COLORADO, USA — It's Memorial Day weekend, which means many of the Colorado mountain roads that close for the winter are opening back up.
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Here are the 2023 opening dates for Colorado's seasonal roads, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation:
- Independence Pass (Colorado Highway 82), connecting Leadville and Aspen, reopened Thursday.
- Cottonwood Pass (Chaffee County Road 306/Forest Service Road 209) west of Buena Vista reopened Thursday.
- Mount Evans Highway (Colorado Highway 5), which takes visitors to the summit of Mount Evans, is set to open at 8 a.m. Friday.
- Guanella Pass (Clear Creek Road 381 / Park County Road 62) is set to reopen at 9 a.m. Friday. The pass climbs above treeline and takes drivers to the trailheads for several popular hikes, including Mount Bierstadt.
- Trail Ridge Road (U.S. Highway 34), which connects Estes Park and Grand Lake through Rocky Mountain National Park, is set to reopen at 6 a.m. Friday. Because weather conditions can change rapidly, park visitors should be prepared to adjust travel plans at any time and are encouraged to call the park’s Trail Ridge Road phone line at (970) 586-1222 to get the current status.
- Kebler Pass (Gunnison County Road 12) remains closed with no projected reopening date.
CDOT is reminding drivers to expect additional traffic in many areas of the state as the summer travel season gets underway.
Heavy traffic is anticipated along the Front Range and mountain highways, especially on westbound Interstate 70 on Friday and Saturday, and eastbound I-70 from Eagle County to the Denver area on Memorial Day.
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