Above the Tree Line, Rocky Mountain National Park
by Catherine Sherman
Title
Above the Tree Line, Rocky Mountain National Park
Artist
Catherine Sherman
Medium
Photograph - Photography Painterly
Description
"Above the Tree Line, Rocky Mountain National Park" by Catherine Sherman.
Starkly beautiful and majestic is this view of the Rocky Mountains from above the tree line on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Trail Ridge Road is the name for a 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. The road, which is about 48 miles long (77 kilometers) is also known as Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway. It was opened in 1932.
Trail Ridge Road is closed during the winter, and often remains closed until late spring or early summer depending on the snowpack. It requires access to Rocky Mountain National Park even for local residents.
From Kawuneeche Visitor Center at the park's Grand Lake Entrance, Trail Ridge Road follows the North Fork of the Colorado River north through the Kawuneeche Valley. There are several trailheads along this section of the road, notably the Colorado River Trailhead, which is the western terminus of the road segment closed during the winter.
The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (elev. 10,758 feet or 3,279 meters) and reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet (3,713 meters), near Fall River Pass (elev. 11,796 feet or 3,595 meters). Near the highest point on the road is another pass, Iceberg Pass (elev. 11,827 feet or 3,605 meters).
Trail Ridge had been used by Native Americans to cross the mountains between their home lands in the west and hunting areas on the east side. Arapahoe Indians called the trail located on the ridge as "taienbaa" ("Where the Children Walked") because it was so steep that children could not be carried, but had to walk. The Ute tribe crossing the mountains at Forest Canyon Pass marked their route with stone cairns. The present park Ute Trail follows partially that ancient route.
Trail Ridge Road was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Featured in "Images That Excite You" group (09/12/2018)
Uploaded
August 29th, 2018
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