Rds in Rocky MT natl. park
 

Can anyone help me with a comparison of old FALL RIVER RD vs the new TRAIL RIDGE RD.
In terms of time, driving difficulty, scenery. Would I be missing scenics sights by taking the old rd, or would I be seeing more/better sights?
Thanks

Do NOT drive up (only can go one way, up) Fall River Road. It is steep, unpaved, and trees block the scenery most of the way. Trail Ridge Road is paved, with pullouts, and the scenery the entire way is spectacular, unbelievable! (But Trail Ridge Road isn't really new...)When you get to the top, make sure you take the little walk up to the top of the hill to see forever, and look out the windows at the ranger station at the herd of elk.

so is it difficlut ot navigate due to its condition? Is it unpleasant or is the other possibility just nicer?
Thanks Sylvia

It is not difficult to navigate for the most part, just why would you bother? No views, lots of dust, very narrow, and you miss all the scenery you'd otherwise see from Trail Ridge. (I have a compulsion to do it several times a year, and I live here!)We've been here for more than 20 yrs, and have done Fall River twice--the second time saying "now I remember why we don't bother!" Really, for animals, mountains, valleys, gorgeous rocks and glacially carved stuff, and sky, Trail Ridge is absolutely the way to go. (All the way to the other side of the park for lunch is a beautiful way to spend a few hours; or picnic at one of the many sites along the river on the west side.)

Forgot to mention that Fall River road takes a good bit longer to do, also.

If you take the Fall River road you will not only miss scenery, you will not see anything much because Fall River road is sunk in a canyon.

If you want to see something, take Trail Ridge. It is one of the most spectacular drives you will ever take.

Ok, thanks for the advice because from a map it sure looks interesting. I was just concerned that it might be frightening. I don't have too much experience with mountain rds.

Funny you ask this question because just a couple of weeks ago we went to RMNP. My sister and I decided to hang out at the picnic place rather than take the drive on Fall River Road with our nutty husbands. When they got back they kept telling us it wasn't a scary drive at all and they had a bunch of photos at some great looking waterfalls. I guess if you are a guy and want to drive on a dirt road it might be fun but they ended up being gone for almost 2 hours (after stopping a couple of times) because Trail Ridge had a lot of traffic on it. You could easily do both if you really wanted to.

I have to completely disagree with sylvia3 - I would highly recommend Fall River Rd. it is beautiful, and yes you can see plenty of scenery from there. No, it's not just like TRR - it is different and that's what makes it nice.

Yes, it's dirt, but my fiancee and I drove it just a couple of weeks ago, with the windows down the whole time and cars in front of us, and I don't remember thinking once that it was dusty. And as far as the steepness - if you can do TRR, you can do FRR. it's not that different in grade. If you have driven on the Million Dollar Hwy, it is way less steep and narrow than that.

FRR doesn't take any longer to do than TRR - we did it in two hours including stops. If you have time, do both. Don't let people scare you. It has gorgeous scenery on a not-hard-to-drive road. You will only miss out if you do one and not the other.

Oh boy, now I have to reconsider. I had nearly made up my mind to forgo FRR.

Sundancer - why are you reconsidering? It is a short drive - only about two hours, and it is not difficult. They don't allow trailers, but I saw plenty of 15-passenger vans and suburban-type-vehicles driving it without a problem. I suspect the road has been widened and regraded since sylvia drove on it.

I don't understand why people here are so down on FRR. If you have never driven it, take two hours and try it. Better yet, talk to a park ranger after you arrive. They will be able to tell you the current conditions of the road - not that it was dusty once 20 years ago. And like I said before, it is a different kind of beauty than TRR. I truly hope you don't skip it - it was one of the highlights of our last vacation.