Old Fall River Road at Rocky Mountain National Park
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- čas přidán 5. 03. 2021
- Old Fall River Road is an amazing 4x4 road that will take you from the main Trail Ridge Road (down by the Alluvial Fan) up to the Alpine Visitor Center at 11,000 ft elevation at Rocky Mountain National Park. You pass Chasm Falls, have a chance to spot wildlife, and often are without other park visitors. This is a favorite activity of ours during our many travels to RMNP. Watch to see if you should add this to your RMNP itinerary.
This is one of my favorite drives, and I do it every year when I visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Up the Old Fall River Road, then back down Trail Ridge Road, stopping at all the stops on the way up and back. You do not need a 4x4 to drive this beautiful road. The last two years I've driven up in a Prius. The secret is to drive up shortly after it opens, before all the 4x4 drivers tear it up. If there are deep ruts in the road when you go up, just stay on top of the ruts.
Exactly what I wanted to know thank you
@@garymoore3446 Glad it's helpful. At the start of the video, you can see that the road looks in great shape. That's usually in the first days after the road opens, sometime around July 1 (this year that's the announced date). Before it's open for cars, the road is open to bicycles and hikers. If the road has ruts from getting torn up, trying to stay on top of the ruts is especially challenging on the hairpin turns, but it's doable. If a Prius can do it, any car can. Although one year when we drove up my daughter told me, "Dad, that was like the Indiana Jones Ride in Disneyland!" I only hit bottom three times, but other than needing a few bottom pan plugs replaced, there was no damage.
I drove this road in 1996 & again in 1997. I was driving a GMC Safari mini van. Scared the hell out of my wife & kids, but, they never forgot it & still talk about it.😎🇺🇸
Damn I don’t do heights but I did the trail ridge road wanted to this but I don’t think I’d survive haha
This is a wonderful guide to Fall River Road.
I drove up this road with my sisters. We were amazed at the beauty. It did scare us to death though.
Drove it in 2016 with a 15 passenger chevy window van, no issues.
Hey! Just wanted to say thank you for producing and sharing this video. I really appreciate the way you show both the map and the video of the trail itself. Add to that the first hand observations and it's just about the perfect overview of Old Fall River Road.
Great video!! Taking the road today!
Thank you for the information. Great Video. I didn’t know about Old Fall River Road until today. Looks like I’m going when it opens.
You are welcome. Enjoy your trip. It’s a cool road and will let you see areas many others don’t.
Thank you for taking the time to post this. Brings back great memories
You’re welcome.
This looks amazing & a lot to explore & learn about..it would be so cool to be there and see elk like that.. Thanks Chasing RV Sunshine- Joel, Deb & Maya
If you come visit RMNP in the fall you are guaranteed to see elk. They even take over the town of Estes Park a little bit. I recommend coming to visit that time of year.
It should be noted that this particular "alluvial fan" is not a natural formation. It was created when the poorly maintained Lawn Lake dam collapsed in 1982. It was cheaper to stick a sign on the rubble than to return the area to its natural state.
That's the most scary road I ever experienced with. Crazy!!
Haha yeah I don’t do heights it’s scary
Drove it twice last week in a rented Ford Edge. Drive whatever you'll be fine 😉
Great video
Great video! I’m heading up tomorrow morning from Denver for the day. Hopefully the weather will hold out.
It’s been unseasonably warm. So as long as the rain holds off you should be fine. Enjoy the day. RMNP is beautiful this time of year.
@@RVHomeschool yes, thanks again. I drove it yesterday and it was very beautiful. The Aspens are starting to change color! Take care.
👍👍
YOU CAN drive any vehicle up Old Fall River Rd. I’ve done it twice without my 4Runner.
My most recent drive up was in a Ford Focus lol
@@jooshfutterman ha! Love it!
Walked/drove/cycled this road numerous times over a 45+ year period....including a few days ago.....You definitely do not need a 4WD..... That would be needed on Mosquito Pass Road near Leadville!!
Video is super! It was very helpful to me. Can you please answer my questions? Do we need to book a time to go through this old fall river road? Like is it timed entry? Will I be stopped if I were to go on this road in my Toyota Camry?
I haven’t heard anything about timed entry for this specific road but you do need a timed entry pass to get into the general park during the summer.
No one will stop you with certain cars. I just wouldn’t go on a rainy day because you could get stuck without 4WD and there’s no guardrails on the route.
Would love to do this sometime. We went up the week before it opened so we’re not able to in 2020. Video is great. Any concerns with heavier vehicles on the road, like HD trucks/duallys etc?
No, the road is pretty wide. We only saw an issue with a minivan that was slipping. But I’m sure you have 4WD in a big truck like that.
How much time should I allow for old Fall River rd, and the trail road back down the mountain?
I would say an hour up and an hour down. Obviously the paved road will be faster going down but you’ll probably be dealing with more traffic.
Thanks. Any other recommendations in that area? I’m going on a dual sport bike. Thanks.
This book would be a big help. He shows all of the major trails in northern colorado and specifies what type of vehicles are allowed:
amzn.to/3fAU0eL
@@RVHomeschool 🙏🏼
We could not get a Bear Lake corridor pass. Can I take Trail Ridge up and Old Fall River Road down? What about a Ford Edge?
Old Fall River road only goes up (and then you can take Trail Ridge down). Ford Edge should be fine. We saw a minivan on it once who looked like they were having troubles but most cars could do it.
Hey, this video was super helpful. But, I think the info about the road being closed from October should have been included first. While the video was informative, that information really helps us make a decision faster.
Trail Ridge is likely to be closed in October too. Kinda past season to visit Rocky. More winter time activities.
Everyone knows and assumes National Parks are closed in October in Colorado. Not just this road.
I'll be there Sept 17-21,2023. Will Old Fall River Road still be open/safe?
It always depends on the weather but there shouldn’t be enough snow to close the road yet.
I'm absolutely deathly afraid to drive Trail Ridge Road. Do you know of any senic tours?
I think there’s a shuttle bus that can take you up to the Alpine Visitors center. We’ve never done the shuttle but I know they rely on it heavily in the summer to bring people to Bear Lake.
The shuttle would leave from the visitors center at the park entrance from Estes.
I have an SUV with all wheel drive. Will that work?
Absolutely. It’s a well maintained and groomed road. I think I even saw a minivan last time I drove it. Maybe check with a ranger before you head in to make sure there aren’t any mudslides of issues with the road.
Yes I just did it in a Prius
I've done it in a Ford Focus, a Kia Rio, a Ford F-350 Dually, a Ford conversion van, a Honda CRV, and a Jeep Wrangler. Had no issues with any of them.
@@jooshfutterman nice
I just took this road in my rental Prius if anybody else is on the situation I would say don't do it. It was absolutely amazing but not a good road for a car
And if there's any rain (which there often is) it would be pretty easy to get stuck with a 2WD vehicle.
This road is not a 4 wheel drive road I drove it with a stick shift Toyota.
We rate a lot of 4x4 roads - hence the title. This one is easy that’s why this one is green. I don’t want people trying to do with an RV though (since that’s most of our audience).
You cut too much out of the drive.