Three of Colorado’s scenic mountain highways will remain closed over Memorial Day weekend

May 23, 2024, 7:58 AM | Updated: 5:52 pm

Memorial Day Weekend means a lot of traveling for people. Please be safe I saw that CPS called it the start of 100 deadly days. That is some scary stuff.

Three of Colorado’s scenic mountain highways will remain closed over Memorial Day weekend due to late snow in the high country.

Trail Ridge Road, Mount Blue Sky Road (formerly Mount Evans Road) and Independence Pass won’t open until sometime after the holiday weekend, said Rocky Mountain National Park and the Colorado Department of Transportation on Wednesday.

UPDATES:

Cottonwood Pass

Gunnison County said Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista will open for the season Friday morning.

Guanella Pass

Guanella Pass, which runs from Georgetown to Grant and provides access to the Mount Bierstadt trailhead, will open for the season at 4 p.m. Thursday, a Clear Creek County spokesperson said.

Independence Pass

CDOT said they hope to be able to reopen Colorado Highway 82 over Independence Pass, between Twin Lakes and Aspen, by June 1.

Kebler Pass

Gunnison County said Kebler Pass, west of Crested Butte, will not be open for the holiday weekend. The county public works department said weather over the past few days has delayed the opening. There’s no word on when the pass will open for the season.

Mount Blue Sky Road

CDOT said Colorado Highway 5, also known as Mount Blue Sky Road, will not open until after Memorial Day weekend this year due to ongoing snow. CDOT estimated the road will open in early June.

Reservations are required for anyone who plans to park and visit one of the three developed sites along Mount Blue Sky Road (Mount Goliath Natural Area, Summit Lake Park, or the Mount Blue Sky Summit) between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

 

Trail Ridge Road

U.S. Highway 34, or Trail Ridge Road, which runs between Estes Park and Grand Lake through Rocky Mountain National Park, will not open this holiday weekend, a park spokesperson said. There was no word on exactly when the highway will open for the season.

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Three of Colorado’s scenic mountain highways will remain closed over Memorial Day weekend