ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK – Let’s hear it for Rocky’s Roads Crew! The intrepid team is hard at work in Rocky Mountain National Park, plowing snow off the highest continuously paved road in North America.
It’s hard to say when the job will be done because there’s still snow in the forecast. You never know when it’ll snow at those high elevations!
The 48-mile Trail Ridge Road connects travelers through the Colorado park between Estes Park (east side) and Grand Lake (west side). Eleven miles of the road are above the treeline at about 11,500 feet elevation. The highest point of the road is a lofty 12,183 feet.
Plowing operations are underway, but people can hike, walk, or bike beyond some closure points, unless you see a sign that says, “Road Closed to All Traffic,” or “Bicycles and Pedestrians Prohibited Beyond This Point.”
“Trail Ridge Road offers visitors thrilling views, wildlife sightings and spectacular alpine wildflower exhibitions, all from the comfort of their car,” the National Park Service says. “Up on that windswept alpine world, conditions resemble those found in the Canadian or Alaskan Arctic. It’s normally windy and 20 to 30 degrees colder than Estes Park or Grand Lake.”
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