ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. — Coloradans hoping to mark the unofficial start of summer by driving up Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park will now be able to do so as the highest paved road in the U.S. is back open for the season.
Trail Ridge Road historically opens in late May, around the Memorial Day weekend, but that wasn’t the case this year, after RMNP officials announced they had “faced setbacks” due to wintry weather conditions on Colorado’s high country.
RMNP officials this year, May storms with significant winds at higher elevations hampered snow plowing operations and plow operators “encountered additional snow accumulation, significant wind resulting in deep snow drifts, freezing cold temperatures and ice.”
Conditions were optimal by Friday though, and RMNP officials said the road was back open for the summer season.
“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,” said RMNP spokeswoman Kyle Patterson.
She added travelers should be prepared for icy conditions on the road as there is the potential for freezing temperatures in the high country.
Don’t forget about the timed entry reservation system
Before you go, make sure you’re aware of the timed-entry reservation system at RMNP. There’s the Bear Lake Road Corridor option, which includes the entire corridor and rest of the park, and is available from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and then there’s the option for the rest of RMNP (excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor, though includes Trail Ridge Road), which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
These permits allow park visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability. You must get a permit to visit the park. For more information about those permits, click here.
The road, which spans the entirety of the park, partially closes every year through the winter due to winter conditions of drifting snow, high winds and below-freezing temperatures that occur above 10,000 feet.
Trail Ridge Road was never meant to be an all-season road, with 11 miles about 11,500 feet, few guard rails and no shoulders.
It normally opens the last week in May, weather permitting. 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, climbs to 12,183 feet and connects the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake. The road officially closed for the season last year on October 18.
Last year, the road reopened on May 31.
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