Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, is closed due to an incoming winter storm. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the park starting tonight through early Friday morning.
Trail Ridge Road is not designed to be an all-season road, with 11 miles above 11,500 feet, few guard rails, and no shoulders. Winter conditions include drifting snow, high winds, and below-freezing temperatures above 10,000 feet.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Denver CO 449 AM MDT Thu Oct 12 2023 COZ031-033-034-122200- /O.CON.KBOU.WW.Y.0032.000000T0000Z-231013T1200Z/ West Jackson and West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet-South and East Jackson/Larimer/North and Northeast Grand/Northwest Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet-South and Southeast Grand/West Central and Southwest Boulder/Gilpin/Clear Creek/Summit/North and West Park Counties Above 9000 Feet- Including the cities of Mt Zirkel, Kenosha Mountains, Laramie and Medicine Bow Mountains, Winter Park, Eisenhower Tunnel, East Slopes Mosquito Range, Indian Peaks, Mount Blue Sky, East Slopes Southern Gore Range, Berthoud Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park, Willow Creek Pass, Breckenridge, Williams Fork Mountains, Cameron Pass, and Rabbit Ears Range 449 AM MDT Thu Oct 12 2023 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM MDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Snow. Additional snow accumulations from 4 to 12 inches. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph. Highest amounts will be north of I-70. * WHERE...Rabbit Ears Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bow Range, and The Mountains of Summit County, the Mosquito Range, and the Indian Peaks. * WHEN...Until 6 AM MDT Friday. * IMPACTS...Roads will become slippery in spots, especially through mountain passes. Use caution when traveling.
The road is closed at Rainbow Curve on the park’s east side and at the Colorado River Trailhead on the west side. Visit www.nps.gov/romo or call 970-586-1222 for the most up-to-date information on Trail Ridge Road. Visitors should be prepared for winter driving conditions in the mountains and be ready to adjust travel plans as needed.
This is the road’s third fall closure due to incoming winter weather.
Last year, the road closed for the winter on October 22nd, 2022. It opened for the summer season on May 26th, 2023.
Trail Ridge Road historically opens on Memorial Day weekend; in 2022, the road opened on May 27th. The earliest the road opened was May 7th, 2002; the latest was June 26th, 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.
