Route 34 was closed a few miles up the road from where I took the photos above and below, meaning my drive through the canyon was short. But this short drive was unlike anything I have experienced before. The camera cannot adequately capture the proper perspective of what you eyes are seeing in person.

The photos above and below may look like nothing more than a curvy road through the rocks.

The "Oh Wow" moment comes when you realize that the small dot seen at the end of the curve is actually a full-sized automobile. And trust me, seeing it from the camera's perspective is definitely not the same as seeing it in person !

We started on our drive through Big Thompson Canyon.

All of the photos above and below give you an idea of what driving on this road was like.

We weren't able to go very far through the canyon because the road was closed ahead.

But what I got to see was amazing !

Driving through Big Thompson Canyon toward Estes Park, Colorado.

Driving through Big Thompson Canyon toward Estes Park, Colorado.

Driving through Big Thompson Canyon toward Estes Park, Colorado.

The roadway follows the path of the Big Thompson River which sits off to the right in the photos above and below.

Driving through Big Thompson Canyon toward Estes Park, Colorado.

Driving through Big Thompson Canyon toward Estes Park, Colorado.

The reason why the road is closed originated back in September 2013.

Beginning on September 11, 2013, Colorado was hit by abnormally high rainfall over a period of several days.

Boulder County was hit especially hard having seen around 17 inches of rain fall over a period of 5 days.

That is an enormous amount of rainfall regardless of location. But in Boulder County Colorado where the average annual rainfall hovers around 21 inches, 17 inches in 5 days caused big problems.

Parts of Big Thompson Canyon Road were completely washed away.

The issue at hand was that US Route 34 is the primary roadway to/from Estes Park from the Greeley/Loveland/Fort Collins area.

Temporary emergency repairs were made in 2013 in an attempt to keep the roadway open.

Those repairs were exactly that - temporary.

A plan was developed in 2014 that would make permanent repairs and necessary improvements to the roadway.

Marker for the Roosevelt National Forest.

Construction on the improvements began in 2016.

The permanent repairs included new bridges and reinforcing the roadway to better withstand floods and erosion.

While the permanent repairs were being made, traffic flow was significantly disrupted.

All traffic from Loveland to Estes Park was diverted south to the town of Lyons and US Route 36.

The detour to Lyons added more than 40 minutes to the travel time normally required.

It would take more than 5 years of ongoing repairs, closures, and detours before the completely rebuilt Big Thompson Canyon Road would reopen in 2018.

I was glad I got to drive part of the roadway during my visit to Colorado.

If I read the topographic map correctly, the canyon walls rise 300 – 400 feet above the roadway.

In some places, the canyon walls appear to be much taller than that !

Rock Formation along Big Thompson Canyon Road.