dillysnana

Anyone travel on the Trail Ridge Road through the park? Says on it's site that is open from Memorial Day to late fall then impassable due to snow that they don't clear. Will be traveling through about Sept. 30- Oct. 4 anyone do that around that time and if yes, were the roads clear and no hint of snow. Scary prospect if you get caught up there and the weather turns, but the view is supposed to be spectular. Thanks.

HappyLC

Our first trip on Trail Ridge Road was at the beginning of June. We got to higher elevations and it started to snow. I drove a few miles and it kept getting worse - people in mobile homes and other vehicles were sliding all over the place (obviously NO experience with snow) and I looked at my sister and our four children, turned around, and headed back to the safety of Estes Park.

We ended up making the trip across the tundra a few years later in mid summer and it is fantastic.

Here is a link to a thread about the road conditions in the fall:

http://www.motorhomemagazine.com/for...g/13419507.cfm

I'm afraid it looks like early September might still be okay, but the later one gets in September the more dicey it becomes. Sorry.

MileKing

A number of years ago I was there the first weekend in October (it was around October 5) and the road was still open. Three days later it snowed and the road was closed for the rest of the season.

My understanding is that the road is closed after the first major storm and that this is usually in October, but can be in late September or even in November. You will probably be OK, but you never know.

posha

We took Trail Ridge Road in late September (22nd and 23rd) last year. There was some snow on the ground in higher elevations but no snow on the road or difficulty traveling.

PaulRabe

As others have noted, Trail Ridge Road closes when there's a major snowfall. When that occurs varies from year to year; and what happened last year may or may not repeat itself this year. It may close on October 5th, it may close on September 29th, it may close on July 4th! All you can do is pray for good weather, gather all the useful info you can (info gets more useful as you gather it closer to the day you plan to be there), and be prepared to change your plans if weather gets bad.

If you watch the Weather Channel in the week before you arrive and pay attention to warnings the Park will clearly post, it's very unlikely you'll get stuck in a snowstorm on Trail Ridge Road. Just be willing to give up on seeing some definitely beautiful scenery.

ellen_griswold

It wasn't a major snowfall when we were there one july, but there was enough coming down to make the drive a little tricky (and we have snow 3+ months a year)that we waited it out at the summit gift shop/restaurant. It was amazing to look down from the higher elevations and see wildlife (elk). Also, there is no gas in the park so fill up in Estes Park.