Amid historic snowfall this spring, snowplow operators moving massive drifts from opposite ends of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park were able to meet this week for the first time.
Trail Ridge Road — which, at 12,183 feet, is the highest continuous paved road in the United States — remains closed due to the snow, National Park Service spokesman Kyle Patterson said in a news release.
“It is too soon to predict when Trail Ridge Road will open for the season,” she said, adding that the extended forecast is improving for next week.
Plow operators on the east side were able to reach the Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store area, Patterson said, which are still under a deluge of snow.
In mid-April, plow operators reported snowpack conditions were average to below average, Patterson said, but multiple May storms pushed their efforts back to lower elevations.
Every year in mid-April, Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators start plowing the Trail Ridge — dealing with monstrous drifts up to to 22 feet. Depending on snowfall, the road can open as early as May 7 and as late as June 26, the Park Service said.
