When will Independence Pass close for the season?
Here’s how CDOT decides to close the road for the winter
Madison Osberger-Low/The Aspen Times
As the weather starts to change and snow begins to fall, visitors and locals alike might be wondering when Independence Pass will be closing.
The pass is currently still open, which is to be expected based on its history. According to Karin Teague, executive director of the Independence Pass Foundation, the pass typically closes between late October and mid-to-late November, based entirely on weather patterns.
Last year, the Colorado Department of Transportation’s 2024 announcement reported the pass closed on Oct. 31. Data shared in that announcement also confirmed that as far as 2014, the pass has historically closed between Nov. 1 and Nov. 17 seven times and, in the final days of October three times.
According to CDOT Regional Communications Manager Chuck Marsh, CDOT has the final say on whether the pass will close. They work with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the county Sheriff’s Office, and the Independence Pass Foundation to help communicate that decision.
Once CDOT determines that enough snow has fallen or may fall in a storm, the gate five miles outside of Aspen drops, closing the pass to cars. If the storm passes with manageable accumulation, CDOT teams will go out and assess the pass for plowing and reopening.
“If a big storm is anticipated, they will try to precede it because they do need to make sure everyone’s off the pass,” Teague said. “Ideally, they close it before the big storm hits.”
If the teams cannot safely remove snow after a storm, the pass remains closed for the season.
“For early season storms that come in and wreak havoc on the pass, we take each storm one at a time and evaluate weather predictions on a weekly basis,” Marsh said in an email. “We want to be able to keep the pass open as long as possible, but we will not sacrifice the safety of our teammates or the commuters who drive the pass.”
According to the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies staff, the first snowfall of the season that dropped snow in Aspen was on Oct. 12. There has not been snow in town since then.
As of writing, OpenSnow is predicting some precipitation early next week, but it is not predicted to accumulate more than an inch to a couple of inches before the end of the week.
