CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Guanella Pass officially opened for the season Thursday, marking its earliest opening in years.
The scenic byway usually doesn’t open until around Memorial Day Weekend, but this year, because of the unusual winter, it’s opening weeks earlier.
The mountains did get some snow Friday, the day after the official opening, but staff says it wasn't enough snow to have to close the pass.
“Usually, with all the snow it gets, like I said, we open it at the beginning of summer, and it kind of shows, 'Hey, summer is here',” Megan Hiler-Wilson, the public information officer with Clear Creek County, said.
“The fact that we are opening it this year in the middle of April really shows how much snow we have not been getting,” she added.
Hiler-Wilson says according to the county’s records, this year’s opening marks the earliest since the pass was paved about a decade ago.
“Guanella Pass used to be a dirt road, and it wasn't always paved,” she said. “Before then, people, if they had, like, four-wheelers and stuff like that, they could go up there."
And for some frequent visitors, the opening of the pass was a pleasant surprise.
Denver7 ran into Frank and Amy Huette as they were enjoying the pass Saturday morning.
“We're just up spending a couple of nights at our house in Georgetown, and we thought we'd get the dogs out for a walk at the at the waterfall,” Frank said.
When Denver7 asked the pair how they felt when they heard the pass was opening so early this year, they shared both concerns and excitement.
“It's sad because I'm afraid for the wildfire potential and all of that in the water but also excited to have the season open and be able to use it," Amy said. "So it's a tale of two emotions."
Frank said he was “frightened” and “bewildered.”
Those same mixed emotions also felt by Hiler-Wilson.
“Scary when it comes to fire season, but it's also for, like, the towns and for the visitors, it's kind of exciting for them because more people can come up earlier," she said. "So, it's kind of a little bit of a double-edged sword”.
And with the early opening, it could mean an early boom for businesses.
“It's going to start the whole mountain biking and hiking," Frank said. "Biking and hiking and golf cart rental scene and everything else going on in Georgetown, which it's awesome."
“There's a lot more travelers coming through earlier," he added. "So, everything's kind of blossoming, as it were, for spring."
Frank told Denver7 he just closed on a building for his new business doing electric vehicle historic tours and is preparing for the official opening in May.
“The more people coming through, obviously the better," he said. "So you know that this is just going to open up the spigot for tourists coming into town.”
After the pass opened Thursday, the high country did get some snow. However, Hiler-Wilson said it was not enough to close the pass since it was only a couple of inches.
Hiler-Wilson does warn that if there is future snow, the pass could close if it becomes unsafe for drivers.
The pass typically stays open until around Thanksgiving weekend, but Denver7 asked if the pass could stay open longer if Colorado's atypical weather continues.
“Usually by Thanksgiving, we've already seen some snow," Hiler-Wilson said. "So I guess we kind of have to play it by ear. We'll have to see how things kind of shake out. But yeah, anything is possible."
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