Fall River Pass sits at 11,796 feet, and the Alpine Visitor Center perched beside it, at just over 12,000 feet on the ridge, is the highest of its kind in the national park system. This is the rooftop of the drive. The forest ended some time ago, and what is left is the tundra, a low, wind-clipped world of tiny cushion plants, lichens and flowers that bloom in a few weeks of summer. It looks like grass, but it grows only a few centimetres per year, and a single footprint can leave a scar that lasts decades. Please stay on the paths.
Trail Ridge Road, which crosses the Continental Divide for about eleven miles above the tree line, is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, topping out at 12,183 feet. It was built in the 1930s, opened in 1932, and replaced the older Fall River Road, a narrow gravel track that still runs one way uphill in summer. The modern road is a wonder of engineering, sweeping across the high ridge with wide views in every direction, and it is open only from about late May to mid October, depending on the snow.
Riders feel the altitude. Bikes run lean, and so do lungs. The wind can be fierce, with gusts strong enough to move a loaded motorcycle, and sudden weather, including hail, sleet or snow, can arrive in the middle of summer. Thunderstorms build over the ridge by early afternoon, and lightning is a real danger on an exposed road, so start early and be off the high ground by noon. Take warm gloves, a windproof jacket and a spare layer.
The visitor centre has a gift shop, a cafe serving coffee, hot chocolate and soup, and a stone-walled terrace with a view of the tundra. Elk and bighorn sheep are often seen grazing on the tundra, and marmots and pikas squeak from the rocks. Pikas are small relatives of rabbits that live only in cold rocky places and are now threatened by warming.
Take a moment to look at the view. On a clear day you can see across to the Never Summer Mountains, the Mummy Range and the long line of the Continental Divide. It is a landscape of great simplicity, and it is easy to see why people come back.