Rocky Mountain Ramble - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 404

Star Route
GRANBY TO KREMMLING
Traversing Rte. 40 for some 29 miles between the towns of Granby and Kremmling,
this charming stretch of road is part of the Colorado River Headwaters Scenic and
Historic Byway. The route follows the Colorado River through a varied landscape of
canyons,mountains,andpastures.OnechoicestopalongthewayistheGrandCounty
Museum in Hot Sulphur Springs, which features intriguing exhibits on everyday life
in the Old West.
6. Lava Cliffs
The “lava” here is volcanic ash deposited 26 million years ago and compacted under heat
and pressure into the rock, called tuff. Glaciers, the architects of the Rockies, later stripped
away overlying material to expose this remnant of the area's volcanic past.
Within the next mile the road arrives at its highest point: 12,183 feet above sea level.
Far to the west rise mountains that inspired one of the park's most poetic names; because
snowfields on their upper slopes remain visible all year, the white-patched peaks are called
the Never Summer Mountains.
7. Alpine Visitor Center
Barren though it may seem, tundra harbors a fascinating array of life, from seldom-seen
pocket gophers that tunnel just below the ground to perky little rosy finches that pluck
frozen insects off glacial ice. Exhibits at the Alpine Visitor Center highlight these and oth-
er forms of wildlife in this treeless world, comprising nearly a third of the park. (The lat-
ticework of massive logs on the visitor center's roof is there to hold it in place during
hurricane-force winter storms and help with snow loads.)
Trail Ridge Road now descends to Medicine Bow Curve, a hairpin turn overlooking
the Medicine Bow Mountains. Far below lies the Cache la Poudre River, named by French