Rocky Mountain National Park: Alpine Ridge Trail (Blog Hike #816)

Trail: Alpine Ridge Trail
Hike Location: Rocky Mountain National Park
Geographic Location: north of Grand Lake, CO (40.44156, -105.75365)
Length: 0.8 miles
Difficulty: 9/10 (Difficult)
Date Hiked: July 2020
Overview: A short but steep climb to fantastic above-treeline views.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=824423
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts at Rocky Mountain National Park's Alpine Visitor Center, which is located on US 34 22 miles east of Grand Lake.  Park in the parking lot in front of the Visitor Center.

The hike: For my general comments on Rocky Mountain National Park (known as "Rocky" for short), see my hike in the park's Wild Basin area.  Most national parks have a scenic drive that allows visitors to see the park's most famous scenery by car, but Rocky's Trail Ridge Road may be my favorite drive in the entire national park system.  The road traces its narrow namesake ridge and stays above treeline for nearly 10 miles, so the views down into the surrounding ravines are broad and deep.

            Several of Rocky's hiking trails take you above treeline, but the shortest and possibly easiest hike above treeline is the Alpine Ridge Trail described here.  The trail starts at the 11,796-foot Alpine Visitor Center, and it climbs to a 360-degree view at just over 12,000 feet.  The hike's "ease" and location near a major Visitor Center make it very popular, so you will not be alone on this trail.  Nevertheless, the climb and altitude will get you winded quickly, and the altitude combined with the wind can make for chilly conditions.  I came here in late July when the temperature was in the 80's in the park's gateway towns, and I needed a jacket for the windy 56-degree weather I encountered up here.

Alpine Ridge Trail's trailhead

            From the Alpine Visitor Center, walk north across the upper end of Fall River Road to find the signed trailhead for the Alpine Ridge Trail.  The trail starts by climbing a set of concrete steps before curving right and climbing gradually on first an asphalt and then gravel trail.  Although you are only a couple hundred feet above treeline, nice views emerge east down Fall River's valley.

View down Fall River's valley

Climbing the stone steps

            Soon you start climbing the first of two sets of stone steps.  Imagine the effort it must have taken to cut these huge stones and move them to this location!  Some signs identify common plants in the alpine tundra, which sports a unique blend of flowers and grasses.

View north toward Mummy Range

View west toward Never Summer Mountains

            After topping the second set of stone steps, you reach the small flat area at the top of this knob.  The majestic 13,000-foot peaks of the Mummy Range appear just to the north, while the jagged Never Summer Mountains on the park's west boundary appear across the valley to the west.  Few areas give you the top-of-the-world feeling that this knob does, so take some time to enjoy the views.  The trail ends at this viewpoint, so your only option is to climb back down the stone steps to return to the Visitor Center and complete this hike.  While you are here, be sure to browse the exhibits in the Alpine Visitor Center at this hike's trailhead; they provide more information about the high elevation habitats found up here.