Need I comment on the lunacy of building a road full of switchbacks up the side of vertical mountains when right next door is a path that has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years? All that aside the Old Fall River Road was a delight. Although not paved it is not very rutty and the surface is packed rather than gravel. It is a one way road with a 15 mph speed limit and no one on it is trying to make time. Other than the switchbacks used to gain elevation it follows the Fall River which tumbles and falls from the pass to the valley floor where it becomes a marsh before returning to its identity as a river. It was a very low wildlife day. We did get to add deer mouse to our mammal list – not because we saw one but because we were able to identify one that we saw the day before – and we got to see a nice beaver dam – not as good as seeing the beaver but beggars can’t be choosers.

We followed Trail Ridge Road down the west side of the mountains and picked up the headwaters of the Colorado River. After a wonderful ice cream stop at Grand Lake we followed the Colorado west to the junction with Hwy 40. At that point we decided that since we weren’t in a giant rush, the weather is fabulous and distances aren’t as great as we thought, we would see what Steamboat Springs is all about. As skiers we have heard about it forever and wanted to see for ourselves. Of course there is no skiing going on right now but . . . . . We found the library in Kremmling (with some help from the Chamber of Commerce) and used their wifi to check and see if Worldmark had a condo open for last night. They did (for about $30) and off we went to Steamboat Springs. It is beautiful. Not high rugged mountains like the park but since we are in the middle of northern Colorado everything is high. The aspen are turning and mixed in with the pines and alpine fir it is beautiful. Another place to return to.

Four trivia items for today:
1) Did you know that most libraries have wifi so if you are traveling with your computer you can find the library and log in.
2) How does water from the Colorado River flow into the Atlantic Ocean, especially with the continental divide in the way? They built a tunnel from Grand Lake (at the southest westest corner of Rocky Mountain Park) to Estes Park (near the north east corner of the Park) to feed the reservoirs near Denver.
3) Those wire boxes of rocks they use to shore up roads are called “Gabion”s.
4) The stunted shrub like trees up in the alpine areas are called “Krummholz”.

Park mammal count: 11 – deer, chipmunk, big horn sheep, mountain goat, red squirrel, prairie dog, rabbit, buffalo, elk, red squirrel aka chickaree, pika, golden-mantled ground squirrel, least chipmunk
Trip mammal count: 17 - deer, moose, chipmunk, big horn sheep, mountain goat, antelope, rabbit, mule deer, red squirrel aka chickaree, prairie dog, buffalo, ground squirrel, Abert’s squirrel, elk, pika, golden-mantled ground squirrel, least chipmunk, deer mouse
Dollars saved on this trip with Park Pass: $82.00