Lariat Loop
Forty miles of early-auto-touring road in the foothills west of Denver, linking Golden, Morrison and Evergreen. The five-mile Lariat Trail up Lookout Mountain out of Golden is the piece of engineering the whole loop is named for, and unlike almost everything else on this site, it is open all year.
Does Lariat Loop close in winter?
Open all year
Accessible year round, in CDOT's own words. This is the byway on the list you can drive in February.
There is a night closure on a portion of Lookout Mountain Road. Otherwise it is a foothills road: snow and ice can shut it for a day, and services are readily available at every corner of the loop.
Conditions change by the hour on the high ground — check CDOT's status page before you drive. This page is trip-planning history, not road status.
The road itself
Listed on the federal roster as the Lariat Loop Scenic and Historic Byway, one of thirteen America's Byways in Colorado.
The drive
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Golden
The northern corner, at the foot of the Lariat Trail.
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Lookout Mountain
Reached by the five-mile Lariat Trail. Buffalo Bill's museum and grave are up top.
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Evergreen
The western corner, in the mountain parks.
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Morrison
The southern corner, below Red Rocks and Dinosaur Ridge.
What's on the road
- Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave, Dinosaur Ridge, the Boettcher Mansion and the Colorado Railroad Museum are all on or beside the loop.
- The Lariat Trail was built for the first generation of motor tourists, and it still drives like it — five miles of switchbacks that thrill-seeking drivers and cyclists share.
- Dozens of open-space parks and Denver Mountain Parks sites line the route through the foothills, canyons and meadows.
Nearby: Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway · Guanella Pass
Lariat Loop is one of the roads on our scenic byway and seasonal road index — every road here, with its designation, length and winter in one table.
Where these facts come from
Last checked August 25, 2026.
Lariat Loop: closing and opening questions
- Does Lariat Loop close in winter?
- Accessible year round, in CDOT's own words. This is the byway on the list you can drive in February.
- What closes Lariat Loop?
- There is a night closure on a portion of Lookout Mountain Road. Otherwise it is a foothills road: snow and ice can shut it for a day, and services are readily available at every corner of the loop.
- Is Lariat Loop open right now?
- This page is the road, not its condition this morning. Colorado Department of Transportation publishes the current state of Lariat Loop, and that is the one to check before you drive.
Watching a spring trip? The opening watch board follows every road we keep a record for at once.