Sight · Rocky Mountain National Park
A rare lava exposure beside Trail Ridge Road.
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
Lava Cliffs: Volcanic Rock Exposed by Ice“You're coming up on Lava Cliffs, a rust-brown wall of volcanic rock beside Trail Ridge Road. Stop for a few minutes if you'd like a close look without a hike; the viewpoint is beside the parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to Lava Cliffs 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
Lava Cliffs is a roadside viewpoint on Trail Ridge Road, where a rust-brown wall of volcanic rock breaks across a snow-streaked slope. It is worth a short pause if you want to see the rock up close as well as take in the mountain setting; this is a simple overlook stop, not a hike.
The asphalt parking area is beside the viewpoint. No food or drinking water service is listed here, so bring what you need for the drive. Wind, snow and low cloud can make even a quick stop feel cold or hide the wider view; carry a warm layer and water, and give yourself time to adjust to the altitude. Trail Ridge Road normally closes west of Lava Cliffs from mid-October to Memorial Day, and weather can shut it at other times. Check road status before crossing the park.
The rock began as a lava flow from the Never Summer Range about 28 million years ago. Much later, glaciers cut into the hillside and exposed the flow as the cliff you see today. That long gap between eruption and exposure is the story to keep in mind while looking across the face.
Prairie Falcons and American Pipits may perch along the cliffs, and elk may be in the valley below in midsummer. For a photograph, include a strip of snow or the stone wall near the overlook to give the cliff a sense of scale.
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 · 1.1 mi awayA high tundra traverse ending at the Continental Divide
ModerateAlpine Ridge Trail0.6 mi · 45 min · 1.2 mi awayA steep stair climb to a 12,000-foot, four-direction view.
EasyTundra Communities Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 1.4 mi awayA short paved climb to a memorial among mushroom rocks.
ChallengingChapin Creek Trail1.3 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.5 mi awayA steep creek path fades into a high mountain meadow.
ModeratePoudre River Trail from Milner Pass6 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA 6-mile headwaters out-and-back through high, wet meadows.
ModerateForest Canyon Pass Trail4.7 mi · 3.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayTundra ponds and canyon views reward this high-country climb.
ChallengingMount Ida Trail9.6 mi · 6.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayA hard climb to a wide-open Continental Divide summit.
EasyLake Irene Trail0.8 mi · 45 min · 3.5 mi awayA short lake loop with an optional meadow view.
Sight · 1 mi awayGore Range OverlookCatch the Never Summer skyline without adding a hike.
Visitor center · 1.1 mi awayAlpine Visitor CenterThe National Park System's highest visitor center, above the treeline.
Food · 1.1 mi awayTrail Ridge Store & CaféA stone café and gift shop at Trail Ridge Road's high pass.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayRock CutA road cut through the tundra, with pikas among the rocks.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayMedicine Bow CurveFollow the Cache la Poudre valley toward Wyoming’s mountains.
Sight · 2.9 mi awayForest Canyon OverlookFive minutes of walking reveals a canyon carved by ice.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayMilner PassStand at the Continental Divide beside Poudre Lake.Sight · 3.5 mi awayLake IreneA quick lakeside loop and picnic stop on Trail Ridge Road.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
