Alpine Ridge Trail - 12,005'

Rocky Mountain National Park

We knew ahead of time that one day just wouldn't be enough in this, one of America's premier National Parks. We arrived early and entered the park from its quieter west side. We followed the Trail Ridge Road across the park stopping as much as time allowed to take in all the beauty. We made two short hikes along the way...one short walk near the Alpine Visitors Center and another mile hike along the Tundra Communities Trail. The weather was a constant threat as dark clouds were billowing overhead already before noon. We were originally hoping to head back across the park again on our way home but thunder and lightning were seen over the higher peaks as we reached the east side at Estes Park. We decided to call it a day but were hardly disappointed, what a day it had been...


Route Type: Out-and-back      Difficulty: EASY (Petzoldt Rating: 2.00 )      Mileage Hiked: 1.5 miles      Min. Elevation: 12,000'      Max Elevation: 12,355'     

Trails Used (blaze color): Alpine Ridge (unblazed), Tundra Communities (unblazed)


7-1-2008