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Currently, Trail Ridge Road is still closed for plowing operations
Courtesy Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park -
Plowing operations on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park began in April and continue until the road is clear.
Courtesy Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park -
Snow drifts often get up to 18 to 22 feet tall causing plows to have to go over the same area several times.
Courtesy Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park -
Colorado saw a particularly snowy winter this year and more is still in the forecast.
Courtesy Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park -
Snow drifts often get up to 18 to 22 feet tall causing plows to have to go over the same area several times.
Courtesy Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park -
Snow drifts often get up to 18 to 22 feet tall causing plows to have to go over the same area several times.
Courtesy Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park’s snow plow operators are working extra hard to clear Trail Ridge Road after a winter of steady snow.
Plowing operations started in April, but are currently ongoing because of significant drifts and snowpack at high elevations in the park, according to Rocky Mountain National Park spokesperson Kyle Patterson.
Since March and April saw particularly heavy snowfall this year and more snow is predicted next week, it’s unclear at this time when Trail Ridge Road will reopen.
Patterson said crews begin at either side of the park and plow until they meet at the Alpine Visitor Center to clear the entire road.
Operators, who are Rocky Mountain National Park staff, are used to dealing with drifts as tall as 18 to 22 feet and are accustomed to plowing the same section of the road over and over until clear, she said.
Since its completion in 1932, the earliest Trail Ridge Road has ever opened was May 7, 2002 and the latest it has ever opened was June 26, 1943. Trail Ridge Road also has the distinction of being the highest continuous paved road in the country, sitting at an elevation of 12,183 feet.