Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opens for the season
Tara Alatorre/Sky-Hi News
Park rangers, along with government officials, all gathered at the Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park to officially open Trail Ridge Road for the season with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday afternoon.
In attendance was Grand Lake’s Mayor Steve Kudron, staff from the offices of Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and Larimer County Commissioner Jody Shadduck-McNally, among others.
Trail Ridge Road is a heavily trafficked portion of U.S. Highway 34 that cuts through the park and covers the 48 miles between Grand Lake and Estes Park with 11 miles of the road located above the treeline. It is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, reaching an elevation of 12,183 feet, according to the National Park Service.
The park’s website states that people traveling on this portion of the highway can climb almost 4,000 feet in a matter of minutes.
Shortly after the ribbon cutting ceremony a storm moved in and caused temporary closures at Milner Pass on the west side of the Trail Ridge Road and at Rainbow Curve on the east side of the road. To check the latest conditions call the Trail Ridge Road status hotline at 970-586-1222.
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