Snowy Range road closed for season

The Snowy Range Road (WY 130), between Saratoga and Centennial was closed for the season on Nov. 12. Battle Pass (WY 70) between Encampment and Baggs will probably close soon.

WY 130 is closed on the eastern side at the Green Rock picnic area near milepost 36, about eight miles west of Centennial. The eastern closure is near milepost 48, above Ryan Park. According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT), WY 70 usually closes within days of WY 130.

The Nov. 12 closure of the Snowy Range road is on par with the average seasonal closure date. Since 2011 WY 130 has been closed between Nov. 4 and Nov. 15 four times. The exception was 2012 when the Snowy Range road was closed on Dec. 7 during an unusually dry winter.

As stated in a WYDOT press release, "The high elevation portion of [WY 130] is closed annually in late autumn when relatively low traffic, combined with increasing snow accumulations, make plowing operations impractical."