Trail Ridge Road scheduled to open tomorrow

(NPS Photo/C. Frohbieter)

This was the scene yesterday at the Alpine Visitor Center (elev.11,798 ft.) on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. My guess is that if crews have time to do this to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial, the road is clear, or nearly so. It is scheduled to open for the season tomorrow and I’m betting it will. However, we do have thunderstorms in our forecast today, and that could mean snow at higher elevations. One really never knows for sure in Colorado.

For those thinking of making the drive this weekend, the road status line is 970-586-1222.

Media Day this year was May 12, two weeks ago, and Estes Park News submitted this report:

15 thoughts on “Trail Ridge Road scheduled to open tomorrow

  1. That’s about 4000 ft higher than Australia’s highest peak, Mt Kosciuszko, we only have ‘Pimples on a Pumpkin” compared to the Americas and Asia, I suppose you can throw in Europe and Antarctica too. :'(

  2. The lovely high-elevation snow brought back memories of shocked expressions when flatlanders phoned me at the Boise National Forest asking when our campgrounds opened. They refused to believe that some often weren’t ready for use until late June.

    1. High country is a whole different world. I still remember my surprise and delight as a child when we were up here (from Oklahoma) on vacation one summer and found a patch of snow up on Trail Ridge. Not to mention the very mushy, often snow-covered hiking trails I’ve encountered in June.

  3. Friday, 1030 mdt, not opening today per EP News. Rangers reported whiteout conditions & temp of 24 degrees, with winds between 20 & 30. Not the best opening day conditions. But what cemented it was ” road conditions are treacherous with extreme ice.” As much as i love that road…. Maybe tomorrow!!

... and that's my two cents