One of the highcountry roads will stay closed past 4th of July. We were planning on going up there like around the 10th of July or so...
http://www.denverpost.com/brea...
The narrow, one-way-only Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park probably won't be open in time for the July 4 weekend.
The road is traditionally open in time for the rush of Independence Day weekend travelers, but park officials say sections of the unpaved road to the Alpine Visitor Center is still buried under 15 feet of snow.
The snow is obscuring poles that guide snowplow operators along the winding road — which at times stretches above treeline — making their work too dangerous.
There is also avalanche activity along several sections of the road, and this year there are larger than normal amounts of debris and other deposits that must be cleared, officials said.
"We understand this is a very popular road for park visitors and (we) will do our best to safely open the road and not jeopardize our snowplow operators," said Park Superintendent Vaughn Baker.
Since mid-April, park snowplow operators have focused on clearing Trail Ridge Road, but work was slow on that route because of the heaviest late-spring snow in decades. Trail Ridge Road, the highest altitude continuous paved road in the U.S., opened June 6, the latest opening in more than 20 years.
Old Fall River Road was built between 1913 and 1920. The 9.4 mile route stretches from Endovalley Picnic Area to above treeline at Fall River Pass, following the steep slope of Mount Chapin's south face.
Snow has only melted on about the lowest 2.5 miles of the road, park officials said.
For more information about road conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park, call 970-586-1206
