COLORADO, USA — The drive itself on these Colorado roads is as good as the destination in any other state.
These high mountain roads are typically closed for the winter, but thanks to the hard work of crews clearing snow and other debris, they're back open just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend.
Trail Ridge Road, which connects Estes Park and Grand Lake through Rocky Mountain National Park, reopened on Friday. Parts of it had opened up earlier this week, and pedestrians and cyclists have gotten the opportunity to have this gorgeous byway to themselves.
Here's Sky9 footage of Trail Ridge Road on Friday. Notice how there's still lots of snow?
Trail Ridge Road covers 48 miles, and 11 miles of it traverse mountain scenery above treeline at 11,500 feet. Since it's so high up, it's prone to close if conditions get dicey, especially during the spring.
Check the Rocky Mountain National Park website before you go.
This isn't the big road reopening to celebrate in Colorado. Independence Pass, which connects Twin Lakes and Aspen, also reopened on Friday.
And, like with Trail Ridge Road, it still looks a little bit more like winter than summer, according to a photo shared by the Colorado Department of Transportation.
This pass reaches an elevation of more than 12,000 feet and is the second-highest pass with an improved road in Colorado.
Another road that takes Coloradans very high?
Guanella Pass, which also reopened on Friday (do you see a theme?). It connects Georgetown (and the Interstate 70 corridor) and Grant (which is off U.S. 285).
We don't have photos of the pass from this week, but here's a photo of Georgetown Mayor Parker celebrating the fact it's back open.
Guanella Pass reaches a summit of 11,669 feet and offers a spectacular view of Mt. Bierstadt, one of the most popular 14ers in Colorado.
Speaking of 14ers that you can hike, here's an update on one you can drive.
The Mt. Evans Scenic Byway closed to vehicles in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but officials hope to have it back open by June 4.
It's moved to a reservation-only system to help control the crowds.
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