Weber County's Monte Cristo Highway left snowbound

HUNTSVILLE, Weber County — The Monte Cristo Highway is one of the few roads in extreme northern Utah that connects directly with Wyoming. So why is it closed during winter?

Utah Department of Transportation officials say they get that question all the time. But they insist they can't afford on their fixed budget to keep open the mountain pass for the relatively few motorists who would use it.

Desolate state Route 39 tops out at 9,100 feet in elevation, where weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

The pass also provides quick passage from rural Rich County to the Huntsville and Ogden areas.

But UDOT says not enough people would use the pass to justify the hard work and expense needed to keep the road plowed of heavy snow.

It was closed for the season Nov. 15 until around mid-May.