Road Travel › Mountain pass weather

Trail Ridge Road weather

US-34 between Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado. The summit is 12,187 ft. The road closes each winter.

Summit
12,187 ft
Highway
US-34
Estes Park
24 mi
Grand Lake
24 mi

Summit forecast, next 72 hours

Trail Ridge Road summit, 12,187 ft · Updated · Forecast: National Weather Service

  • New snow0 in
  • Strongest gusts20 mphTonight
  • Coldest32°F
ForecastSnowGustsTemp °F
TonightPartly Cloudy0 in20 mphLow 36°
SaturdayMostly Sunny0 in20 mphHigh 57°
Saturday NightPartly Cloudy0 in15 mphLow 32°
SundaySunny0 in15 mphHigh 58°
Sunday NightMostly Clear0 in20 mphLow 36°
MondaySunny0 in20 mphHigh 57°

Snow is the forecast new accumulation at the summit grid point. Dots use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.

Typical weather by month

Monthly normals from the long-term stations nearest the summit. None sits exactly on the pass, so each column says how far away and how high it is.

MonthWillow Park
10,700 ft · 2 mi east of the summit
Hourglass Reservoir
9,520 ft · 13 mi northeast of the summit
Grand Lake
8,720 ft · 12 mi south of the summit
Precip (in)High / low °FSnow (in)High / low °FSnow (in)
Jan3.931° / 11°16.230° / 5°30.6
Feb3.833° / 10°20.034° / 6°25.1
Mar3.840° / 15°28.542° / 14°17.6
Apr4.945° / 20°35.749° / 21°17.1
May3.955° / 28°14.859° / 28°5.3
Jun1.868° / 36°1.671° / 34°0.4
Jul1.974° / 43°076° / 40°0
Aug2.172° / 41°073° / 38°0
Sep2.265° / 34°2.568° / 32°0.4
Oct2.951° / 26°13.655° / 23°7.4
Nov3.339° / 18°21.440° / 13°22.5
Dec3.631° / 11°19.530° / 5°28.5

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020: Willow Park (USS0005J40S, 10,700 ft); HOURGLASS RSVR (USC00054135, 9,520 ft); GRAND LAKE 1 NW (USC00053496, 8,720 ft). Snow days are days with at least 1 inch of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.

Cameras, road reports and winter rules

Conditions on the pass change by the hour, so these go straight to the official sources.

Closes for the winter. The National Park Service says Trail Ridge Road “normally closes in mid-October and opens to thru travel during the last week in May, weather permitting.” Rocky Mountain National Park

Check the official National Weather Service forecast for the summit and the road report before you leave.

Crossing Trail Ridge Road? See the summit at the hour you’ll be there

Road Travel times the forecast to your drive, so you see conditions at the summit when you will actually reach it, and get alerts about weather ahead on the way.

Questions about Trail Ridge Road

How high is Trail Ridge Road?

The summit is 12,187 ft above sea level, on US-34.

How far is Trail Ridge Road from Estes Park and Grand Lake?

By road, the summit is 24 miles from Estes Park, CO and 24 miles from Grand Lake, CO.

Is Trail Ridge Road open in winter?

No. The National Park Service says Trail Ridge Road “normally closes in mid-October and opens to thru travel during the last week in May, weather permitting.”

What is the wettest month at Trail Ridge Road?

April. The Willow Park snow-monitoring site (10,700 ft, 2 mi east of the summit) averages 4.9 inches of precipitation that month, counting the water in melted snow (1991–2020 normals).

How cold does it get near Trail Ridge Road?

The coldest month is February. Hourglass Reservoir (9,520 ft, 13 mi northeast of the summit) averages a low of 10°F then (1991–2020 normals); the summit is 2,667 ft higher.