ESTES PARK, Colo. — Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opened for the season on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the park said.
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.
While it is open, park officials urged visitors to use caution and said they should be prepared for icy conditions due to melting snow and the potential for freezing temperatures.
Right now, nighttime closures will not be implemented, but that could change due to rapidly changing weather conditions. Park visitors are encouraged to call the park’s Trail Ridge Road recorded phone line at (970) 586-1222.
Park staff will update the recorded line during and after regular office hours when the road status changes.
The Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store are expected to open by this weekend, which is pretty impressive when you consider they were nearly buried by snowdrifts just a few days ago.
Trail Ridge Road historically opens on Memorial Day weekend; last year the road opened on May 24 while in 2017 it opened on May 31 due to a late-May snowstorm.
The earliest the road has opened was on May 7, 2002; the latest June 26, 1943. Trail Ridge Road officially closed for the season last year on October 31.
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