September 15, 2024
Most, maybe all, of my posts so far cover multiple days and are centered around a town or park. This post is all about the drive from Loveland to Grand Lake, across the Rockies, through Rocky Mountain National Park, via the Trail Ridge Road.
Estes Park is the Gateway town to RMNP on the East Side and Grans Lake is the Gateway Town on the West Side.
From Wikipedia: “Trail Ridge Road is the name for the 48-mile (77 km) stretch of U.S. Highway 34 that traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in the west. Together with the connecting 6.9-mile (11 km) Beaver Meadow Road (U.S. Highway 36), Trail Ridge Road forms the 55-mile (89 km) Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, an All-American Road. With a high point at 12,183 feet (3,713 m) elevation, Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in North America. The higher portion of Trail Ridge Road is closed from October to May.”
There are many posts on the airstream forums website asking about ease of towing a trailer on this route. I did a little review and went for it. There are switch backs, hair pin turns, and distracting scenery but with plenty of places to pull over I did not find it difficult at all.
Here are pictures. I’m committed to a dash cam before my next trip because the drive entering the park from Estes is amazing but there is no opportunity to stop for a picture.
