Touring - Trail Ridge Road

Anybody here ridden over Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mt. Nat'l Park? No plans to do so...just curious. There was 12' of snow on the way up there in June the only time I was there.

I rode over it (east to west) in July many years ago on a trip from Denver to Jasper Nat. Park. I had a gorgeous day without any thunderstorms. Because it was the beginning of the trip, I wasn't as acclimated to altitude as I became just a few days later. Once I got above 10,000 feet, I had to stop frequently to catch my breath. It gave me time to admire the marmots and the fantastic mountain scenery. 2 days later, I crossed Berthoud Pass, a much easier road, but even though Berthoud is 11,300 feet or so, I didn't have to stop at all on the way up. Of course, I was starting from over 9,000 feet for Berthoud. I crossed Loveland Pass (about 12,000) the next day, also more easily than Trail Ridge Rd. It seems to me Trail Ridge reaches 12,1-- feet or so.

I rode over it on the Bicycle Tour of Colorado in late June of 2004. A week earlier, the Ride the Rockies bike tour got snowed out trying to go over it but the snow had all cleared off by the time we rode it. We had overcast skies and fog but when we reached about 10,000 feet we ended up above the clouds and it was absolutely beautiful. The view was really cool looking down on a thick blanket of clouds as we rode in the sunshine to the top. My route guide shows it peaks out at 12,183 feet.

Anybody here ridden over Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mt. Nat'l Park? No plans to do so...just curious. There was 12' of snow on the way up there in June the only time I was there.

I lived 40 min "down the hill" from Trail Ridge so to speak for 13 years. It's a wonderful ride. If riding with full kit (loaded),have good, well maintained brakes for the descent's.

Richard

I lived 40 min "down the hill" from Trail Ridge so to speak for 13 years. It's a wonderful ride. If riding with full kit (loaded),have good, well maintained brakes for the descent's.

Richard

More importantly, have good well maintained lungs for the ascent;) . And low gears. Whatever you have now isn't low enough. Trust me on that.

And don't listen to Texans in motorhomes at Rainbow Curve who tell you that you are almost to the top. Rock Cut (the first summit on the east side) is a long way from 'the summit'. A long, hard, painful way from the top:o

Me too - west to east, July 2003. Day 3 of my first tour ever, and had been living at sea level. Needless to say it was quite difficult. Stellar road, though! No snow on the road, but there was still some on the slopes near the top of the pass.

I rode a lot of the Colorado passes last year, mostly in mid July to early August. Had great weather for the most part, just need to be off the road by about 3pm when the thundershowers regularly occur. The only one I would not want to repeat is Berthoud, it had hideously dangerous road construction. When they are done it should be OK, though. My favorites were Wolf Creek, Slumgullion and Independance.

Is is spring yet? :)
Anna

One recent busy late summer day in RMNP I was directed to the Old Fall River Road. This One-Way road is a less busy parallel alternative to the Trail Ridge Road if going from East to West. The surface was packed dirt and gravel suitable for road and mountain bikes. Nine miles or 14 km to the junction with Trail Ridge Road at the Alpine Visitors Center. A pleasant alternative with few cars at least on the day I climbed over it.