http://www.nps.gov/history/history/onli ... /index.htm
Some interesting excerpts:
The automobile run from Denver to Estes Park is 70 or 80 miles, according to the route chosen. The run will take from four to six hours.
Telephone lines extend between Estes Park and Grand Lake, along the Flattop trail and also along the Fall River road and trail. Telephones will be found at 5-mile intervals along these lines for use by the public in cases of emergency.
At the present time there is no road for wagons or automobiles across the Continental Divide covered by the map. The Fall River road, when completed, will cross the Divide at Milner Pass, which is the second lowest pass in the above list.
Reading about the early mountaineers makes one appreciate modern conveniences. Today you can drive across the state and back in a day, but back then they had to take rail routes, horses, and very slow automobiles to get to their destinations.A suit of corduroy or other strong, heavy material that will keep out the wind or a light rain is usually needed. On a short one-day trip in midsummer, a suit of khaki or other light material may be worn instead of the heavier suit, if the weather is favorable. Some men find knickerbocker breeches with knit leggings a good combination.