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Wintry weather restricts access to national parks in Utah, other Southwestern states

(Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) Melissa Cicola from San Diego and John Ciclola, from Prescott Arizona, crawl under the gate and walk up the road to see what they can see on foot, as Arches National Park remains closed due to the partial government shutdown. Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019.

Wintry weather on Saturday restricted access to some national parks in the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest.

National Park Service sites that announced they were closed included Bandelier National Monument in northern New Mexico and Arches National Park in southern Utah.

At Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona, officials said 25 miles of State Route 64 between Grand Canyon Village and Desert View were closed due to snow before being cleared and opened Saturday afternoon. Other park roads were plowed but snow-packed and icy.

Bandelier officials cited both accumulated snow and continued snowfall.

Arches officials said crews cleared the entry road of snow and ice and reopened the park Saturday morning.