National Parks · September 28, 2026
Above the Last Switchback
The road ends, the grade keeps going, and the day gets quieter than the map suggests.
5 min read
Past the last switchback the trail stops performing for anyone. The grade is just grade. Wind finds the collar and stays there.
I walk these parks to see what the maintained path is protecting, and what it is leaving out. A ridgeline does not care about a season pass. It cares about weather and the next footfall.
This note is from that stretch: no viewpoint platform, no scheduled light. Just the country above the road, and the decision to keep going until the day says otherwise.
