Rocky Mountain National Park · seasonal road
Old Fall River Road: when it opens, year by year
Last verified Official record 1921–2009NPS page updated September 29, 2026 (source page); history table page: February 24, 2015
Unpaved 9.4-mile one-way (uphill only) road from Endovalley Picnic Area to Fall River Pass, merging with Trail Ridge Road at Alpine Visitor Center Typically opens: Early July (normally opens to vehicles in early July). Closes: Early October (open to vehicles each year from early July to early October).
- 2026 opening
- —
- not yet posted
- Median opening
- Jul 1
- 37 years
- Earliest opening
- Jun 6
- 1935
- Latest opening
- Jul 29
- 1995
- Median closing
- Oct 17
- 41 years
The official record
46 years of Old Fall River Road
Each dot is a date from the park’s (or WSDOT’s) published table: gold opening, brick closing. Missing dots are years the table leaves blank.
1920s
Jun 18
average opening · 9 yrs
1930s
Jun 12
average opening · 4 yrs
1980s
Jul 3
average opening · 5 yrs
1990s
Jul 6
average opening · 10 yrs
2000s
Jul 3
average opening · 9 yrs
Show the full table ↓
| Year | Opened | Closed | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | — | Oct 8 | — |
| 2008 | Jul 4 | Oct 20 | 108 |
| 2007 | Jun 30 | Oct 10 | 102 |
| 2006 | Jul 1 | Sep 26 | 87 |
| 2005 | Jul 2 | Oct 13 | 103 |
| 2004 | Jul 4 | Oct 15 | 103 |
| 2003 | Jul 4 | Nov 5 | 124 |
| 2002 | Jul 4 | Oct 28 | 116 |
| 2001 | Jun 30 | Oct 18 | 110 |
| 2000 | Jun 30 | Oct 19 | 111 |
| 1999 | Jul 2 | Oct 18 | 108 |
| 1998 | Jul 3 | Oct 6 | 95 |
| 1997 | Jul 4 | Oct 15 | 103 |
| 1996 | Jul 4 | Sep 25 | 83 |
| 1995 | Jul 29 | Oct 4 | 67 |
| 1994 | Jun 25 | Oct 12 | 109 |
| 1993 | Jul 3 | Oct 10 | 99 |
| 1992 | Jul 3 | Oct 8 | 97 |
| 1991 | Jul 3 | Oct 20 | 109 |
| 1990 | Jun 29 | Oct 12 | 105 |
| 1989 | Jun 30 | Oct 18 | 110 |
| 1988 | Jul 2 | Oct 15 | 105 |
| 1987 | Jul 3 | Nov 5 | 125 |
| 1986 | Jul 4 | Oct 24 | 112 |
| 1985 | Jun 29 | — | — |
| 1984 | — | Oct 9 | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — |
| 1939 | — | Dec 1 | — |
| 1938 | — | Nov 2 | — |
| 1937 | — | Oct 18 | — |
| 1936 | — | — | — |
| 1935 | Jun 6 | Oct 20 | 136 |
| 1934 | Jun 18 | Nov 20 | 155 |
| 1933 | — | Dec 2 | — |
| 1932 | — | Oct 25 | — |
| 1931 | Jun 14 | Nov 9 | 148 |
| 1930 | Jun 7 | Oct 14 | 129 |
| 1929 | Jun 15 | — | — |
| 1928 | Jun 15 | Oct 17 | 124 |
| 1927 | Jun 15 | Oct 1 | 108 |
| 1926 | Jun 15 | Oct 4 | 111 |
| 1925 | Jun 13 | Oct 11 | 120 |
| 1924 | Jun 18 | Oct 2 | 106 |
| 1923 | Jun 20 | Oct 9 | 111 |
| 1922 | Jun 15 | Oct 29 | 136 |
| 1921 | Jun 27 | — | — |
Table source: www.nps.gov/romo/learn/photosmultimedia/opening_closing_trr_ofr.htm
In the park's words
What Rocky Mountain says about Old Fall River Road
“It is an unpaved road which starts next to Endovalley Picnic Area and ends at the top of Fall River Pass and merges with Trail Ridge Road at Alpine Visitor Center.” source
“the scenic 9.4-mile route is one-way uphill only.” source
“This historic road normally opens to vehicles in early July.” source
“Old Fall River Road is a seasonal road open to vehicles each year from early July to early October.” source
“Old Fall River Road will be closing for the season to vehicles beginning Tuesday, Oct 6.” source
“On Saturday, October 17, the road will reopen to bicycles, leashed pets and pedestrians for the winter.” source
Worth knowing
- 2026 opening date not established: no NPS capture states it (a third-party site's headline says Saturday, July 4 - not captured, not used).
- History table: Old Fall River columns: 1921-1938 (opening and closing, several uncertain), 1939 closing only, 1940 row carries the merged note 'No records available 1939-1984 ... Closed 1950-1960 due to avalanche damage/maintenance costs', then 1984-2008 (2009 has a closing only). The page's note: 'Use in a limited way 1932-1950'. Several cells are ranges or alternates ('June 14 or 15 One-way travel begins', 'October 12-18', 'Sept. 8 or Oct. 11') and are kept as openedAsPublished/closedAsPublished with the date left null.
- The 1921-1931 rows on this page appear under the Trail Ridge heading in the page text but belong to the Old Fall River columns (Trail Ridge Road was not yet open).
About this page
Dates are the park’s and WSDOT’s own, captured on 2026-10-05 and re-checked at every build. Medians and extremes are arithmetic on the published rows; we do not forecast. Weather closes passes without notice, so check live alerts for Rocky Mountain before you drive. Other seasonal roads in the park: Trail Ridge Road.
Sources · 3
- 1.Rocky Mountain National Park — Old Fall River Road (official page) · National Park Service
- 2.Old Fall River Road — historical opening dates table · National Park Service
- 3.Seasonal road pages and historical opening-date tables on nps.gov and wsdot.wa.gov, read and quoted · National Park Service; Washington State DOT
FAQ
Old Fall River Road questions
- When does Old Fall River Road open?
- Rocky Mountain says: Early July (normally opens to vehicles in early July). Across 37 recorded years the median opening is Jul 1, ranging from Jun 6 (1935) to Jul 29 (1995).
- When does Old Fall River Road close for the season?
- Rocky Mountain says: Early October (open to vehicles each year from early July to early October). In the official record the median closing is Oct 17 (41 years), earliest Sep 25 in 1996. For 2026: Closing for the season to vehicles beginning Tuesday, Oct 6 (closed to all uses through Friday, Oct. 9; open to bicycles, leashed pets and walkers Oct. 10-12; closed again to all uses Oct. 13-16; reopens to bicycles, leashed pets and pedestrians for the winter on Saturday, October 17) - per the park road page captured Oct 5, 2026
- Is Old Fall River Road opening later than it used to?
- The 1920s averaged an opening around Jun 18; the 2000s average is Jul 3 — about 15 days later. That is the arithmetic of the official table, not a forecast; snowpack, staffing and construction all move the date.
- Is Old Fall River Road open right now?
- Check the park's road-status page (linked under Sources) or its alerts: our “Is Rocky Mountain open?” page shows the live NPS alerts.
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