Guanella Pass opens in Colorado mountains, just in time for holiday weekend road trips
A Colorado mountain pass has opened to drivers for the summer season. After an extensive snow clearing effort, Guanella Pass Road opened on Thursday.
The opening is just in time for Memorial Day Weekend road trippers who are looking to observe the beauty of the Rocky Mountains up close.
The scenic byway runs 24 miles from Georgetown in Clear Creek County to Grant in Park County. It winds its way above treeline to the top of Guanella Pass, and it has great views of Mount Bierstadt and Mount Blue Sky.
"It took our Road and Bridge team about six days to clear the leftover snow. At the tallest point, the snow was about 5 feet in height," Clear Creek County wrote in a post on social media.
During the summer months, the area is popular with hikers and people interested in fishing. Guanella Pass Scenic Byway is also a very popular destination during the fall, when the aspen trees can be seen changing colors. It closes during the winter months.
Later in the day on Thursday, Independence Pass opened for the 2025 summer season. The road to the top of Mount Blue Sky is closed for maintenance and will not be open until next year.
