Signs that winter has officially arrived in the high country can be found in the seasonal closures today of the highway over Independence Pass and Trail Ridge Road – two of Colorado’s highest mountain byways.
“After recent snowfall accumulation at high elevations in the park, with the accompanying wind and ice, as well as the forecast for periodic storms at high elevations, we have decided to officially close Trail Ridge Road for the season,” park Superintendent Vaughn Baker said in a release. “The snow continues to blow and drift at higher elevations, making snow clearing operations extremely hazardous.”
The average winter closure date for Trail Ridge has been Oct. 23, the park said.
State Highway 82 between Leadville and Aspen was closed Friday with the intention of re-opening the road and keeping it open until the annual Nov. 7 target date, the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a release. But weekend snow and wind created white-out conditions and a forecast for more wind means that plows are unable to safely travel the road.
The closure runs from just east of Aspen about 18 miles to Twin Lakes. The annual target date for re-opening the road is May, just prior to the Memorial Day weekend.
