Snow Drifts As Tall As Subarus Welcome Visitors On Trail Ridge Road
ESTES PARK, Colo. (CBS4)- Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park finally opened this week, much to the delight of visitors. Crews spent a lot of time and energy trying to get the road clear from the late season snowfall.
There is still a lot of snow along the side road, but it is open. So that means only one thing: it's time to go play outside.
The month of June in Estes Park means the annual migration of the "flatlanders." Every year thousands flock to Rocky Mountain National Park to see Colorado from up above.
"It's packed. Definitely a lot of cars moving up and down," said Estes Park resident Dan Penoyer.
It could be because enough snow finally melted for Trail Ridge Road to open. It had been closed until Wednesday thanks to May's late snowstorms.
"The snowplows had just met and then they got new snowfall and they closed it. Then it was just a matter of waiting it out until they met again," said Penoyer.
Penoyer and his friends have been waiting patiently to get up the road and ski some of the untouched snow in the alpine tundra.
"There weren't a lot of tracks when we got up here this morning," said Penoyer. "I think it's pretty big for this time of year. I think they are well over their average for the season."
Seeing as how it was nearly 70 degrees when they set out, they grabbed their skis and swim trunks and hiked to a once in a lifetime experience.
"I mean it's June 7 and you see that? I can't complain," Penoyer said as he pointed to a snowdrift taller than his Subaru.
If you are headed up to Rocky Mountain National Park, you might want to pack clothes for all four seasons because in true Colorado fashion, you never know what kind of weather you are going to get.