Road To The Top Of Mount Evans Opens To Drivers

(CBS4) - Snow has been cleared on the road to the summit of Mount Evans and it will be open to drivers on Friday during the day before closing for an event that takes place on Saturday morning. Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation made the announcement on Friday.

Highway 5, the Mount Evans Highway, is usually open before the start of the Memorial Day weekend but this year there was so much snow to clear that the opening got delayed by two weeks.

The Mount Evans Ascent road race will take place Saturday morning so drivers won't be able to use the road again after Friday until Saturday afternoon. The road will actually close to drivers on Friday night at 8 p.m.

"Because of all the remaining snow surrounding the highway, motorists are reminded to take it slow, be aware, and drive safely on the roadway," officials with CDOT wrote in a prepared release.

Mount Evans is a Colorado 14er and the summit lies at 14,264 feet. The road is the highest paved road in North America.

Earlier this week, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park fully opened for the season after the heavy, late spring snow kept the road closed much longer than planned.