Winter snow can get really old, but summer snow can be a lot of fun. Whether it’s the contrast with the warm weather, hiking in shorts and T-shirts, or having a good old-fashioned snowball fight, a lot of people think finding snow in summer is a great thing.
Of course, there are mountains that have snow on them all year long, but not everyone can hike or climb up them. So here are some places you can drive to in a passenger car on paved roads that usually have snow for all or most of the summer.
Denali National Park, Alaska
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With its long, bitterly cold winters, Alaska has plenty of snow still around in the summer, and its national parks are among the best places to find it. Many are only accessible by boat or place, but Denali is one you can drive to, and it’s also known for Mount Denali, North America’s highest peak, and fantastic wildlife viewing.
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
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The Kenai Fjords are along the coast south from Anchorage. Best known for its namesake inlets, the park is also home to huge glaciers that crawl their way to the sea from its interior.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska
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The largest of our national parks, Wrangell-St. Elias goes from alpine tundra and icefields to temperate rainforests and coastal scenery. Mt. St. Elias, which is on the border of the U.S. and Canada, has the distinction of being the second highest mountain in both countries.
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
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The Paradise and Sunrise areas are easy to drive to and are good bets for finding lingering snows. A bonus is that as the snows recede, revealing the greenery beneath them, wildflowers of many different colors bloom in their place.
Tioga Pass, California
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Tioga Pass is on the crest of the Sierra Nevada and is the boundary between Yosemite National Park and Inyo National Forest. This area gets so much winter snow that the park entrance here sometimes doesn’t open until early July. In such years, you’ll probably find snow there and in the area well into August.
Logan Pass, Montana
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On the Continental Divide right at the edge of timberline, Logan Pass is the crest of Glacier National Park’s incredible Going-to-the-Sun Road. Snowbanks are common here deep into the summer, and it’s common to see people out playing on them. Just make sure you’re not trampling the delicate alpine tundra to get to them.
Beartooth Pass, Wyoming
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The Beartooth Highway is arguably the most scenic drive in the country that’s not in a national park. It connects Red Lodge and Cooke City, both of which are in Montana, and a long stretch of it runs through Wyoming. That includes Beartooth Pass, where you’ll usually find some snow all summer.
Snowy Range, Wyoming
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Named for its white quartzite and not for its snow, this small but spectacular range southwest of Laramie nevertheless gets a ton of snow, and some of the recreation areas there can open as late as August. Except in unusually dry years, you’ll always find summer snow here somewhere.
Trail Ridge Road, Colorado
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Trail Ride Road is Rocky Mountain National Park’s famous byway that rises above timberline to over 12,000’ and winds through alpine tundra for several miles. This area gets a lot of sun and may entirely melt out after light-snow winters, but you always have a decent chance of finding snow on slopes that face north or east.
Mt. Evans, Colorado
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Mt. Evans is a 14er, one of 50+ Colorado peaks rising above 14,000’, and it has a road all the way to its top (there is a fee for it). The final parking lot leaves you just a short walk from the actual top, and you’re all but guaranteed to find snow around here in the summer. Another good bet is Summit Lake, which is along the way.
Loveland Pass, Colorado
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11,990’ in altitude, Loveland Pass is on the Continental Divide. There’s parking there, so you can get out and stroll around among the tundra. Good to know: the state keeps this route open all year, with exceptions being during and immediately after major snowstorms, because vehicles carrying hazardous materials aren’t allowed through the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 below.
Independence Pass, Colorado
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In the summer, CO 82 is the fastest way to get to Aspen from areas east of the Continental Divide. Independence Pass itself is above 12,000’ and is the crest of this road, and it usually closes for the winter after the first big fall storm. In the summer, though, it’s a delightful mix of mountain scenery, colorful wildflowers, and lingering snow.
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