COLORADO, USA — Two of Colorado's scenic seasonal highways will close for the winter Monday as snow begins to coat peaks in the high country.
Mount Evans Highway, which takes summer visitors to the summit of Mount Evans in Clear Creek County, will fully close to motorized vehicles Monday morning. The top five miles of the highway, from Summit Lake to the 14er's summit, closed last month.
The bottom 10 miles, from Echo Lake to Summit Lake, will close for the season Monday, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
Mount Evans Scenic Byway, also known as Colorado Highway 5, is the highest paved road in North America.
Further north, Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park will also close to vehicles for the season on Monday. The dirt road will be open to non-vehicle users on the following schedule through the fall and winter:
- Oct. 3-7: Closed to all users so crews can conduct road maintenance.
- Oct. 8-10: Open to bicycles, leashed pets and walkers. Leashed pets are allowed on the road only, not on side trails.
- Oct. 11-14: Closed to all users for maintenance.
- Oct. 15 - Nov. 30: Open to bicycles, leashed pets and walkers. Leashed pets are allowed on the road only, not on side trails.
- Dec. 1 onward: The road will revert to trail status and bicycles and leashed pets will not be allowed.
A portion of Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved road in Rocky Mountain National Park, will be temporarily closed starting at 7:30 p.m. Sunday due to an incoming winter storm. The road will be closed between Rainbow Curve and the Colorado River Trailhead.
That portion of Trail Ridge Road was also closed from Friday afternoon to Sunday. It reopened briefly Sunday afternoon.
Park visitors can get the latest information on Trail Ridge Road by calling the recorded status line at 970-586-1222.
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