Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
trapperswhooncestoredtheirgunpowdernearby.JustafterpassingCachelaPoudreRiver,
whosewaterseventuallydrainintotheMississippi,thedrivecrossestheContinentalDivide
atMilnerPass.BeyondthispointraindropsfromasummershowerjointheColoradoRiver
and pass through the Grand Canyon before flowing into the Gulf of California.
8.
Farview Curve
The overlook at Farview Curve perches above the Kawuneeche Valley, carved by a glacier
that extended for 20 miles along what is now the west side of the park. Just below, Trail
RidgeRoadbeginsadizzyingseriesofswitchbacksasitdescendstotheflat,marshyvalley
floor, where the Colorado River meanders aimlessly in braided channels.
Kawuneeche
is
Arapaho for “valley of the coyote;” the wild canines are common here, as elsewhere in the
park,buttheiryippingnightsongisheardmoreoftenthanthesingersareseen.Meanwhile,
watch the meadows for the stately profiles of moose as they forage for plants.
9.
Grand Lake
Rte. 34 leaves the national park—and Trail Ridge Road ends—just beyond the Kawun-
eeche Visitor Center. Grand Lake, less than a mile to the east, is Colorado's largest natural
lake. (It is, however, much smaller than its man-made neighbors, Shadow Mountain and
Granby lakes.)
The town of Grand Lake was one of Colorado's first mountain resorts; founded for the
well-to-do after the turn of the century, its yacht club is among the highest in the world.
Each August, sailors compete for the Lipton Cup, originally awarded in 1912 by Thomas
Lipton, the famed tea magnate, who had a vacation home here. Grand Lake's rustic archi-
tecture, featuring logs of lodgepole pine, is a reminder of that genteel era.
10.
Tabernash
AfterskirtingShadowMountainLake,Rte.34passesbetweenLakeGranbytotheeastand
flat-topped Table Mountain to the west, where Indians mined jasper for tools and arrow-
heads. The drive then turns south on Rte. 40, passing through Granby and along the Fraser
River valley into ranching country. Near the small community of Tabernash are some re-
markable views of the peaks of the Continental Divide. Less than 10 miles to the east is
the historic Devil's Thumb Ranch, a renowned Nordic Center and now one of the world's
most highly regarded eco-friendly ranch resorts and spas. The solitary rock column called
Devils Thumb, for which the ranch is named, rises from the crest of the ridgeline, marking
the route of a hiking trail over the mountains.
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