The Coolest Visitor Center In Colorado Is Also The Highest In The United States National Park System
By Christy Articola|Updated on May 02, 2024(Originally published August 21, 2023)
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Christy Articola
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Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
Are you looking for the coolest visitor center in Colorado? We found it for you! Rocky Mountain National Park has four visitor centers, and they’re all fantastic, educational, and informative. However, the best of the best, in my opinion, is this one. Alpine Visitor Center at Rocky Mountain National Park is on the famous Trail Ridge Road and is close to the road’s highest point, which is 12,183′. This visitor center is at 11,796′, which is pretty close, and which makes it the highest visitor center in the United States National Park Service System. It has lots of amenities and incredible views. Read on to learn more about it, and take a drive up there as soon as you can!
Trail Ridge Road is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing and scenic roads in the nation. It's also the highest contiguous road in North America!
Right in the middle of your drive along this road, you'll come to the Alpine Visitor Center. The parking lot is often packed, but you should stop in anyway. This is the coolest visitor center in the state!
Far above the treeline and far from everything else, this visitor center is entirely off the grid. It has no utility lines, no phone lines, and no power other than a diesel generator. There's a dam below the visitor center that collects snow melt for water and sewage from the bathrooms is hauled away daily.
In the winter, Trail Ridge Road closes. With the amount of snow that falls up there, the road is completely impassable for many months. During this time, the Alpine Visitor Center is often completely covered with snow. It's built to withstand it.
In the springtime, snow removal machines are required to uncover the visitor center to get it ready to open for the season. It usually opens after Memorial Day and stays open until October.
Due to the high elevation of this visitor center, some visitors experience altitude sickness upon arrival. There's a medical team on site - which is good because the next closest medical facility is an hour away in Estes Park. They'll help you if you need it.
You'll love the exhibits at this visitor center. You can learn so much about the park here. It's a wonderful place to stop and learn more - at this point, you will have driven up Trail Ridge Road and will likely have some questions. The displays at this visitor center will help you understand this incredible area.
After that, step outside and get up close and personal with the space. Don't be surprised if you encounter some wildlife. They're kind of used to people up there, and the warm season is so short, they don't have much time to be bothered by you anyway.
There are a few short trails outside the Alpine Visitor Center. Give them a shot, but take it easy. The air is so thin. The Alpine Ridge Trail is only .6 miles long, but it's steep - and it's a doozy. Bring water and take breaks as needed.
It’s easy to see why I think the Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park is the coolest one in our great state, so the next time you go to RMNP, be sure to stop by and check it out. The park’s other three visitor centers – Beaver Meadows, Fall River, and Kawuneeche – are all worth visiting too! See if you can hit all four in one visit, and have a great trip.
If you’re looking for hiking or camping gear for your Rocky Mountain National Park visit, REI and Backcountry.com have everything you’ll need.
For more beautiful Colorado scenery, check out this footage of Mesa Verde National Park:
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