In March, all signs seemed to point to Colorado’s seasonal high elevation roads opening up early in the year amid a lack of snow and record-setting dryness. That said, April brought a turnaround in moisture, with snowfall in northern Colorado ramping up even more in May – and with that snowfall it’s still undetermined when one of the most iconic scenic drives in the state will reopen.

With Memorial Day Weekend coming in hot, hopeful drivers of Rocky Mountain National Park’s Trail Ridge Road may be disappointed. According to the park, “it is unknown when Trail Ridge Road will open to vehicles for through travel,” with more than a foot of new snow landing on the road this week. Prior to this snow, more than 30 inches of powder was reported in the park during a storm that took place earlier this month.

“Snow continued yesterday,” read a Wednesday, May 20 press release, “and more snow is in the extended forecast over the next several days at higher elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park.”

Trail Ridge Road reaches an elevation of 12,183 feet above sea level, meaning that the road is subject to the wild high-elevation weather that rolls through the state. A 48-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 34, it’s the highest paved through-route highway in the United States.

A late-May opening of Trail Ridge Road is pretty typical. In 2025, the road opened on May 30 and in 2024, it opened on May 31.

Updates related to the status of Trail Ridge Road can be found on the Rocky Mountain National Park website, with guests also able to call a recorded status line at 970-586-1222.

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