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Fall River Road

Colorado Registered Historic Place stubsColorado transportation stubsHistoric American Engineering Record in ColoradoNational Register of Historic Places in Larimer County, ColoradoNational Register of Historic Places in Rocky Mountain National Park
Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in ColoradoTransportation in Larimer County, ColoradoUse mdy dates from August 2023Western United States road stubs
Fall River Road
Fall River Road

The Old Fall River Road, sometimes referred to as "The Old Road" by park staff in Rocky Mountain National Park, was the first automobile road to penetrate the interior of the park. The road linked the east side of the park near Estes Park with Grand Lake on the west side. Work began in 1913 but was interrupted in 1914 by World War I with final work being completed between 1918 and 1920. The narrow road was partly replaced by Trail Ridge Road in 1932, which incorporated sections of the Fall River Road. The road runs westward from Sheep Lakes to the Alpine Visitor Center. A rockslide closed the road in 1953 and it was not re-opened until 1968 when the National Park Service cleared the rocks and paved the lower third of the route. Both the one-way Old Fall River Road and the paved Trail Ridge Road are maintained and open to motor vehicles from Memorial Day weekend through the first major autumn snowstorm. Both roads are also open to bicycles from April 1 through November 30, but are not patrolled in the pre- and post-season times. Old Fall River Road may be closed for a time to all uses for maintenance.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Fall River Road (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Fall River Road
Old Fall River Road,

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N 40.429722222222 ° E -105.71194444444 °
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Old Fall River Road

Old Fall River Road

Colorado, United States
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Fall River Road
Fall River Road
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Beatrice Willard Alpine Tundra Research Plots
Beatrice Willard Alpine Tundra Research Plots

The Beatrice Willard Alpine Tundra Research Plots were established in 1959 along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, above the treeline in an alpine tundra habitat. The plots were used by Beatrice Willard of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado from 1959 to about 1999 in a long-term study of the alpine ecosystem. Willard's dissertation and updates, as well as her book Land Above the Trees: A Guide to American Alpine Tundra were highly influential in studies of alpine and tundra ecology. Her recommendations were used by the National Park Service in its management of the high alpine areas of the park. Willard's work continued after she moved on to other work, and for the last twenty years she made informal visits to the plots. There are two plots. The Rock Cut Plot is at an elevation of 12,110 feet (3,690 m) near the Rock Cut parking area. The research plot is 5 feet (1.5 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m), within a 50-foot (15 m) by 40-foot (12 m) enclosure. A 3 feet (0.91 m) fence keeps park visitors from disturbing the plot, and is marked by an explanatory sign. An old footpath runs through the plot, and was monitored to establish rates of regrowth on the tundra. The Forest Canyon Plot is at an elevation of 11,716 feet (3,571 m), measuring only 10 feet (3.0 m) square, originally protected by a metal fence. It is close to the Forest Canyon Overlook. The plots were placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 25, 2007.