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A superb alternative is the day hike to beautiful Chasm Lake at the mountain’s base. Longs Peak (14,259 feet) is the park’s highest summit. Check the park’s Road Status Report for the latest details. Trail Ridge Road is generally open from late May to mid-October.

Just before Trail Ridge Road opened in 1932, Horace Albright, director of the National Park Service, described it by saying, “You will have the whole sweep of the Rockies before you in all directions.” Along the way to the road’s summit at 12,183 feet, you climb from foothills covered in ponderosa pine to spruce-fir forests to the alpine tundra above timberline. Trail Ridge Road is one of the most scenic routes in the United States, as well as the country’s highest continuous paved road-in other words, the highest route that doesn’t simply ascend to a dead end. Since several of the don’t-miss sights in Rocky Mountain National Park are on or near Trail Ridge Road, the road itself is obviously one of the park’s standout attractions. (Actually, these are the top 11, if you’re counting we couldn’t help ourselves.) Here’s ours, though: the top 10 sights in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Whether you simply drive through or spend several days hiking the park, you’ll no doubt create your own list. The park is stunningly beautiful everywhere you look. We’ll guide you to and through the park and all its scenic wonders.ĭetermining the best sights in Rocky Mountain National Park is a subjective exercise. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Rocky Mountain before you head to the park.

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Rocky Mountain National Park trip planner-our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Rocky Mountain.

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