Sight · Rocky Mountain National Park
Catch the Never Summer skyline without adding a hike.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this place
Gore Range Overlook: A Volcanic Skyline“Gore Range Overlook is coming up, with a west-facing panorama from just over twelve thousand feet. This is a quick stop if you want a broad mountain view without a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to Gore Range Overlook in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Guide
Gore Range Overlook is a roadside pullout on Trail Ridge Road at 12,048 feet. From this west-facing stop, you can pick out the Never Summer Mountains, the Gore Range and Longs Peak’s flat top. It’s a quick way to take in the park’s high-country sweep without adding a hike.
At nearly 12,000 feet, thin air can affect you even on a brief stop. Give yourself time to adjust, rest and drink water; if you feel altitude-sick, head lower. Wind and temperature can change quickly up here, so keep a warm layer handy.
The Never Summer Mountains formed through volcanic activity about 29 to 24 million years ago. The Arapaho name for the range, Ni-chebe-chii, is translated as “Never No Summer.” The Gore Range takes its name from St. George Gore, an Irish aristocrat who led an infamous hunting expedition in the mid-1800s.
This is a photo stop, so try a wide frame that keeps the mountain ridges and forested valley together. The overlook faces west; a tight crop on one summit loses the scale that makes the panorama work.
Trail Ridge Road is a summer-season drive. It typically closes from mid-October until Memorial Day, and snow or severe weather can close it earlier. Check the road before building your day around crossing the park.
Wildlife
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateUte Trail West4 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayA high tundra traverse ending at the Continental Divide
ModerateAlpine Ridge Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1 mi awayA steep stair climb to a 12,000-foot, four-direction view.
ModeratePoudre River Trail from Milner Pass6 mi · 3.5 hr · 2 mi awayA 6-mile headwaters out-and-back through high, wet meadows.
ChallengingChapin Creek Trail1.3 mi · 1.3 hr · 2.1 mi awayA steep creek path fades into a high mountain meadow.
EasyTundra Communities Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 2.3 mi awayA short paved climb to a memorial among mushroom rocks.
ModerateForest Canyon Pass Trail4.7 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayTundra ponds and canyon views reward this high-country climb.
ChallengingMount Ida Trail9.6 mi · 6.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA hard climb to a wide-open Continental Divide summit.
EasyLake Irene Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 3 mi awayA short lake loop with an optional meadow view.
Visitor center · 0.9 mi awayAlpine Visitor CenterThe National Park System's highest visitor center, above the treeline.
Sight · 1 mi awayLava Cliffs OverlookA rare lava exposure beside Trail Ridge Road.
Food · 1 mi awayTrail Ridge Store & CaféA stone café and gift shop at Trail Ridge Road's high pass.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayMedicine Bow CurveFollow the Cache la Poudre valley toward Wyoming’s mountains.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayRock CutA road cut through the tundra, with pikas among the rocks.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayMilner PassStand at the Continental Divide beside Poudre Lake.Sight · 3 mi awayLake IreneA quick lakeside loop and picnic stop on Trail Ridge Road.
Sight · 3.8 mi awayForest Canyon OverlookFive minutes of walking reveals a canyon carved by ice.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
