According to Trail Ridge Road & Old Fall River Road Facebook page administrator, Anita Dekker, Trail Ridge Road appears to be closed for the season.

As of Oct. 22, the road remained gated at Colorado River Trailhead on the west side and at Many Parks Curve on the east side, as evidenced by citizen reports and photos posted to the Facebook page. The gates have been down at both locations since Oct. 11. when the Trail Ridge Road was shut down due to cold, icy weather.

As the vast majority of Rocky Mountain National Park staff have been furloughed since the Oct. 1 federal government shutdown, there has been no one available to provide an official update from the park service. The recorded Trail Ridge Road phone line has not been updated since the road last closed.

Visitors on the west side can still travel north through most of the Kawuneeche Valley along Highway 34, until the road begins to climb east up the ridge at around 9200 feet above sea level, 12 miles north of Grand Lake. On the east side, travelers can get up to around 9700 feet, 11 miles west of Estes Park.

Hiking and biking is still allowed on the curvy, high-altitude byway which maxes out at 12,183 feet. Look out for ice, snow and government vehicles which may be using the road.

Want to run a lonely marathon? It’s 27.2 miles between the two gates. However, drivers wishing to connect these points would now have to drive a 160-mile, clockwise loop around the Continental Divide via Nederland, Idaho Springs and Winter Park, a trip that normally would take close to four hours.

Last year, Trail Ridge Road officially closed for the winter on Oct. 25. It reopened seven months later on May 30, 2025.