Alpine Visitor Center

"An oasis..."

...on Trail Ridge Road, this is the only commercial enterprise between Estes Park and Granby.  There's hot and cold food available here, soft drinks, coffee, etc., plus a variety of candy and other snacks.  It's a souvenir stand like few others, with everything from expensive silver and turquoise jewelry to made-in-China moccasins and bow-and-arrows, cheap T-shirts to fine knit sweaters, photo books to framed prints.  

It's a welcome place to stretch your legs on the Trail Ridge trip, set at the top of a beautiful pass that begs for picture-taking.  You can often see elk in the distance, and of course marmots and chipmunks (which will find YOU if you just stand still).  You can hike up above the parking area and get an even better view of the area, but be aware that the air's pretty thin.  Most importantly, if I recall correctly, they have higher quality pit toilets that are clean and HEATED.

And if you're adventurous, you can get here by driving up the steep, narrow, graveled Fall River Road from Horseshoe Park, an adventure unto itself.