Getting your player ready...
This round trip is for a hooky day from work, for weekends on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park are almost too much to bear. But a weekday journey along the highest continuous paved road in the U.S., and its one-way compatriot, Old Fall River Road, is worth every second you’ll spend trolling for a parking spot at the Alpine Visitor Center. Now that the big plows have shoved aside a winter’s worth of snow, you’ll be tempted to race to the 12,182-foot summit so you can catch the high-altitude rush of standing in a spot that feels like the top of the world. Take your time, instead. Stop at all the pullouts to soak up sights that are like no other on Earth, and don’t forget to take the time to stop and smell the tundra flowers.
