Snow Range Closes for Season

Much like how the opening of the season pass over the Snowy Range is a sign of summer, so too is its closure a sign of winter.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) announced on November 19 that the section of Wyoming Highway 130—also known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway—was closed for the season. According to the press release, WYDOT crews in Laramie and Saratoga jointly decided that current road conditions warranted the closure of this section of Wyoming Highway 130 for the season.

The Snowy Range Scenic Byway is a 12-mile section of Wyoming Highway 130 and tops out at more than 10,800 feet in elevation. It closes each fall when both the lack of travel and the accumulation of deep snow making plowing the pass impractical. The closure spans from Mile Mark 36 to Mile Marker 48, or from the Green Rock Trailhead in the east to just above Ryan Park in the west.

Last year, Wyoming Highway 130 closed for the season on November 26. It closed on November 10 in 2022, on November 11 in 2021, on November 14 in 2020 and on October 29 in 2019. The highway is one of two high-elevation highways in WYDOT District 1 which close for the winter each year. The other highway is Wyoming Highway 70—also known as Battle Pass—which connects the Platte Valley and the Little Snake River Valley.