rock cut trail

This short trail is not to be missed. We are certainly glad that we stopped to hike this trail at the Rock Cut pullout near the crest of Trail Ridge Road. It is a breath-taking hike, literally. The length of the trail is just over 1 mile round trip. The surface of the trail is paved to protect the alpine tundra that the trail passes through. The first quarter of mile of the trail from the parking lot is fairly steep. The Park Service website says the trail starts out at an elevation of 12,110 feet, and climbs to an elevation just over 12,300 feet. We stopped to read the periodic interpretive signs along the trail and to catch our breath. About two-thirds of the way up the trail there is short side trail to an interesting mushroom shaped rock formation. On the backside of this rock formation there is an excellent view of Forest Canyon and Longs Peak to the southeast. At the upper end of the trail there is another rock formation with a memorial to an early 20th century Rocky Mountain Park Superintendent, Roger Toll. From this upper point of the trail there is spectacular breath-taking views of several peaks and across the alpine tundra at the upper portion of Trail Ridge Road. This trail apparently has several names. The Park Service website calls it the Roger Toll Memorial Trail. But, the Park Service visitors map calls it the Tundra Communities Trail.

This is a short paved path through the alpine tundra. Along the way are signs to point out what you are seeing and to give more information. Towards the end of the trail are neat rock formations and we saw lots of marmots on these rocks. Where the trail ends we sat on the rocks and enjoyed the views of elk grazing in the valley below. The tundra flowers were so beautiful and plentiful when we were there in July. The air is thin and it's pretty chilly up there in the summer, so take your time and bring a jacket.

This alpine trail is on the Rock Cut pull off of Trail Ridge Road. It seems to have many names - Rock Cut Trail, Tundra Communities, Toll Memorial. It all adds up to a great alpine experience! This trail is 0.8 miles there & back. It has a side trail to Mushroom Rocks, which is very short. There are numerous little information plaques that are close to the ground where you can see them clearly while clutching your knees & huffing & puffing. This is high altitude & an overweight flatlander like me felt every foot of it. The parking lot was jumping when we got there, but we found a spot. The trail looks deceptively simple, but there's so much to see! Besides the drop dead beautiful mountains & terrain, the tiny wildflowers struggling to get the most out of the short summer. At the end of the trail is the Toll Memorial set in a large jumble of boulders. Roger Toll was the man who envisioned the building of Trail Ridge Road. I was unable to scramble up the rocks, but my husband did & took some pictures of some guys skiing in the snow on the other side of the rocks. Mushroom rocks was much easier for me to get to & the view from the rocks was divine. Going back was of course easier since it's downhill & I was able to get enough breath to talk to the ski guys. You meet the nicest people on the trails!

Barren looking terrain if you just drove by, but fascinating plants and animals along the way, with lots of good signage to fill you in on the details and give you an excuse to catch your breath at the high altitude. Pretty amazing views, as you might expect (though it was cloudy on my visit, something not uncommon up there, I suspect). Unless you're very fit and acclimated to high altitudes, you'll do a little huffing and puffing, but you can take your time on the way up and then enjoy the leisurely walk back down to the parking lot.

First of let's just say jt was BEUTIFUL I'll definetly visit again many many many places to park and walk around and I could play in snow ... In July !!!!!!

The views from the trail are wonderful but the altitude can kick your rump. I had to stop several times but that just gave me the time to see the pretty little alpine flowers. This trail is a little easier on the knees than the steps at the Alpine Center and the parking lot is a little less crowded.

The Rock Cut turnout and Tundra Communities Trail are on opposite ends of Trail Ridge Road. Rock Cut is famous because it's the only place in RMNP where blasting was needed to build the road. It reminds me of El Portal in Yosemite where you're driving through granite. However, Rock Cut is not the main reason to stop here. The Tundra Communities Trail is. Here's why:1. It's one of the few places where you can walk along and explore the tundra. Sure, the alpine visitor center has tundra -- but why fight with exhaust fumes and 300 people? 2. It's higher than the alpine visitor center and you get over 12,150 feet. For people who like to conquer things, it's fun to be able to say you were over 12,000 feet. I think it's the highest in RMNP where you can drive to and stop. 3. There are interesting rock formations at the top. One that looks like a mushroom. Others that you can climb on and just enjoy the view. 4. The climb is short, paved but STEEP - someone in a wheelchair did make it all the way up the trail by himself but most would need someone to push. If you have any heart or respiratory issues, either skip this stop or walk very slowly. We did this trail on our 3rd day at RMNP so we were used to it but the first time I did it right after driving in from Denver, it was very very hard.5. The view? Marvelous!

Trail Ridge Roadの主要スポットのひとつだと思う。Rock Cutで南側のロッキーマウンテンを眺めたら、その反対側のトレイルを是非お薦め。舗装されているので歩き易い。とは言え、風が強く冷たく（快晴の８月でも）、空気も薄く（標高12,090フィート）、登り坂のトレイルなので、はしゃぎ過ぎないように。黄色や白の高山植物が少しだったけれど咲いて、樹々も生育しない標高で唯一の彩りといった感じだった。

Der etwa 1,6 km lange geteerte Nature Trail befindet sich auf ca. 3700 m Höhe. Der Trailhead ist direkt an der Trail Ridge Road. Die Entstehung der beeindruckenden Felsformationen wird auf diversen Infotafeln erklärt. Man darf auch auf die Felsen klettern, was nicht nur Kindern Spaß gemacht hat. Man hat wunderbare Ausblicke auf die umliegenden Tundraflächen mit ihren vielen farbenprächtigen Wildblumen. Außerdem kann man auf die Trail Ridge Road blicken. Am Trailhead gibt es auch Toiletten.