Directions:

The Ute Trail East Trailhead is located on Trail Ridge Road about 10 miles west of the Deer Mountain Junction. There is space for about a dozen cars in the parking area and it can fill up quickly on summer weekends. My general rule of thumb with Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer and fall is visit mid-week and early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Hike Description:

Tombstone Ridge refers to the Northernmost section of the Ute Trail East that joins Trail Ridge Road in the north and Beaver Meadows in the south. The remarkable aspect of hiking along Tombstone Ridge is that you start the hike at about 11,400 ft of elevation and only gain another 200 ft during the hike. The views are immediately incredible. 

The basic idea here is to hike as far along a straight line as you want. I recommend going out about a mile and half to get over the crest of the ridge, the view goes from amazing to phenomenal. At the crest there are some options for destinations, you can just check things out from the trail or descend a little to some obvious outcrops and viewpoints. Past the crest the trail starts to descend down eventually arriving at the Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead. 

The phenomenal views that we are talking about extend all the way across the park to Longs Peak with almost every peak in between identifiable, the view is massive. You also get a great look into parts of the park that are very difficult to access such as Forest Canyon, Hayden Gorge, and Spruce Canyon.  There are no trails in these areas so this is probably your best bet to lay eyes on this terrain.

In an effort to payoff ratio, this trail can’t be beat. Keep an eye on the weather as there is no shelter and thunder and lightning storms can come in quickly.  Otherwise, this trail is a no brainer.