Grand County was once described as an “island in the Rockies” by noted historian, Dr. Robert Black, because the steep, rugged terrain on its borders played a critical role in limiting growth during the early days of Colorado.

The opening in 1875 of the Berthoud Road over the imposing 11,300+ foot pass was a major development. In reality that road was rutted, rocky, and narrow, but over the years, it was improved. Since 1931, Berthoud Pass Road is kept open all year.

On Grand County’s northern border, when Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915, horses navigated the rocky, narrow trails, as in the circa 1916 photograph above. As automobile traffic increased, road construction was quickly started. In 1920, Grand County local, Dick McQueary and his crew finished the Fall River road, the first automobile route in Rocky.

In 1928, Fall River Road was deemed too narrow for modern travel because it rarely exceeded 14 feet. But, most of that road was built with picks, shovels, horses pulling logs and dirt, and a whole lot of back-breaking labor.

In April, 1928, Congress appropriated $450,000 for Trail Ridge Road. (In 2025, this would be well over $8 million dollars.) In September, 1929 construction began. This was a major engineering challenge with solid rock, sensitive tundra and extreme weather conditions. However, more modern construction equipment literally changed the landscape.

Finally, in 1938, Trail Ridge Road, the nation’s highest continuous automobile road opened from Estes Park through the Kawuneeche Valley to Grand Lake.

Even today, winter months with extreme snow accumulations close this unique road. Once a trail used by Native tribes to travel across the Continental Divide, these days thousands now drive this modern engineering marvel with breathtaking views every year.

Penny Rafferty Hamilton, Ph.D., is the author of “Images of America: Grand County.” Contact her at drpenny1@earthlink.net.