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970 Grand County
970 Grand County
Discovering the Scenic Byways of Grand County: Trail Ridge Road and Colorado River Headwaters
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What makes Grand County the only county in Colorado to boast two majestic scenic byways? Join us and our special guest, Dede Fay, as we uncover the secrets behind these breathtaking routes. Navigate through the awe-inspiring 48-mile Trail Ridge Road, a summer paradise nestled in the Rocky Mountain National Park with altitudes soaring over 12,000 feet. Dede shares her unique insights into the challenges and wonders of this historic trail that has captivated travelers since its federal designation in 1996.
But the journey doesn’t stop there. The Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway awaits with its 80 miles of captivating landscapes and rich wildlife. From the tranquil beauty of Gore Canyon to the adventurous allure of Inspiration Point, this byway is a testament to the rugged charm of Colorado's natural tapestry. Designated in 2005, the route offers a fascinating blend of history and nature, making it a must-visit for adventurers and history buffs alike.
Exploring Grand County's Scenic Byways
Speaker 1Didi Faye is back and today we talk about the two scenic byways that are located in Grand County , and we also learned some really cool facts about the scenic byways in Colorado . Who knew that we had the most scenic byways in any other state ? So sit back and enjoy my conversation with Didi . Good afternoon , didi . How are you ?
Speaker 2I'm just fine , gaylene , thank you .
Speaker 1I appreciate you stopping by after your day of skiing . Oh , it's my pleasure . I always love to see you , gaylene , I know . And then we always have to do a couple hour talk and then do the podcast . Yes , indeed , yes . We today are going to talk about the scenic byways that are here in Grain County .
Speaker 2Yes , and we have two of them . We do have two of them , and one of the things I think is so cool is we are the only county in all of Colorado that has two scenic byways . Colorado actually has 26 scenic byways , did you know that I should , but so scenic byways are really interesting because there's different levels of scenic byways .
Speaker 2There is the federally designated , of which Colorado has 13 . And then there's the state designated . So the state has chosen additional scenic byways that don't necessarily have federal designation . But let's face it , colorado is an absolutely spectacular state . So naturally , 26 byways should not come as a surprise . Colorado does have more scenic byways than any other state in the United States .
Speaker 1Oh , another little known fact . Little known fact . So are the scenic byways in Grand County ? Are they federally or are they state ? They are both . Okay , yeah , so let's talk about both of them . Pick which one you want to start with .
Speaker 2Okay , I'm going to start with the oldest one , and that is the Trail Ridge Road Scenic Byway . It was designated a federal scenic byway in 1996 . Okay , and let's back up a little bit . The whole program actually started in 1991 . Congress is the one that created the whole program to have scenic byways throughout the country , and there are actually six different attributes that a highway or a byway has to hit at least two of them in order to be designated a scenic byway , and those are archaeological , cultural , historic , natural recreation or scenic . So you have to have at least two of those , and most scenic byways have many more than two of those . I would say that both our scenic byways in Grand County have all six of those attributes . So there's interesting things . So Trowbridge Road is the road that goes over the top of Rocky Mountain National Park . It's 48 miles long . Have you been there ?
Speaker 1Kaylee oh , yes , many times .
Speaker 2Let's just face it when you're driving over Trail Ridge Road , it's kind of hard to stay on the road because it is so spectacular .
Speaker 1Oh , it is yes .
Speaker 2You go up to 12,183 feet , so it's a very high scenic byway and it goes right through the heart of that national park . That is definitely one of the best gems in the whole national park system .
Speaker 1Absolutely yes , and we have to say , though , it is only open in the summer months .
Speaker 2I actually have that in dark writing on my notes because we all know that there are people sometimes every year there's a few people that arrive in our county and are very disappointed that they're unable to see the top of Trail Ridge Road , because it's closed Because it's a lot of snow For eight months out of the year .
Speaker 1Yes , it is really cool though in the spring usually it's Memorial Day that both Estes Park and Grand Lake have plows , and when you see those pictures of how much snow is up there , it's incredible .
Speaker 2It's like a big wall . It's like the Great Wall of Snow . Yes , it's our Great Wall of China .
Speaker 1Yes .
Speaker 2Except it's snow , and it's always fun to take a trip up there right after they've cleared the road . Absolutely , which is usually the goal is always Memorial Day , but they don't always get that . It depends upon how much snow we've had during the winter .
Speaker 1And it can still snow into June , because of time , and it often does . Yes .
Speaker 2That's our number one scenic byway . Our number two , which is also a spectacular scenic byway , is the Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway and that is 80 miles long and that was designated in 2005 . And that goes from Grand Lake . So it picks up where the Trail Ridge Byway drops off , starts in Grand Lake area and goes all the way to State Bridge , following much of the Colorado River . And part of that byway is on Dirt Road , but it's an improved dirt road . It's called Trough Road and it is one of my favorite drives in the whole state , is it ? Why is that ? Well , you always see wildlife there . You see the bighorn sheep , you're looking down into the absolutely spectacular Gore Canyon area and you're going into some beautiful ranch area . There's a high plateau . That is just awe-inspiring . It's just a really beautiful trip .
Speaker 1Yes , I agree . I always liked when I had to go over to Grand Junction . That's the only way to go over to Grand Junction .
Speaker 2Get Vail Pass and go over on the scenic byway . It's so much better and it's almost exactly the same time . Whether you go the slower way or the highway , it's almost exactly the same time to get to that side of the state .
Speaker 1Yeah , so what would you say like what are some of the things that people can see when they are doing the Colorado River scenic byway ?
Speaker 2There's a story about Inspiration Point , which is where you're sort of at the high point . On that drive and Inspiration Point there's a big pull-off and an interpretive sign that talks about how originally that was a stagecoach road and originally , when they first had automobiles , people would love to take their automobiles up because it was a very curvy , very scary , very steep road . And that one guy actually got so scared that he stopped his old Model T up there and then he just hired some people to bring up wagons and take apart his Model T and bring it back down , because he was too afraid to drive his Model T back down that steep road . So anyway , it's very beautiful because you're looking right down at the river and it's a very steep drop off . You almost always see deer , oftentimes see pronghorn there . You're going to see all kinds of bird life going through there . You see the fishermen and the rafters going down the river . It's just a really cool drive .
Speaker 1Yeah , I agree . And what other little tidbits do you have for us ?
Speaker 2Okay , I do have a couple other little fun facts that I looked up for you , gailen . Okay , okay . So 2,000 miles in Colorado are scenic byways 2000 . So you could spend quite a bit of time touring all the scenic byways in Colorado . The very first scenic byway I was fascinated by this was the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway , which was designated in 1918 . So scenic byway isn't like totally an invention of our age . They already were using that term back , and that was right after Rocky Mountain National Park was formed . So the Peak to Peak was the one in 1918 . And then slowly the other ones have been added . As I said , the federal designation wasn't created until 1991 . But it's just to give people sort of a focus to know where the most beautiful parts in Colorado there are to go . And you and I have spent a lot of time on both of these scenic byways and every time I go on either of them I'm very glad I spent my time on them .
Speaker 1Yes , Well , and it's great too because you're in Grand County , the Colorado River scenic Byway is . You go through Grand Lake , stop in Granby , Hot Sulphur , Kremlin . It's easy to make a day or a couple day trip out of that scenic byway .
Speaker 2And all those towns that you go through have neat little cultures of their own , neat little things to discover in each town , and so , yeah , you can make a several day trip of it if you wanted to , you could .
Speaker 1So it's a great benefit to the county that we have those two scenic byways .
Speaker 2It is and when they first created the national program it actually had a little tagline that was like come closer to America's heart and soul . Tagline that was like come closer to America's heart and soul . And I think that that is so aptly describes exactly what our two scenic byways in Grand County are , because they're kind of the heart and soul of Grand
Exploring Grand County's Byways
Speaker 2County . You're moving right through some of the best parts of Grand County on those two byways .
Speaker 1You really are . That's awesome . Well , deedee , thank you so much . I always learn things from you . I love it . Kayleen , let's do it again sometime . Oh , we'll come up with another topic here soon . Okay , sounds good . Okay , have a great day , you too .
