Trail Ridge Road In Rocky Mountain National Park Open

By Compiled From N... - May 26th, 2023

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opened to traffic Friday; Park Service crews dug out the Alpine Visitor Center at the top of the road/NPS

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opened for traffic Friday, though weather could create tricky travel conditions or lead to a temporary closure.

At this time, nightly closures are not being implemented. However, because weather conditions may change rapidly at higher elevations, park visitors should be prepared to adjust travel plans accordingly at any time and are encouraged to call the park’s Trail Ridge Road recorded status phone line at (970) 586-1222. Park staff will update the recorded line when/if the road status changes.

The Alpine Visitor Center is scheduled to open on Saturday. Trail Ridge Store will have limited services this weekend.

Timed Entry Permit Reservations Effective Friday, May 26

Rocky Mountain National Park is implementing a pilot timed entry permit reservation system that began Friday. Rocky Mountain is one of the busiest national parks in the country, with more than 4.3 million visitors in 2022. Visitor crowding and congestion have led to increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety, resource protection, visitor experience and operational capacity. The park has piloted various visitor use management strategies since 2016, including first-come, first-served as well as different parkwide Timed Entry Permit Reservation system pilots since 2020.

In 2023, there are two types of reservations available. One permit is for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor and access to the rest of the park. This reservation period is from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. The second permit is for the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor, and includes Trail Ridge Road. This reservation period is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Permits issued using the reservation system will allow park visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability. The reservation system will apply to all areas of the park. To learn more visit this site.

Trail Ridge Road History

Trail Ridge Road historically opens on Memorial Day weekend; last year the road opened on May 27. The earliest the road has opened was on May 7, 2002; the latest June 26, 1943. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, climbing to 12,183 feet and connecting the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake. Trail Ridge Road officially closed for the season last year on October 24.

National Park Service plow operators began clearing the snow in the middle of 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 at the Alpine Visitor Center. The visitor center is the highest in the National Park Service, sitting at 11,796 feet above sea level. Spring storms often impact plowing activities. This year, crews ran into average snowpack.

Rocky Mountain National Park

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