This hike to Forest Canyon Pass begins from the Poudre Lake Trailhead at Milner Pass, located 15.7 miles north of the Grand Lake Entrance, and 4.2 miles south of the Alpine Visitor Center. While it’s a short hike, you’ll climb 300 feet in elevation in just a quarter mile and at 11,796 feet elevation, it can feel pretty dang strenuous. All Rights Reserved. Great Climb Up the Alpine Ridge Trail. Starting Elevation: 11,601ft. While the visitor center itself is quite small, the adjacent gift shop is extensive and there is also a restaurant and pit toilets onsite. Call the Trail Ridge Road Status Line at 970-586-1222 for more information on road status. Luckily, the next day when we arrived just before lunch time, we were able to find one of just a few spots left! Adjacent to the visitor center is the Trail Ridge Store and Café, the only snack bar and restaurant in Rocky Mountain National Park. Although a very short hike, the trail is fairly steep, gaining more than 200 feet in just three-tenths of a mile. We had plans to make that drive the next day and seeing it from this angle just sealed the deal. In mid-summer, the visitor center is also usually accessible by Old Fall River Road, a 9-mile dirt road open to one-way, uphill vehicle traffic. It is the highest visitor center in the National Park System.[1]. Open summer only: elevation 11,796 ft. (3,595 m). Food, drinks, and pets are not allowed in any park visitor centers. Great stop along Trail Ridge Road primarily to walk the Alpine Ridge Trail for some incredible views of the alpine tundra at an elevation of over 12,000 ft. At the Visitor Center, you’ll find park information, a ranger-staffed desk to answer questions, a bookstore, interpretative exhibits about the alpine tundra ecosystem and mountain geology, and accessible flush restrooms. This is the highest visitor center in the National Park Service! The van struck a stopped vehicle, which was then pushed up on the sidewalk in front of the Alpine Visitor Center, a popular stop at an elevation of 11,796 feet. The Alpine Visitor Center, at 11,796’, is the highest elevation visitor center in the National Park System. Many links on this site are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link and purchase the item, I may receive a small affiliate commission — it costs you nothing extra but helps me keep the lights on and the hosting for this site paid. From here, hike the Alpine Ridge Trail. Where four distinct seasons offer something for everyone in our outdoor paradise from quiet relaxation to a myriad of recreational activities. It, along with a large portion of Trail Ridge Road, is closed in the winter due to snow. Webcams in the Park: Fall River, Beaver Meadows, Kawuneeche Valley, Alpine Visitor Center. At higher points, like Bear Lake, Trail Ridge Road, or Longs Peak, it may snow even in July. Bountiful winter snow and late-spring snowstorms delayed its … Privacy | Affiliate Disclaimer | Contact, Medicine Bow Curve Scenic Overlook On Trail Ridge Road, Broadway At Music Circus Presents Mamma Mia! The wet weather pattern for the Northwest will continue for one more day, as a strong cold front sweeps through the region on Monday. This overlook gave us our first views of Old Fall River Road, an 11 mile, 15 mph, one-way dirt road that stretches from Horseshoe Park near the Fall River Entrance Station to the visitor center. Elevation above sea level: 11,796 ft. --- the highest visitor center in the National Park Service! Use the link at the left to go to our Webcams page -- Alpine Visitors Center has a webcam on its' observation deck looking east over Fall River Cirque. It is the highest visitor center in the National Park System. Alpine Visitor Center (credit: Rocky Mountain National Park) Over the next 20 meandering miles of Trail Ridge Road, catch views of glacier-carved valleys, daunting peak summits that loom in all directions and distant crystalline lakes. ), Interpretative exhibits about the alpine tundra ecosystem, mountain geology, and animals living in the park, A ranger-staffed desk to answer questions and ranger-led park orientations and interpretive programs on the alpine tundra, The Alpine Ridge Trail, a short 0.25 mile out and back trail totaling 0.5 miles. The Laguna Visitor’s Center is located on Sunrise Highway (mile marker 23.5) in the heart of Mount Laguna. Not only is it a HUGE store with gifts, clothing, jewelry, crafts, toys, games, food, drinks, and almost anything else you can think of, but it has a pressed penny machine and Carter collects pennies from all of our family adventures. at the Alpine Visitor Center. Alpine Visitor Center. 3348 Alpine Boulevard Alpine, CA 91901 (619) 445-6235 Fax - (619) 445-1753. Castle Mountain off Fall River Road: Currently Under Repair. NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service. Elevation: 11,796 feet (3,595.42 meters). Alpine Visitor Center is just one of approximately half a dozen visitor centers that are located in the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The visitor center offers magnificent views of the alpine tundra and has a bookstore, gift shop and snack bar {great spot for some hot chocolate!} It’s the perfect place to enjoy lunch and take in the views of the beautiful Fall River Cirque. The trail starts off by circling around the southern end of Poudre Lake. Here's an example: Denver's elevation is 5,225 feet, Estes Park 7,522 feet, and the Alpine Visitor Center inside Rocky Mountain National Park is at 11,796 feet. Rocky Mountain National Park's Alpine Visitor Center is located at 11,796 feet (3,595 m) above sea level at Fall River Pass, one mile west of the highest point on Trail Ridge Road and four miles east of the Continental Divide at Milner Pass in the U.S. state of Colorado. While the visitor center itself is quite small, the adjacent gift shop is extensive and there is also a restaurant Type: Museums, National Park, Scenic Viewpoint, Visitor CenterDetails: Colorado, Dining, Educational, Hiking, Larimer County, Rocky Mountain National Park, Shopping, Walking, PreviousMedicine Bow Curve Scenic Overlook On Trail Ridge Road, Broadway At Music Circus Presents Mamma Mia! There is no other town that packs so much charm and so much to do into only 2.1 square miles. It is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Memorial Day weekend through mid-October, depending on weather. The Alpine Ridge Trail begins from the far end of the parking area for the Alpine Visitor Center atop Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. At 11,796 feet elevation, the Alpine Visitor Center is the highest national park visitor center in the United States. Yes, that means I am also an Amazon Associate and earn a small commission from qualifying Amazon purchases referred from links on this site. I knew we’d visit Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, Fall River Visitor Center, and Kawuneeche Visitor Center because they are all near major park entrances, and the Moraine Park Discovery Center because it’s off Bear Lake Road in one of the most popular areas of Rocky Mountain National Park, but the one I was most excited to visit, the one that I knew would be unlike any other visitor center we have been to, was the Alpine Visitor Center. Alpine visitor Center - A chance to make a "pit stop" before you begin your journey to the other side or return to your favorite side. The Alpine Visitor Center is the perfect halfway point, when driving Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park and Grand Lake. Alpine Visitor Center, Alpine, Wyoming. Fees: $20 fee to enter Rocky Mountain National Park, valid 7 consecutive days. All affiliate links on this site use "/aff/" in the URL to denote that it is an affiliate link. Views from the Alpine Visitor Center include the Mummy Range, the Fall River Valley, and Trail Ridge to the east and the Never Summer and Medicine Bow ranges to the west and north. (3,664 m) Net Elevation Gain: 422ft. ESTES PARK, Colo. (CBS4) — In Rocky Mountain National Park, snowplow drivers have cleared most of Trail Ridge Road — but the Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store (elevation … Residents. Hikers will follow the old Ute Trail all the way up to Forest Canyon Pass. We skipped the restaurant food however, and opted for a tailgate picnic in the parking lot. I would add that the Tundra Communities Trail… It’s a very short hike (just over a half-mile round trip), but it will literally take your breath away. Copyright © 2020 Bourn Creative, LLC. The visitor center opens around Memorial Day and closes around mid-October due to snow and the extreme winter environment. In fact, the Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store (elevation 11,796 feet) are still buried up to their roofs. At the Visitor Center, you’ll find park information, a ranger-staffed desk to answer questions, a bookstore, interpretative exhibits about the alpine tundra ecosystem and mountain geology, and accessible flush restrooms. On this road trip, you will reach over 12,000 ft in elevation! The first time we drove by, the parking lot was closed. At the Trail Ridge Store and Café adjacent to the Alpine Visitor Center, you’ll find the only restaurant and snack bar in the national park, as well as a huge store with food, drinks, clothing, gifts, souvenirs, games and toys, artwork, and much more. Visit the Alpine Visitor Center early or late in the day. Photo: vermontalm/Shutterstock. While it’s a short hike, you’ll climb 300 feet in elevation in just a quarter mile and at 11,796 feet elevation, it can feel pretty dang strenuous — which is probably why we heard people calling the hillside it climbs, Alpine Visitor Center is located in Fall River Pass on Trail Ridge Road in. Come and visit us! The parking lot is busy from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm and during these hours, you may be unable to park. Bear Lake, Trail Ridge Road Status provide Park orientation and interpretive programs on Alpine. Literally take your breath away driving Trail Ridge Road at the Alpine visitor center in the Park. 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