Independence Pass will be open long before skiing ends in Aspen this year.
The scenic pass from Twin Lakes to Aspen is scheduled to open at 2 p.m. Thursday, while the high country’s ample spring snow means some slopes will be open for Memorial Day weekend for the first time since 1995.
Along the way, Maroon Creek Road to the Maroon Bells Scenic Area will open Friday, but “visitors should come prepared for winter conditions and deep snow,” the U.S. Forest Service said today in announcing the opening.
The Silver Bar, Silver Bell and Silver Queen campgrounds will all open on Friday and are currently snow-free, the service said.
Colorado Department of Transportation workers have cleared drifts and avalanches, working up to 14-hour days clearing snow as deep as 25 feet, but winter road hazards are still likely, including the possibility of shallow, wet avalanches as temperatures warm up.
Overnight temperatures in the 20s could also create icy roads, CDOT warned.
The 12,095-foot-high pass, also known as Colorado Highway 82, is closed each winter because of harsh weather. The road closed on Oct. 25.
The road to the top of Mount Evans usually opens about the same time as Independence Pass, but because of heavy recent snowfall the route is not expected to open for another one to two weeks, CDOT stated.
