Ribbon Falls
About
Ribbon Falls is a waterfall in Rocky Mountain National Park, set within the park's wilderness area in Colorado. The National Park Service manages the land, and the nearest town is Allenspark, about 7 miles away. The falls sit at roughly 10,600 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. A nearby weather station records typical July highs around 68°F and lows near 43°F, and September brings the fewest wet days of the year. That station sits several hundred feet lower, so temperatures at the falls tend to run a little cooler. The falls make a convenient base for other park outings. Glacier Gorge is about a tenth of a mile away, and Arrowhead is about half a mile off. North Longs Peak Trail is roughly 2 miles away, and Glacier Basin Campground is about 5 miles out.
Waterfall Facts
Elevation
10,615 ft
Land manager
National Park Service
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Ribbon Falls
Colorado
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Jun–Aug. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 62–68°F and lows of 36–43°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Boulder 14 W, CO weather station, 17 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan29° high12° low
- Feb28° high11° low
- Mar36° high17° low
- Apr40° high22° low
- May50° high29° low
- Jun62° high36° low
- Jul68° high43° low
- Aug66° high41° low
- Sep59° high34° low
- Oct47° high26° low
- Nov35° high19° low
- Dec28° high12° low
Where it is
- Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness · Wilderness
- Rocky Mountain National Park · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- Allenspark, Colorado · 6.9 mi
- Managed by
- National Park Service
Nearby
- Glacier GorgeRock climbing0.1 mi
- ArrowheadRock climbing0.5 mi
North Longs Peak TrailHikingPhoto: Yssso, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)1.9 mi- Black Lake TrailHiking1.9 mi
- Glacier CreekCanoeing3.6 mi
Rocky Mountain National Park Glacier Basin CampgroundCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain5 mi- Meeker Park Overflow CampgroundCamping5.9 mi
- North InletCanoeing6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Ribbon Falls open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Rocky Mountain National Park. It doesn't name Ribbon Falls, so check the source for the area it covers.
Trail Ridge Road Status Update
Park closure covering Rocky Mountain National Park · NPS · Rocky Mountain National Park
As of · Source: NPS · Rocky Mountain National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Ribbon Falls
Best months: June and September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
29° / 12°
15 wet
Feb
28° / 11°
16 wet
Mar
36° / 17°
16 wet
Apr
40° / 22°
17 wet
May
50° / 29°
16 wet
Jun
62° / 36°
12 wet
Jul
68° / 43°
14 wet
Aug
66° / 41°
13 wet
Sep
59° / 34°
10 wet
Oct
47° / 26°
10 wet
Nov
35° / 19°
12 wet
Dec
28° / 12°
15 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Boulder 14 W, CO, 16.8 mi away at 9,828 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
