Update, Nov. 27, 2013: All flood-damaged state and federal highways providing access to Estes Park have officially reopened.
Update, Nov. 20, 2013: Highway 34 from Loveland to Estes Park opens tomorrow, Nov. 21, at 11 am. Highway 7 from Lyons to Raymond will open at 10 am on Nov. 26.
Update, Nov. 15, 2013: Highway 34 from Loveland to Estes Park is scheduled to open Thursday, Nov. 21. CDOT hopes to reopen Highway 7 from Lyons to Raymond by Dec. 1.
Update, Nov. 7, 2013: Highway 72 through Coal Creek Canyon will open on Monday, Nov. 11.
Update, Oct. 29, 2013: It was announced today that Highway 36 from Lyons to Estes Park will reopen at noon, Monday, Nov. 4. The temporary road will be crude but drivable.
Update, Oct. 22, 2013: Trail Ridge Road has been officially closed for the season.
Update, Oct. 12, 2013: Rocky Mountain National Park reopened at noon today. For the latest on conditions inside the park, see the RMNP website, the RMNP Facebook page, and the RMNP Twitter page.
Update, Oct. 6, 2013: Hwy 119 through Boulder Canyon between Boulder and Nederland has reopened.
For those seeking information on Colorado road closures and access to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, I’ve compiled this summary of the latest available information. For future updates, please refer to the sources listed below.
Two routes to Estes Park are currently open to visitors: (1) Trail Ridge Road, weather permitting (temporarily closed due to snow), and (2) the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway from Black Hawk / Central City. All other routes are closed till further notice.
Closed till further notice:
- Hwy 72 through Coal Creek Canyon
- Hwy 119 from Boulder to Nederland
- Lefthand Canyon from Boulder to Ward (see Boulder County OEM map)
- Hwy 7 from Lyons to Raymond
- Hwy 36 from Lyons to Estes Park
- Hwy 34 from Loveland to Estes Park
For the latest road closures, conditions, and updates:
Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
CDOT Colorado Flood Highway Updates
Boulder County Office of Emergency Management
Larimer County, Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park businesses known to be open:
Suggested news sources:
The Denver Post
Estes Park Trail Gazette
Boulder Daily Camera
Longmont Times-Call
KUSA Denver Channel 9
KMGH Denver Channel 7
KCNC Denver Channel 4
Rocky Mountain National Park
Boulder Office of Emergency Management
Town of Estes Park Facebook page
Town of Estes Park Twitter feed
Denver Post videos
Area webcams:
Allenspark, Colo.
Alpine Visitor Center, Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park (taken down in winter)
Boulder, Colo. & the Flatirons (scroll down for both views)
Boulder, Colo. — multiple cams
Castle Mountain Lodge, Estes Park, Colo. — 2 webcams
Downtown Denver, Colo.
Estes Park, Colo. — multiple cams
Longs Peak, Colo.
TramCam, Estes Park, Colo. (controllable camera, loads slowly, doesn’t work with Chrome)
Estes Park, Colo. — Several new live webcams from Eric Calkins
Windcliff, Estes Park, Colo.
Also see cameras on live CDOT map (click on camera icons). Most offer views in both directions. The Lily Lake cam (3 views) on Hwy 7 just south of Estes will give you an idea what the aspens in the area look like right now.
How you can help:
In other words, no Peak to Peak leaf viewing this year unless you’re up for a LOT of driving. I hope you fared ok!
Still debating whether to try it. I figure 2 1/2 hours from here to Estes. I don’t think I’m up to that round trip in one day.
Great compilation of routes and available Cams — thanks! Another source to help the Naional Park is Rocky Mountain Nature Association (RMNA) – can donate on their site.
Thanks. I hoped compiling everything I had into one post would be helpful, and maybe encourage folks to head on up to Estes.