Trail Ridge Road at 11,500-Feet in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO Now Closed to Traffic for the Winter

Park officials announced the seasonal closure of Trail Ridge Road to through traffic today due to weather conditions, reports the SkyHiNews.

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Since the road is not designed to be an all-season road, with 11 miles above 11,500 feet, winter conditions, including drifting snow, high winds, and freezing temperatures, shut the road down yearly. Last year, the road closed Oct. 27th.

Weather permitting, the road will remain open to the Colorado River Trailhead on the west side of the park and to Many Parks Curve on the east side of the park.

• Popular destinations for this time of year, including Bear Lake Road, Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park and the section of Trail Ridge Road along the Kawuneeche Valley, remain open.
• Old Fall River Road is also closed for the season.
• Old Fall River and Trail Ridge Roads remain open to bikes and leashed pets until Dec. 1. Cyclists and pet owners may utilize the road at their own risk.

On Dec. 1, both of these roads will revert to “winter trail status,” which means that bicycles and leashed pets are no longer permitted beyond the closed gates but pedestrians are until April 1.

Trail Ridge Road typically reopens in May. Last year, it reopened on May 24.