WYO 70 open for the season

SARATOGA, Wyo. – Wyoming Highway 70 over Battle Pass is open for the season beginning today, June 3.

Crews from Saratoga and Baggs have been working to clear the road from their respective sides of the Sierra Madre and have completed that work. They worked through this past weekend to get the road open this morning.

Travelers are advised that current high country conditions can be wet with cold nights. All vehicles, especially motorcycles and bicycles, should watch for patches of frozen runoff before the morning sun dries the road surface. 

WYO 70 and WYO 130 are two of several high-elevation mountain roads in Wyoming with seasonal closures. WYO 130 tops out at more than 10,800 feet, and WYO 70 crosses the Continental Divide at the 9,955-foot Battle Pass.

Both roads close annually in late autumn when relatively low traffic and deep snow accumulations render plowing operations impractical. WYO 130 closed for the season on Nov. 3, 2018, and WYO 70 closed on Nov. 23, 2018.

WYO 70 has a target opening time of early June. It opened on May 15 in 2012, May 24 in 2013, June 3 in 2014, May 27 in 2015, June 9 in 2016, June 1 in 2017, and May 21 in 2018.
The seasonally-closed section of Snowy Range Road (WYO 130) opened May 25.

After the snow is cleared, crews must also make any necessary repairs to the road before it reopens. Winter weather-related closures are still possible as the snowpack continues to melt.

For information about this news release, contact WYDOT District 1 public information specialist Matt Murphy at (307) 745-2142 or (307) 287-8749.