High-Climbing Trail Ridge Road Is Back Open After A Late-Season Storm

Rockies Weather
AP
This Sunday, June 23, 2019 photo provided by the National Park Service shows plows clearing snow from Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo. The plows encountered heavy snow and deep drifts at 12,080 feet above sea level and had to plow a path back down the road. Plows returned to the highway on Monday, June 24, and park officials said they would not reopen the route until conditions improved. (National Park Service via AP)

The high-elevation road through Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park is back open after a rare summer blizzard left ice and deep snowdrifts.

Trail Ridge Road opened Tuesday after plows were able to clear drifts up to 8 feet deep.

The popular highway, which reaches 12,183 feet above sea level, had been closed since Friday.

Wintry weather that lasted through the spring and into summer has kept the road closed longer than normal this year.

The highway opened for the first time this season on June 5, about a week later than usual. It had been shuttered over Memorial Day weekend. Park officials closed it Friday after another late-season storm brought deep snow, high winds and below-freezing temperatures.