New snowfall has crews working to prepare Pikes Peak for annual New Year’s Eve fireworks show

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The latest winter storm dropped around four inches of snow on Pikes Peak -- with drifts several feet deep near the top -- but officials said they should have the highway open to the summit for the New Year holiday.

As of Tuesday morning, the highway was open only up to the Halfway campground, but workers cleared to a mile above Glen Cove by the end of the day.

"We've got a plan in place, we've got guys in place to make sure the AdAmAn makes it up there," said Brad Densmore, facilities manager for the highway. "In fact, the road looks pretty good right now. We're supposed to have clear days, hopefully through New Year's."

Much of the highway was icy with light snowpack after being plowed Tuesday. Larger plows are focusing on the drifts near the summit.

The local AdAmAn Club usually hikes to the Peak on Barr Trail, leaving on Dec. 30 and arriving on New Year's Eve in time to set up fireworks on the summit and launch them at midnight.

However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote social distancing, only 19 people -- 10 members and 9 guests -- will participate in the hike, with some taking the trail and the rest using the highway.

The Barr Trail group will leave at 5 a.m. and try to cover the route in one day, instead of the usual two days. The highway group will drive from the toll gate to Glen Cove and hike to the summit from there.

Many tourists visiting the Peak for the first time said they were unaware of, and surprised to learn about, the holiday fireworks show.

"And you can see them from Colorado Springs? When it's clear?" said the Harris family, from Australia. "That would be spectacular. We'd love to come back and see that. We didn't do enough research. We spent too much time in Denver. Our daughter, Ariel, likes to climb the snowy rocks. And she likes the winter weather for the holidays because it's summer weather back home."

"We didn't know about it, but now we know," said the Martinez family, from Texas. "I mean, they told us about it. So are we going to be here? We're going to try. That's the goal. But we really like the snow because we never get any in Texas."

Conditions on the Peak as of late Tuesday morning included temperatures around zero and winds of up to 20 mph and a wind chill of -20. The weather was slightly milder below the summit.