8/11/11 Old Fall River Road

We found the webpage "Rocky in a Day" that suggested what to see and do if you only had one day in RMNP. Since we didn't arrive until noon, we had to shorten that to "if you only had half a day," but we took this author's advice and weren't disappointed.

We skipped some of the stops after Bear Lake and headed straight to Old Fall River Road. It is 9 miles of one-lane, narrow, dirt road filled with switchbacks . . . totally worth it! Built in 1913, it was the first road to cross the Rockies in northern Colorado. Rodney said it was like driving on Mount Washington in New Hampshire only more so. Think of your skinniest road next to ledges with big drop offs and you've got a good picture of Old Fall River Road.

Yep. It's this treacherous most of the way. Pretty scary but soooo gorgeous.

The road climbed and climbed . . . lots of switchbacks . . . and pretty soon, we were above the tree line.

The Alpine Visitor Center is at the end of Old Fall River Road and its elevation is 11,798 feet. It's closed more often than its open due to snow.