The idea for the drive came to me this past weekend while I was taking care of some late Sunday obligations in downtown Estes Park. I had been in town for over a month and had just purchased an annual pass for Rocky Mountain National Park, so I figured there couldn’t be a more fitting first use for it than catching a weekend’s capping sundown before dusk.
The answer to the best overlooking spot was just one google search away, which came flooded with referrals to Forest Canyon overlook off of Trail Ridge Road.
You can access Trail Ridge Road through the Fall River gate entrance to RMNP, and from there it’s a straight shot. 15 miles up the winding woodland road, passing Beaver Ponds and Rainbow Curve Overlook and veering right into a cliff paralleling parking area flagged with a sign reading, ‘Forest Canyon Overlook.’
The temperature dropped nearly 20 degrees from what it was at the base of the park, so it is within your best interest to pack layers if venturing to the viewpoint.
A few hundred yards from the overlook a herd of cow elk grazed on the tundra with their calves nestled at their hips. As Fall in Colorado signifies the elk rut, there is a fair chance one will be accompanied by the echoes of bugling bull elk as they kick into instinctive gear.
By the time I reached my destination a mix of freezing rain and fog had polluted the view and the handful of sightseers that crowded the lookout point were dropping like flies, myself included.
I decided to try for a point at a higher elevation and made the moment’s drive to Trail Ridge Road Summit. Upon reaching the new vantage point the fog and rain had let up and the clouds cleared to make way for a heart-stirring view. The setting sun painted the sky a pale tint of orange with a silhouette of stratified mountain peaks and a snaking blacktop road lying in the foreground.
I took a walk up a path that cut up through the protected tundra to get a better view, and as I was still staring at the scene in humbled astonishment, I heard a woman shouting at something behind me.
“Look, It’s a rainbow in the sky, the rain let off a rainbow!” Exclaimed the woman.
I turned to see the towering bow that stretched from one mountain base to another. Though it stayed for only a short time, the harlequin reflection acted as a symbolic crown garnishing the picturesque scene in front of it.
I stayed just long enough to witness a few mule deer pass on through the tundra and even got to see a friendly pika navigating the various rocks scattered at my feet.
When the sky grew black and the stars came into frame I retired from the view and returned to the day’s obligations. A worthwhile-time efficient trek for anyone looking to catch a RMNP sunset before Trail Ridge Road closes for the Winter.
