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Too Much Snow To Open Trail Ridge Road At Rocky Mountain National Park This Weekend

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Published Date

May 21, 2015
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Snowy conditions on Trail Ridge Road this week. This shot was taken just west of Rock Cut on Wednesday/NPS

If you had your heart set to travel Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park this Memorial Day Weekend, well, you'll have to visit the lower elevations of the park because there's too much snow up high to open the road.

The high-elevation road -- it crests above 12,000 feet -- typically opens on the holiday weekend. Last year traffic was able to cross the park on Trail Ridge Road on May 2.

But things are different, weather-wise, this year, according to park Superintendent Vaughn Baker.

'œThis May'™s snowy and wet weather patterns have certainly hampered this year'™s efforts. As is typical, park plow operators have dealt with days of low to no visibility, wind, drifting snow and icy road conditions," said Superintendent Baker. "This May, freezing temperatures above 10,000 feet, the lack of sunshine, and the fact that Memorial Day is earlier this year have added to the challenges.'

Park snowplow operators will continue to plow the road; the road will open as soon as it is safe to do so, park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said. But due to the extended forecast for winter conditions at higher elevations, it is too soon to predict when that might be, she added. 

Every year, Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators begin plowing Trail Ridge Road in mid-April. Crews from the west side of the park and crews from the east side of the park move along the road and eventually meet near the Alpine Visitor Center. This occurred last Thursday, May 14, near the Gore Range overlook.

Plow operators normally encounter drifts from 18 to 22 feet and are accustomed to plowing the same section of road over and over. Trail Ridge Road was completed in 1932. The earliest the road has opened was on May 7, 2002; the latest June 26, 1943. In 2011, the road opened on June 6.

Park staff expect a busy Memorial Day Weekend throughout Rocky Mountain National Park. The three reservation campgrounds in the park are full for the weekend. Visitors planning to recreate in the park'™s backcountry, depending on their destination, should be prepared for a variety of conditions including snow, ice, slush and mud.

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Near Rock Cut on Wednesday/NPS

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