Going above timberline on Fall River Road , headed toward the Alpine Visitor Center and gift shop on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Gallery – Fall River and Trail Ridge – September 2, 2009
(click on image for larger version)
Fall River Road was the first road to cross the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National park. It provided a connection from Estes Park over Fall River Pass to Grand Lake. The road was constructed between 1913 and 1920 by the State of Colorado and the two counties, Larimer and Grand, through which it crossed. It was the principle road across the park until completion of Trail Ridge Road in the 1930s, which follows the old route on the western side.
The nine-mile eastern segment, between Endovalley and Fall River Pass, remained in use until it was closed by rock slides in the 1950s. It was reopened in 1968 as a one-way motor road, widened over the years, but never paved. The restored segment offers motorists an experience similar to those of the first over-the road travelers in the park.
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