![]() Steep snowbanks along Trail Ridge Road in mid-May When the road is finally ready to open, a small ceremony is held with the mayors of Estes Park and Grand Lake meeting one another along with Rocky Mountain National Park’s superintendent and a few other dignitaries. Some years they have not been able to open until after the first week of June. Generally, the National Park Service tries to have Trail Ridge Road open by Memorial Day Weekend in late May. They must use excavators and other equipment to slowly carry it away. They can’t simply push it aside as one would do with an individual snowfall. It is a logistical challenge to move all that snow from the parking lot. The snow here can often be more than 10 feet deep. When the plow drivers coming from east and west finally get the road cleared then they must begin the huge job of trying to clear the large parking lot at the Alpine Visitor Center. Heading up towards Forest Canyon Overlook from the east When this system is finalized it will make this dangerous job a little safer. These days the park is working to develop a GPS based system that will help the plow drivers know where the edges of the road are within a fraction of an inch. They help plow drivers know where the edges of the road are. If you've visited in the summer you may have wondered what the long wooden poles along the road are for. Another challenge is that some of the biggest snowfalls of the year occur in April and the first half of May, so they often have to go back and redo sections. Cutting a path through the snow is a slow job. Instead of using your typical snowplow, they must use vehicles that have special snow cutting and throwing equipment, since the deep snow can’t simply be pushed to the side of the road. It typically takes about 40 days to reopen the road. It is a far bigger job than most people realize. The Process of Opening Trail Ridge RoadĪt some point in April, the National Park Service begins the process of clearing Trail Ridge Road. If you manage to make it all the way up to the tundra, you will soon realize the extreme conditions of this area during the winter period. During this time visitors are free to walk or ski on the road. The road is normally closed at Many Parks Curve on the east and the Colorado River Trail in the west. Winter at Forest Canyon OverlookĪs a result, Trail Ridge Road closes at some point in mid-October, usually after the first significant snowfall. Also, the costs of such a consistent plowing operation would be significant. ![]() This is not a place you would want to get stuck or have your vehicle break down. It also would be a very dangerous road to drive in those high winds and blowing snow, as there are many steep drops along the way. As a result, any snow plowed off the road fills right back in behind the plow. The winds above tree line are often consistently over 50mph and can be more than 100mph. Can’t they simply send snowplows up each time it snows? The main challenge with this idea is that it doesn’t consider the high winds that batter this area for months on end. Many people wonder why Trail Ridge Road must close. Approaching Milner Pass from the west on Trail Ridge Road Yet despite being a vital link between these communities this road is closed for much of the year. It provides an important connection between the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake and the surrounding areas. What this means is that it is not simply a road that goes to the top of a mountain and ends, but rather it is a highway connecting different parts of the state. ![]() ![]() Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuously paved road in the United States. ![]()
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