Variety of trails found on Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road at the treeline. Photo courtesy Rocky Mountain NPS.

Most visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park will travel U.S. Hwy. 34 – aka Trail Ridge Road – which traverse the Colorado park from Estes Park to Grand Lake. A number of diverse trails can be found along the highway.

Note that Hwy. 34 is known as Fall River Road from Estes Park west to the U.S. Hwy 36 intersection at Deer Ridge Junction. Also, Trail Ridge Road also closes during the winter as heavy snowfall makes it impassable at high elevations.

Heading east to west, the trails include:
• Lawn Lake Trail – The trailhead sits just north of Hwy. 34 off of Endovalley Road. Heading south, the trail crosses the Fall River and enters the meadow West Horseshoe Park. Going north, the trail runs to Roaring River near Horseshoe Falls.
• Ute Trail (Deer Ridge section) – At Deer Ridge Junction, go left/east onto U.S. Hwy. 36. The Ute Trail heads south from the Deer Junction Trailhead on its way to Upper Beaver Meadows.
• Ute Trail (Trail Ridge section) – This route, used by Native Americans to reach summer hunting grounds, crosses an alpine tundra. Park in a pull-off along the road’s south side.
• Forest Canyon Overlook Trail – A short trail cuts across the alpine tundra to a vista of a forest in the valley below. The parking lot is less than a mile from the Ute Trail trailhead.
• Mushroom Rocks Trail – A small trail heads to some interesting rock formations. Parking is in a pullout on the road’s south side, so be careful when crossing the highway.
• Toll Memorial Trail – The trail heads over an alpine tundra and past the Mushroom Rocks formation. It ends at sister rock outcroppings just beyond the Mushroom Rocks.
• Ute Trail (Fall River Pass section) – At the Fall River Pass, the trail goes west and downhill over more alpine tundra to the evergreen Forest Canyon Pass. Park in the lot for the Alpine Visitor Center.
• Alpine Ridge Trail – The route heads a mere 0.3 miles from the Alpine Visitor Center up 300 feet through an alpine tundra to the summit of Huffer’s Hill. Because of the altitude – 12,000 feet above sea level – it’ll probably be the toughest third of a mile you’ve ever walked.
• Poudre River Trail – After descending the ridge from the Alpine Visitor Center, this trail heads north through evergreens. It parallels the Cache la Poudre River.
• Milner Pass Trail – The route, a segment of the Ute Trail, crosses the Continental Divide, as it heads north from the Poudre Lake Trailhead toward the alpine tundra. It can be taken all the way to the Alpine Visitor Center.
• Lake Irene Trail – A short trail heads to pretty Lake Irene, which is surrounded by evergreens. The trail leaves from the Lake Irene Picnic Area.
• Colorado River Trail – The route runs to the ruins of an 19th century mining town, Lulu City, in a 6.2-miles round trip with 320-foot elevation gain. The trail leaves from the Colorado River Trailhead lot’s north side at 9040 feet above sea level.
• Timber Lake Trail – The trail runs south across Beaver Creek through an alpine forest to Timber Creek. The lot is on the road’s east side across from the Colorado River Trailhead.
• Holzwarth Trail – The trail – unpaved Ditch Road – crosses the Colorado River and ends at the Holzwarth Historic Site. To find the parking lot, watch for the sign announcing the historic site.
• Bowen/Baker Trail – The sand road crosses the Colorado River and a meadow then enters the forest. Baker Trail splits north, paralleling a creek through Barker Gulch then curving around Baker Mountain to a mountain pass. Bowen Trail heads south to Gaskill Cemetery in Bowen Gulch.
• Coyote Valley Trail – The trail runs north-south alongside the Colorado River. An expansive meadow sits west of the path.
• Onahu Creek Trail – The route heads north from the trailhead to Onahu Creek and splits with one route heading back to a point farther north on the highway and the other eastward alongside the creek. It also goes south to the Green Mountain Trail.
• Green Mountain Trail – Going west on the trail leads hikers through a forest beneath Green Mountain to a meadow surrounding Tonahutu Creek. Crossing the highway to the eastern portion of the trail loops through woods past Harbison Meadows.
• Kawuneeche Visitor Center Trail – From the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, the trail goes east into the forests alongside Harbison Ditch. Crossing the highway, it connects with the Green Mountain Trail.

Learn more about the park's day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Rocky Mountain National Park guidebook.