Alpine Visitor Center
Rocky Mountain National Park's Alpine Visitor Center is located at 11,796 feet (3,595 m) above sea level at Fall River Pass, one mile west of the highest point on Trail Ridge Road and four miles east of the Continental Divide at Milner Pass in the U.S. state of Colorado. This one stands 13 mi northwest of Estes Park. It is managed by the National Park Service.
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A museum, 13 mi northwest of Estes Park
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 11°, with about 104" of snow a year. When to go ↓
Estes Park is the nearest base
Estes Park is 13 miles southeast, with 131 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Denver
Denver is about 66 miles southeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Jul and Aug
July and August are the mild months, with highs of 76–79°. When to go ↓
Established in 1964
Alpine Visitor Center dates from 1964 and is run by National Park Service. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
How the seasons run
Each month’s highs and lows around Alpine Visitor Center are below.
Alpine Visitor Center
Rocky Mountain National Park's Alpine Visitor Center is located at 11,796 feet (3,595 m) above sea level at Fall River Pass, one mile west of the highest point on Trail Ridge Road and four miles east of the Continental Divide at Milner Pass in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is the highest visitor center in the National Park System.
The Alpine Visitor Center includes restrooms, exhibits on the alpine tundra ecosystem, and a gift shop operated by the park's non-profit partner organization, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. The visitor center opens around Memorial Day and closes around mid-October due to snow and the extreme winter environment. In mid-summer, the visitor center is also usually accessible by Old Fall River Road, a 9-mile dirt road open to one-way, uphill vehicle traffic.
- Type
- Museum
- Established
- 1964
- Elevation
- 11,796 ft
- Run by
- National Park Service
- Listed
- noncontributing property
- Wikipedia readers
- 5.1K a year
Towns to stay in near Alpine Visitor Center
The first towns with rooms are Estes Park (131) and Grand Lake (30).
Estes Park
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
5,780 people · 25% vacation homes
13 mi southeast of Alpine Visitor Center
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Alpine Visitor Center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estes Park 25% vacation homes | 13 mi southeast | 20 min | 131 42 hotels · 5 motels · 14 inns & B&Bs · 61 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 4 campgrounds · 4 RV parks | 5,780 | $664K | B |
| Grand Lake 70% vacation homes | 14 mi south | 20 min | 30 9 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs · 14 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds | 402 | $543K | — |
| Allenspark 54% vacation homes | 19 mi southeast | 30 min | 14 6 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 4 lodges & cabins · 3 campgrounds | 825 | $743K | — |
| Granby 34% vacation homes | 27 mi south | 40 min | 20 9 hotels · 3 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 4 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 2,392 | $567K | B+ |
| Hidden Lake 70% vacation homes | 27 mi southeast | 40 min | 6 2 hotels · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 campgrounds | 29 | — | — |
| Red Feather Lakes 79% vacation homes | 27 mi north | 40 min | 5 2 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds · 1 RV park | 365 | $357K | — |
| Lyons | 30 mi southeast | 45 min | 5 1 hotel · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 2,119 | $845K | — |
| Bark Ranch | 28 mi southeast | 40 min | 3 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 199 | $772K | — |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also near Alpine Visitor Center
These well-known places are within 63 miles.
17 mi National ParkRocky Mountain National Park4.2M visitors a year
Big draw61 mi TheatreRed Rocks Amphitheatre
215 mi MountainLongs Peak
Big draw62 mi Stadium & arenaEmpower Field at Mile High
62 mi Stadium & arenaBall Arena
62 mi Stadium & arenaCoors Field
39 mi Stadium & arenaFolsom Field
59 mi MountainMount Blue SkyPhoto credits
Rocky Mountain National Park: Charles M. Sauer -- Charlessauer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Longs Peak: Photo by Scott Bauer., Public domain · Empower Field at Mile High: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ball Arena: KM Newnham, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Coors Field: Matt Kozlowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Folsom Field: Thelastcanadian, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Blue Sky: Lookinhere, CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions about Alpine Visitor Center
What town is Alpine Visitor Center near?
Estes Park, CO, about 13 miles southeast.
When is the best time to visit Alpine Visitor Center?
July and August, with highs of 76–79°.
How far is Alpine Visitor Center from Denver and Aurora?
About 66 miles southeast of Denver and about 74 miles southeast of Aurora, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Alpine Visitor Center?
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (BJC), about 50 miles away. The nearest big hub is Denver (DEN), about 70 miles.
Where should I stay near Alpine Visitor Center?
Estes Park (13 mi, 131 places to stay), Grand Lake (14 mi, 30 places to stay) and Allenspark (19 mi, 14 places to stay).
Tips from Estes Park
Be the first to share a tip in Estes Park’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.