Trail Ridge Road Opens For The Season
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (CBS4) - Officials with Rocky Mountain National Park announced Monday that Trail Ridge Road is fully open.
The road, the highest continuously paved road in the United States, officially opened for the season at 10:15 a.m.
The popular tourist road, which winds through the national park and over the Continental Divide, usually opens by Memorial Day but this year heavy snow that fell during late season storms forced officials to push back the opening date.
"This year, park snowplow operators faced many challenges while clearing the road; encountering the most snow they have seen this late in the season for 30 years. The amount of winter snowpack that faced park snowplow operators when plowing began, combined with late spring storms, hampered park snowplowing efforts," said park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson.
Even in the summer months the road sometimes temporarily closes at its highest elevations due to wintry conditions. The road rises to 12,183 feet and connects Estes Park and Grand Lake.
Stay tuned to Rocky Mountain National Park's website or call (970) 586-1222 for road condition updates throughout the summer.
