Rocky Mountain National Park.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, June 2, 2010 – The Trail Ridge Gift Store in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park is set to open its 3,500-square-foot store June 2, just three days before a fee-free weekend – June 5 and 6 – at the park. In celebration of the popular National Park Service promotion – which occurs several times a year – store operator Xanterra Parks & Resorts will also offer a promotion on its best-selling retail item. Xanterra will offer two “I Made it to the Top” T-shirts for $30. The T-shirts normally sell for $17.99 each.

The Trail Ridge Gift Store is comprised of an extensive retail area plus the Café at Trail Ridge and the Trail Ridge Coffee Bar. The retail operation was recently remodeled and includes an extensive selection of Native American jewelry, a wide array of products made in Colorado, logo apparel and items for outdoor adventurers, such as sunscreen, hats and camping gear. The store also offers DVDs and CDs, Western-themed home accents, candles and other gifts. The Café features made-to-order sandwiches, salads, soups and other snacks.

Located near the high point of Trail Ridge Road at 11,796 feet above sea level near Fall River Pass on Trail Ridge Road, the Trail Ridge Gift Store and adjacent National Park Service Alpine Visitor Center are popular stops for travelers driving along the Colorado park’s winding Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the United States. Trail Ridge Road opened on Friday, May 28. Due to particularly heavy snowpack this year, however, the Visitor Center and Trail Ridge store could not open at the same time the road opened. The road traditionally closes in early- to mid-October. Trail Ridge Road is 48 miles long and provides unparalleled and breathtaking vistas for travelers who are often treated to wildlife sightings of elk, marmots, pikas and bighorn sheep. Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet, is visible a few miles to the south and is another favorite viewpoint along the road.

The Trail Ridge Gift Store is operated by Denver-based concessioner Xanterra Parks & Resorts, a leader in environmental sustainability. The store recently installed solar panels and has achieved ISO 14001 International Environmental Management System standard certification. Numerous other environmental initiatives have also been implemented, such as serving only Fair Trade certified coffee.

For more information visit www.trailridgegiftstore.com.

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Xanterra Parks & Resorts® (consisting of several affiliated Xanterra entities) operates lodges, restaurants and other concessions at national parks and state parks and resorts. Xanterra Parks & Resorts is the country’s largest park concessioner. Xanterra Parks & Resorts operates concessions in the following locations: Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Crater Lake, Death Valley, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Silverado Resort in Napa, California, and eight Ohio State Park Lodges as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio's Geneva State Park. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also operates the Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Arizona.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been committed to the preservation and protection of the environment for many years. Through its environmental program, “Ecologix,” Xanterra Parks & Resorts has been recognized repeatedly for environmental leadership in the hospitality industry and is the recipient of many honors, including major awards from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Travel Industry Association of America, American Hotel and Lodging Association, National Parks Conservation Association, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Colorado Department of Public Health, State of Arizona, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

For more information about Xanterra Parks & Resorts, links to individual properties and reservations numbers, visit www.xanterra.com.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts
6312 S. Fiddlers Green Circle
Suite 600 North
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

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