Independence Pass set to close for winter season Thursday

Independence Pass near Aspen will be closed for the winter season this week.

Colorado Department of Transportation crews are planning on shutting the Aspen and Twin Lakes gates at noon Thursday with snow expected to move into the area. Unseasonably warm weather allowed the pass to remain open more than a week and a half longer than originally planned.

The scenic pass, which reaches an elevation of 12,095 feet, typically is closed Nov. 7.

It was closed early for the season last year because a storm brought several inches of snow to the area.

The pass usually reopens the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend.