- City:
- Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
- Site Type:
- Parks and Recreation, Park Roads and Bridges
- New Deal Agencies:
- Bureau of Public Roads (BPR), Public Works Funding
- Started:
- 1933
- Completed:
- 1936
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Marked:
- No
- Site Survival:
- Partially Extant
Description
Trail Ridge Road is the main route across Rocky Mountain National Park It is a marvel of highway engineering and provides stunning views of the park, particularly as it traverses the alpine regions above timber line. The road is 48 miles long and its summit near the Alpine Ranger Station is over 12,000 feet. It is the highest continuous paved road in North America and is now a National Scenic Byway.
Trail Ridge Road was built by the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) and its contractors in 1929-32, to replace the old Fall River road. It was a fully engineered, graded and graveled road by 1932, but not yet entirely finished. Further work to complete the road was approved in late 1932 and took place from 1933 to 1936, under the New Deal.
The first stage consisted of adding 3 to 8 inches of gravel bedding, followed by oiling. This work covered the 29 miles through the high country from the Colorado River to Horseshoe Park and was completed in 1934. Surfacing was done by Everly & Allison of Albuquerque NM and cost $119,000.
Subsequently, bituminous paving (asphalt) was added over the new road bed in 1935 by C.V. Hallenbeck Company of Denver CO. Hallenbeck also did much of the needed maintenance work where the harsh winters and spring runoff had revealed weakness in the road bed and adjoining slopes. In various places, drainage was improved, road bed reconstructed, and slopes reinforced.
Maintenance (including snow removal) from 1934 to 1936 cost $64,900 and was carried out under the direction of the BPR, with the helped of unskilled labor recruited from the unemployment rolls in Larimer County.
At the time of its construction, Trail Ridge Road was still known as the Fall River Pass Road and State Highway 1 (now State Highway 34).
Source notes
W.L Lafferty, Final Construction Report (1933-34) on Fall River National Park Highway, Project 1-A-B-C, Surfacing. US Department of Agriculture: Bureau of Public Roads, District #3. April 23, 1935.
W.L. Lafferty, Final Post Construction and Maintenance Report (1934-36) on Fall River Pass National Park Highway, Project 1-A-B-C. US Department of Agriculture: Bureau of Public Roads, District #3. March 9, 1937
Amy Law, A Natural History of Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park's Highway to the Sky. Charleston SC: The History Press, 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_Ridge_Road/Beaver_Meadow_National_Scenic_Byway
Site originally submitted by Richard Walker on August 19, 2022.
At this Location:
- Aspenglen Amphitheater - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Moraine Park Museum - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Staff Residential Area - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Bear Lake Comfort Station - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Fall River Road to Trail Ridge Road Connector - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Fall River Entrance Ranger Station - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Shadow Mountain Lookout - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Timber Creek Campground and Comfort Stations - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Recreational Development - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Trails and Trail Renovation - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Gem Lake Trail Improvements - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Utility Area - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Moraine Park Amphitheater - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- Trail Ridge Road Rock Walls - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
- CCC Camps (former) - Rocky Mountain National Park CO
View all sites at Rocky Mountain National Park - CO (19 Sites)
Site Details
Federal Cost | Total Cost |
---|---|
$180.00 | $180.00 |
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