Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators from the east side and west sides of the park met on Trail Ridge Road yesterday, May 29, for the first time this year. East side plow operators were again able to reached the Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store area. They initially reached the Alpine Visitor Center complex on May 15 - soon afterwards multiple spring snow storms pushed plow efforts back to lower elevations on Trail Ridge Road. It is too soon to predict when Trail Ridge Road will open for the season. The extended forecast for higher elevations is improving next week.
When plow operators began plowing in mid-April they reported that the snowpack conditions were average to below average. That changed in May. Snowplow operators experienced a lot of drifting snow on the east side, which indicates there was a lot of high winds over the course of the winter. The drifting snow is depicted with the photos of Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store.