Snow limits parking on Pikes Peak summit for Memorial Day weekend

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- City officials said that snowdrifts of at least 10 feet will limit parking on the summit of America's Mountain during one of its busiest weekends of the year.

The number of parking spaces under normal conditions is already reduced because of the recent completion of the new Summit Complex visitors' center, which redesigned the top of the mountain.

Officials said that snow will affect parking on the summit's west loop, but reservations remain available for all time slots and shuttles will operate from the Devil's Playground area at the 16-mile marker.

More snow is in the weather forecast for the holiday weekend but no significant accumulation is expected.

However, several tourists said that they had to wait a few hours to reach the summit so that plows could clear away snow that fell overnight.

"It was a little iffy," said New Jersey tourist John Ciepleski. "I was a passenger, so I was jittery. It was different. It was nice. 11 years old, I remember coming up here. I don't remember what I saw today. It was a lot different."

Here in southern Colorado, we're used to seeing such spring snow.

Most of us, that is.

"I have not been up here, in like 12 years," said Myra Berry, of Colorado Springs. "So, no -- not that I can remember. It's awesome. This is a great year. Lots of snow. We need it."

The snow didn't stop Mark Battle, a Maine tourist, from riding his bicycle to the summit.

"It took me three hours to do it," he said. "I have a son at Colorado College. I was supposed to meet him while he hiked Barr Trail, but he had to turn back because the snow was too deep."

For more information, visit: https://coloradosprings.gov/drivepikespeak.

To ease the parking crunch, Pikes Peak managers said that shuttle buses will begin operating Saturday from the Devil's Playground area along the highway.