Getting your player ready...
ESTES PARK, Colo.—Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is now open for the summer, about two weeks earlier than normal.
However, park officials warn weather conditions can change rapidly and travelers should check first.
The road reaches more than 12,000 feet at its highest point and is billed as the highest continuous paved road in the United States. Huge snowplows are used to clear the road for summer visitors.
Historically, it closes in late October and reopens on Memorial Day weekend. Last year, after heavy snowstorms continued well into the spring, the road didn’t open until June 6.
The earliest the road has ever opened is May 7, 2002, when the state went through an extreme drought.
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