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Plowing at 11,796 feet: Crews reach a buried Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park

Bryce Martin bmartin@skyhinews.com
TheTrail Ridge Store is pictured on May 15, 2019 inside Rocky Mountain National Park. The road opened for the season May 27 but temporarily closed Sunday following a winter storm.
National Park Service/Courtesy photo

Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators came across fully buried buildings late Wednesday when they reached the Alpine Visitor Center and Trail Ridge Store.

At an elevation of 11,796 feet, park staff are used to the buildings being under snow, but this year there was much more.

Additional snow is forecast for higher elevations later this weekend and through early next week. Given the forecast, as well as the snow amounts, it’s too soon to tell whether Trail Ridge Road will be open by Memorial Day weekend to vehicles, according to the park.



Winter’s over and the snowplow crews are back to work, getting ready for the summer season.

But how does the park prepare for the winter? Read all about it by clicking on this link.


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