Alpine Visitor Center sits at 11,796 feet on Trail Ridge Road, the highest visitor center run by the National Park Service. Step outside into the alpine tundra, where the air thins and the treeline drops away below you. Inside, exhibits explain how plants and animals survive above the trees, and rangers answer questions and point you toward the short walk up Alpine Ridge Trail, a steep climb of steps that rewards you with sweeping views across the Never Summer Mountains and the Continental Divide.

The center opens only in the warm months, roughly late May through early October, because Trail Ridge Road closes under deep snow the rest of the year. Come in the morning for clearer skies before afternoon clouds build, and layer up: it can be 30 degrees colder here than in the town of Estes Park below. Marmots and pikas move among the rocks, and elk graze the meadows on the drive up.

Admission to the center is free with your park entry pass, and the adjacent Trail Ridge Store offers food and gifts. Stay on marked trails to protect the fragile tundra, which takes decades to recover from a single footstep off-path.