The last 2 miles of the...

The last 2 miles of the summit road are paved. I was told by a technician from the Maxwell scope that the paved section was part of the deal to get the Keck observatory built. Keck was worried about dust from the road getting on their mirrors so they demanded the last 2 miles of the summit road be paved. He also commented that they hope the middle section beyond the Visitor's center remains unpaved as a deterrent to excessive tourist traffic.