Trail Ridge Road - Will It Be Open...

Snow is not melting as fast as in past seasons. For us here in Loveland CO, a telling indication of snow melt is the filling of several of the lakes around here -- Lake Loveland, Horseshoe Lake, and Boyd Lake. None of them are starting to fill. I live near Horseshoe Lake and the feeder canal is the same as it's been all winter. Which is to say, low and not moving. This time last year, IIRC, it was flowing quite strongly and the lake was filling up rapidly. It was full by Memorial Day weekend. Not so much this year. All of which is (hopefully) a good omen for a much delayed or postponed fire season.

Thom02099 wrote:
...for Memorial Day?

They had to clear drifts that were 22-25 feet high. Though the crews have reached the Alpine Visitors Center, they still have a lot to do. And more snow is forecast for this weekend as well as next week. Opening it is one thing; keeping it open for safe travel is quite another. H E R E - Alpine Visitors Center and
H E R E - Trail Ridge/Independence Pass/SW CO is more info on what crews are dealing with, not just on Trail Ridge Road, but also Independence Pass. And SW Colorado has very significant snowpack (200% + above normal) to melt.

Snow is good!

Couple years ago we flew the East Coast Granddaughters out to see the Snow at Trail Ridge - But it was still closed - ended up hike to a lake north of Nederland.

Son sent picture of the Snow Wall when he camped the next weekend.

Enjoy the Snow - might just mean fewer fires this summer.

Don't know when TRR will open but I can give a current update from 10,000 feet:
Snowing out as I type this Sunday evening. By now all of the snow in my yard would be gone by now. In the north and back fields there are still patches a couple feet deep. Co-workers of mine much higher still have MANY feet in there yards.

This past winter there was more snow than I can remember compared to past years... so much so that moose and wild life were "hanging out" in the plowed roads else they would get "high-centered" in the back woods (well maybe a little exaggeration but you get the idea) ... but there was more wildlife in the town area streets.

The longest day of the year is only a month away and we are still getting show! It melts quickly but the mountain peaks are most white even this late in the year. It is shaping up to be a short summer.

This image from yesterday...


This morning:



It does melt quickly in the lower altitudes... this is moments ago:

H E R E - Rocky Webcams is a link to the various webcams in Rocky. My best guess, based on the Estes Park 10-day forecast for temps and precipitation is that Trail Ridge will not open completely until after June 1.

Big storm coming through in a couple of days to add more snow.

Hopefully lots of that snow pack gets to Lake Mead.