The highest continuous paved road in the United States — climbing to 12,183 feet through Rocky Mountain National Park. Eleven miles of the road sit above treeline in a landscape of alpine tundra where plants survive winds of 200 mph.

Stops on This Tour (10)

1. 1
   Estes Park — Beaver Meadows Entrance The gateway town nestles in a mountain valley at 7,500 feet. The Stanley Hotel — inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining — overlooks the town from a rocky outcrop.
2. 2
   Bear Lake Road Junction Moraine Park opens before you — a glacial valley where elk herds graze in the meadows below towering mountain walls. The first taste of Rocky Mountain grandeur.
3. 3
   Many Parks Curve — 9,620 feet The road begins its serious climb. Looking east, a succession of glacial valleys — the "parks" — cascade downward toward the Great Plains.
4. 4
   Rainbow Curve — 10,829 feet Krummholz trees — wind-stunted spruces twisted into tortured shapes — mark the transition to the subalpine zone. Treeline approaches.
5. 5
   Forest Canyon Overlook — 11,716 feet A 2,500-foot drop into Forest Canyon reveals a glacial valley floor studded with lakes. You are now above treeline in the alpine tundra.
6. 6
   Rock Cut — 12,110 feet A trail through the Tundra Communities leads past cushion plants and alpine wildflowers. These tiny plants may be centuries old, growing fractions of an inch per year.
7. 7
   Alpine Visitor Center — 11,796 feet The highest visitor center in the National Park system. Mountain views stretch to Wyoming and Kansas on clear days. Watch for altitude sickness above 10,000 feet.
8. 8
   Medicine Bow Curve — 11,640 feet The Never Summer Mountains line the western horizon. Indigenous people gathered here to harvest bow-making wood — the "medicine" that gave the range its name.
9. 9
   Milner Pass — Continental Divide At 10,759 feet, you cross the Continental Divide. Rain falling here either flows east to the Gulf of Mexico or west to the Pacific Ocean.
10. 10
    Grand Lake — West Entrance Colorado's largest natural lake sits at 8,369 feet. The western gateway to the park offers a quieter, more contemplative counterpart to busy Estes Park.

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