NOVEMBER 20, 2024|
Photo – Snowy Range Highway closure gate – Courtesy WYDOT
The Platte Valley’s escape route closed until spring on Tuesday.
WYO 130, also known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, officially closed for winter in both directions at 8:56 a.m. yesterday morning. The estimated reopening time is unknown. The road traditionally reopens just before Memorial Day weekend after several weeks of WYDOT clearing the massive drifts that build during winter months.
WYDOT District One Public Information Specialist Andrea Staley released a statement saying that road maintenance crews have ceased plowing efforts on the 12-mile section of the scenic byway between mile markers 36 and 48. The closure runs from the Green Rock trailhead in the east to Ryan Park on the west.
Staley wrote that last year, the Snowy Range Scenic Byway remained open an additional week, not closing until November 26th.
Highway 130 is one of two high-elevation seasonal roadways in Carbon County. Highway 70, through the Battle Pass, is another road closed by WYDOT every winter.
In a written statement to Bigfoot99, Staley wrote that the local WYDOT foreman expects Battle Pass to remain open for a few more weeks.
Highway 130 will remain closed until next spring when WYDOT plow crews return to clear the snow, which can accumulate to over ten feet high. Until then the range will become a winter playground for cross-country skiers and snowmobile enthusiasts.
