Parking
Use the Alpine Visitor Center lot, then cross Trail Ridge Road to the signed start. Arrange a pickup at Milner Pass or plan to retrace the route.
Overview
About Ute Trail West
Why go
- Open tundra views, ponds and flowering alpine meadows
- A long descent to Milner Pass without a summit scramble
Heads up
- No shuttle between endpoints; the return doubles the walk
- High, open terrain leaves little shelter from weather
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Rocky Mountain map
Full mapElevation10,728–11,762 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Rocky Mountain alerts
- ClosureOld Fall River Road closed to vehiclesOld Fall River Road is closed to motor vehicles for the season.Official details
- ClosureSun Valley burn-area access remains closedThe area and trail west of Sun Valley Trail remain closed, including the route used for angler access to the Colorado River, because of impacts from the 2020 East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires;…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Your drive to Ute Trail West, narrated.
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 trailhead
Alpine Visitor Center: Views and a Café0:00 / 0:33
“Up ahead is Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River Pass, the highest visitor center in the National Park System. Stop for the tundra views, even if you don't want a climb.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Medicine Bow Curve: Two Treelines
- Gore Range Overlook: A Volcanic Skyline
- Lava Cliffs: Volcanic Rock Exposed by Ice
- Chapin Creek: A Steep Return from the Meadow
- 79 audio storiesacross Rocky Mountain’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 136 trails, 88 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Ute Trail West
A one-way walk across the high tundraUte Trail West is a 4-mile point-to-point hike from the Alpine Visitor Center to Milner Pass.
Ute Trail West is a 4-mile point-to-point hike from the Alpine Visitor Center to Milner Pass. You start near 11,800 feet and finish about 1,000 feet lower. The first half is mostly open tundra; then the route drops into subalpine forest. Allow about 2½ hours one way. It is a strong choice if you can arrange a pickup at the far end. Without one, retracing it makes the day about 8 miles, with the climb back to the visitor center.
Open country above tree lineThe signed start is across Trail Ridge Road from the visitor center lot.
The signed start is across Trail Ridge Road from the visitor center lot. The path descends gradually through alpine meadow, with Specimen Mountain across the valley and longer views toward the Never Summer Range and the Cache la Poudre valley. Most of the upper route has no tree cover, so the views are the payoff and weather exposure is part of the deal. Stay on the tread in fragile tundra; off-trail hiking is prohibited in designated closure areas near the visitor center.
Forest Canyon Pass to Milner PassSmall ponds appear around Forest Canyon Pass, near the halfway point.
Small ponds appear around Forest Canyon Pass, near the halfway point. If the water is calm, pause for the reflection of the Continental Divide peaks. Past the pass, fir and spruce grow thicker; the final descent follows steep switchbacks by crumbling cliffs and reaches Milner Pass beside Poudre Lake. Pikas and marmots are possible in the upper tundra.
Set up the finishThe 4 miles are one way; there is no shuttle between the two access points, so arrange a car…
The 4 miles are one way; there is no shuttle between the two access points, so arrange a car pickup at Milner Pass or retrace the route. Restrooms are at the Alpine Visitor Center. The seasonal cafe and coffee bar are next door at Trail Ridge Store. A park entrance pass is required, and pets are prohibited on park trails, tundra and meadows.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Rocky Mountain
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.
