COLORADO – The Scenic Byway to the top of Colorado’s Mt. Blue Sky will close to all motorized and non-motorized traffic on September 3, with it remaining closed for construction and work until Memorial Day weekend in 2026. Access to the summit of Mount Blue Sky will be available by hiking trails only.
Improvements to the Mt. Blue Sky Scenic Byway began in late-July, with temporary lane closures creating traffic delays for visitors. The upcoming closure will begin at the CDOT gate on Colo. Highway 5, running up the entire rest of the mountain. The summit road is traditionally closed from Labor Day to Memorial Day every year for the winter season, but the highway will not reopen during next year’s Memorial Day weekend.
The road up Mount Blue Sky was first completed in 1930 and opened to the public in 1931. It was, at the time, the highest road in the world, but it still sits as the highest road in North America today. The highest portion of the road rises to 14,130 feet, just 136 feet shy of Mount Blue Sky’s 14,266 foot summit. Pikes Peak Highway, also in Colorado, is 20 feet shorter.