Lower Portion Of Mount Evans Highway To Close For Season On Oct. 7

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- The remainder of the Mount Evans Highway will close for the rest of the season on Oct. 7. The Colorado Department of Transportation closed the five-mile stretch to the summit of the 14er the day after Labor Day. The 10-mile portion will remain closed until next year.

Mount Evans sees about 200,000 visitors every year, with Labor Day being the busiest weekend of the year. And in 2019, the time that visitors had to get to the top of Mount Evans was a little more short-lived. Typically, the goal is to open up the highway by Memorial Day, but heavy snow and ice removal delayed that opening. CDOT crews worked until the first week of June to ensure the area was safe for drivers.

The U.S. Forest Service says up to 1,500 vehicles can drive that stretch of roadway every weekend.

Several other seasonal road closures will happen in the coming months. Another popular road that will eventually close for the season is Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. While there is no specific date for closing, weather conditions usually cause it to be closed by late October. The latest closing was Dec. 2, 1933.

Meanwhile, Independence Pass between Aspen and Leadville on Highway 82 usually closes by early November.