Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Trail Ridge Road is the highest CONTINUOUSLY paved highway in the United States. It's also the highest road of any kind within the US National Park System. When you're driving Trail Ridge Road, it feels like you're in another world, in an environment you're not supposed to be in. There's an adrenaline rush as you wind your way up through the clouds and on to the top of a literal mountain.
It's an incredible accomplishment for humans to be able to access this type of environment and this video takes you through that process: why Trail Ridge Road was built, how they decided upon the route, how they actually built it, and why that's so important.
Trail Ridge Road is truly a marvel of engineering and one of the most significant roads in our National Parks. I hope you enjoy this love letter to it.
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Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/nationalparkdiaries
Follow me on Instagram: @nationalparkdiaries
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Sources and Resources:
NPS Trail Ridge Road Links:
nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/trail_ridge_road.htm
nps.gov/romo/learn/historyculture/trail_ridge_road_history.htm
National Register of Historic Places Nomination:
npshistory.com/publications/romo/nr-trail-ridge-road.pdf
Estes Park Trail Editorial
eparkhives.com/pdf/1912-1914-JY-Munson-Estes-Park-Trail.pdf
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) History of Trail Ridge Road:
tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/co/co0100/co0193/data/co0193data.pdf
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Images and Music:
NPS (John Marino)
Rocky Mountain National Park
Library of Congress
Denver Post
Storyblocks
Trail Ridge Road is the highest CONTINUOUSLY paved highway in the United States. It's also the highest road of any kind within the US National Park System. When you're driving Trail Ridge Road, it feels like you're in another world, in an environment you're not supposed to be in. There's an adrenaline rush as you wind your way up through the clouds and on to the top of a literal mountain.
It's an incredible accomplishment for humans to be able to access this type of environment and this video takes you through that process: why Trail Ridge Road was built, how they decided upon the route, how they actually built it, and why that's so important.
Trail Ridge Road is truly a marvel of engineering and one of the most significant roads in our National Parks. I hope you enjoy this love letter to it.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/nationalparkdiaries
Follow me on Instagram: @nationalparkdiaries
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sources and Resources:
NPS Trail Ridge Road Links:
nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/trail_ridge_road.htm
nps.gov/romo/learn/historyculture/trail_ridge_road_history.htm
National Register of Historic Places Nomination:
npshistory.com/publications/romo/nr-trail-ridge-road.pdf
Estes Park Trail Editorial
eparkhives.com/pdf/1912-1914-JY-Munson-Estes-Park-Trail.pdf
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) History of Trail Ridge Road:
tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/co/co0100/co0193/data/co0193data.pdf
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Images and Music:
NPS (John Marino)
Rocky Mountain National Park
Library of Congress
Denver Post
Storyblocks
