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Alpine Visitors Center, Rocky Mountain National Park
Categories: Active Life Parks Active Life Hiking Parks, Hiking [Edit]
Trail Ridge Rdat Fall River Pass
Rocky Mountain National Park, CO 80517
(970) 586-1206
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Alpine Visitors Center, Rocky Mountain National Park
4 reviews in English
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Review from Jamie W.
7/27/2011 7 photos
I love this place for so many reasons...
#1 - Shopping in the middle of nowhere! Now I realize that I'm supposed to be enjoying the park (which I was), but this place has some amazing finds. Great crafts... beautiful pottery... one of a kind jewelry... and it all appears to be made in the great state of Colorado! I bought a really pretty green and blue pot for only $30. Plus, they wrapped it up safely for my airplane for free!
#2 - It's COLD out there. Don't think for a sec that just because it's July you can't technically get into a snowball fight up there! It's high up, cold and windy. The air feels a little thin. With that being said, the buildings give you a bit of a respite from the teeth chattering cold wind.
#3 - Great views. Yes, this is why I came to Rocky Mountain National Park! An amazing stop with plenty of parking, 360 degree landscapes and plenty of animals roaming the tundra.
Do stop here on your way through the park. Chances are you'll be needing a restroom by the time you hit it so you may as well get some shopping done while you're there.
PS - This place must rake it in from people like myself who think just because it's summer down in Estes it must be summer at 12,000 feet (duh). Sick of freezing for the past two hours in an outfit meant for 90 degree weather, I most definitely bought myself a fleece sweatshirt and very, very thankful that I did!Listed in: Let's go to Colorado!
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Review from Jax U.
East Bay, CA
12/8/2010
I am deathly afraid of heights.
This can be a shocker to some because I love hiking mountains, especially peaks. I can proudly say that I am a thrill seeker and enjoy getting the living daylights scared out of me. The accomplishment at the end of an adventure is what drives me to look passed this intruding fear and jump in head first.
As we drove up the windy road, I held on to my then SO leg until he told me that I was digging my nails too deep into his arm, leg, any limb I could find. Not the good digging, but the, "you're-hurting-the-hell-out-of-me. Let-go and-breathe-digging." All I kept telling myself was, "Don't look down." And of course, I did numerous times. I don't like to listen to authority, and clearly, I don't listen to myself either. On the way, we managed to hike an extremely steep mountainside. I watched every little step I made, cringed with delight, spotted several animals atop, and got a killer (thank goodness this wasn't literal) workout to boot.
Yours truly made it to the top of this spectacular visitor center, drove by enormous glaciers, enjoyed a warm, delicious lunch, somehow got it down after an hour of being queasy, and took in breathtaking views from the top of the world. I'm happy to say that I made a smooth transition from the car to the cafeteria even after a couple of hours of freaking out. Though I should note, I do apologize for the transitions in this review. My paragraphs are all over the place, but this goes perfectly with the scattered brain afternoon I had here.
As far as the visitor center goes, there are several eating options, including soups and sandwiches that are actually very tasty. If you feel like doing some shopping, don't fret, the AVC has the coolest, largest knick knacks to spend a pretty penny or two.
Note: The road can be a little bumpy from time to time. Parking at the top can be challenging at times, too, but don't let these minor nuisances stand in your way.
A drive to the Rockies wouldn't be the same without witnessing the views from the Alpine Visitors Center. An out of body experience in the making.
Acrophobia folks: If you're like me, don't look down (listen to yourself), take a piece of spearmint gum in case you get nauseous, don't drive, bring happy music for the ride, and trim your nails. Your driving companion will appreciate it. -
Review from Jef B.
Sacramento, CA
8/2/2007 2 photos
I am very glad that the visitor center is up there. I had my sixteen-year-old daughter with us on our way up Fall River Road, and she had a bladder issue by the time we got to the Visitor Center. Further, she is a bit of a town mouse, and I think having that little bit of pavement up there made the experience a bit more comforting. The restrooms were clean.
The view from the Alpine Visitors Center as usual was grand, looking down as it does on a bowl-shaped valley that must be a source of many of the streams and waterfalls below. There was still unmelted ice in the hillside. I walked the steps leading up the slope on the other side of the parking lot; when you get to the top, a sign announces you are at 12,005 feet. I believe this is the highest you can get in the park without packing up one of the rugged trails leading to the top of the many fourteeners (peaks at 14,000 feet or higher; I have myself been to the top of Flat Top Mountain, one of the easier fourteeners to scale).
Keep walking past that 12,005 foot high signage, and you will find yourself an amazing view of the glaciated Poudre Valley. Where the glacier was can easily be seen; in that location the ground is scoured clean of trees.
The gift shop as usual had nice quality merchandise, and we bought an Indian handcrafted soapstone piece for my mother-in-law back in Chicago. I was interested to learn that the visitors center gift and snack shops are now run by the Fred Harvey Trading Company, a division of Xanterra. Apparently that whole side of the Alpine Visitor Center has been privatized. Though I am thankful that they still carry quality Indian crafts, in general I find the total immersion in knick knacks and souvenirs distasteful.
Due to remodeling the snack shop was a ghost of its former self. The only things available for sale were packaged goods and god-knows-how-old hot dogs. The coffee was weak and stale. There was no place for diners to sit once they had ordered food. If you wanted to buy an apple, there was no place to wash it. I bought a mottled banana of great apparent age. It was the least unappealing item up there. -
Review from Alden C.
Fort Collins, CO
3/17/2011
A very nice place to stop while on Trail Ridge road. It is quite a climb up via car regardless if you are coming up from Estes Park or Grand Lake. Lots of good scenery to take pictures of and absorb. The visitor's center has lots of great information and history about the park and offers wonderful views to the typical car driver. A must if you are driving through the park!
