Photo courtesy of Visit Keweenaw Brockway Mountain Drive remains closed as crews clean up winter storm damage.

KEWEENAW COUNTY – Brockway Mountain Drive remains closed to vehicle traffic, the Keweenaw County Road Commission announced Thursday morning, adding the popular scenic drive will remain closed indefinitely.

The KCRC says because of the severity of the winter, an excessive number of trees were blown down or damaged, blocking sections of the road. Keweenaw County Sheriff Curt Pennala said the storm damage on the mountain began to accumulate late last fall.

“Factoring in all the storms we had back during Thanksgiving,” he said, “there were a lot of trees that fell.” In addition to downed trees and branches, Brockway Mountain’s road gets very soft in the springtime, said Pennala.

“Large sections of the original road were cut through swampland,” he said, “so every spring it’s like trying to drive through soup up there.”

The KCRC says crews will begin working to open roadway the week of May 11.. Official notice of roadway’s opening date will be provided later next week.

“They’ll be trying to get it cleaned up,” Pennala said, “and hopefully dried out before before they let any traffic get going up there.”

Brockway Mountain Drive is a seasonal road, typically open to vehicle traffic from mid-April or early May through late October.

According to Visit Keweenaw, the road is the highest drive above sea-level between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. At 1,320 feet above sea level the road provides uninterrupted views of the region at its peak, which is 720 feet above Lake Superior.