They're right on schedule! Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the road to the top of popular tourist destination Mount Evans will reopen to vehicle traffic.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has announced that the snow removal on Mount Evans Highway (CO 5) is complete, and they are in the last stages of repaving the parking lots to the summit. So, weather permitting, Mount Evans Highway is on track to reopen for the summer season on Friday, May 25. That means you can get your 14'er fix this weekend! Have friends or family coming to town for Memorial Day? There's no better way to show off our lovely Rocky Mountains and usher in the Colorado summer than atop Mount Evans, with its 360-degree mountain vista views and the ever-so-slight makings of Denver visible in the distance! CDOT does warn visitors, however, that they should expect heavy traffic and full parking lots, as Mount Evans is a popular summer destination. [caption id="attachment_37442" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Courtesy of CDOT's Twitter[/caption]
Also, as always, pass fees for visiting the various sites will apply: a $10 Forest Service pass (per vehicle) if you plan to stop at the Mount Goliath Natural Area and Nature Center and/or the Summit of Mount Evans Interpretive Site, and a $5 City of Denver pass (per vehicle) if you plan to stop at Summit Lake Park. Passes may be purchased at the Mount Evans Welcome Station. You can drive through the area for free if you don't plan to stop at one of the three developed sites.
About 115 miles away, Rocky Mountain National Park crews are scrambling to remove snow at Trail Ridge Road, in hopes of opening that popular tourist spot in time for Memorial Day as well, though there's been no official announcement yet.
Mount Evans Road is reopening approximately two weeks earlier than it did last year. In 2017, crews weren't able to complete snow removal and get the road open until June 8.
For up-to-date Colorado road closure information, click here.
