Our last day in Rocky Mountain National Park didn’t involve any serious hikes, but we did stop at the Alluvial Fan, which is pretty damn interesting. When I saw it on the map, I thought it would be like the alluvial plains we saw in Denali National Park, but this feature is more recent, occuring in 1982.
A natural moraine that created a lake up the adjacent canyon gave way and released 29 million gallons of water, bringing with it boulders, trees and dirt 4 miles to the valley floor. This created the 42 acre alluvial fan.
The moraine broke loose at 5:30 in the morning, and the noises of the water and boulders crashing down into the valley were heard by a trash collector who alerted Park Rangers. They immediately vacated a campground in the valley, but not quickly enough to save everybody, as 3 campers lost their lives.
The hike into the fan is very short, and there are parking lots on both sides of the fan.
We then decided to drive back towards the western side of the park via Old Fall River Road, a 9 mile dirt road that was due to close for the season any day.
I was a little concerned as several online reviews of the road made it sound like it may not be doable in a Tesla, but outside of a few deep ruts on the hairpin turns, we were fine. Fortunately I can raise the cars suspension with the touch of a button, and I’m glad I did as we did actually scrape bottom around one of those turns.
This is definitely a worthwhile drive if you visit, as it gives you a completely different perspective on the park. The road opened in 1920, and was the first auto route leading into the high country. It’s extremely narrow in spots, so it’s one-way from east to west. If you miss something along the way, there is no turning back. It’s 15 MPH the entire way, but that was plenty fast enough for me.
There is a spot along the way called Willow Park, and we spotted these two elk feeding in the grass. I couldn’t get a better picture, as there was nowhere to stop.
Did I mention the road was narrow? Apparently in 1920 this was a two way road.
The Trail Ridge Road runs along the other side of this mountain, so you can’t get these views without taking the Old Fall River Road.
Looking back down the canyon the road led up. This is just a few hundred yards from the end of the road, where you get dropped into the crazy crowded Alpine Visitor Center parking lot.
Before we left the park we took a short hike to a spot near the headwaters of the Colorado River.
Doesn’t look so big!