la veta pass (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo: homeowners association, house, buying)

[paradice]

does anyone know snow fall info for la veta pass area (pass creek road) ? thanks .

[msdesertleathered]

try cotrip.org to see...la veta pass is reopen again but restricted. where are you from?

[paradice]

Originally Posted by msdesertleathered

try cotrip.org to see...la veta pass is reopen again but restricted. where are you from?

we live in big bear lake ca , but we are buying a lot at paradise acres , on pass creek road. I just would like to know about weather there . thanks

[winglady]

Originally Posted by paradice

we live in big bear lake ca , but we are buying a lot at paradise acres , on pass creek road. I just would like to know about weather there . thanks

Pretty area! We've only driven through there in the warmer months, so I'm not sure how well they plow the roads in the winter. La Veta Pass is at a bit over 10000', and from what I recall, Paradise Acres isn't a great deal lower. I'm guessing your property is snow-covered for most of the winter.

If you're thinking of living there all year, or visiting in the winter, you may want to talk to neighbors who have been there a while to find out what sort of access they have to their homes in the winter. Perhaps the local homeowners association plows the roads (I imagine the County Road gets plowed, but probably not the side roads or any private roads).

[BlueWillowPlate]

We used to drive over that pass all the time at Thanksgiving.
It was usually well cleared of snow.
Once saw a horrible auto accident there.
But as winglady says, it sure is pretty.

[paradice]

Originally Posted by cil

We used to drive over that pass all the time at Thanksgiving.
It was usually well cleared of snow.
Once saw a horrible auto accident there.
But as winglady says, it sure is pretty.

I have tlked to a couple full time people there. the roads are plowed , because of association . one of them said of a 84" snow storm five years back. La veta pass is 9400' and the lot is 9200' . now we live at 6800', which is not high for colorado standards. thanks

[msdesertleathered]

denver is 5,000, i am at 7,600+ but 6,800 is plenty high. laveta pass area does not get as much snow as many of the other pass areas...will you be living in the wet mountain area or right off 160? the pass is well maintained!!!!! they have plough barns near by. i travel that pass several times a month. all conditions. i have never gone by your road and seen it in need of attending. will you be located in westcliff? those huge snowfalls are not that common up there. if you stay snow covered it will be mostly due to temps instead of steady snowfalls. i live on dirt roads too and the snow doesn't bother me as much as the spring mud. i've parked in mud before and my vehicle sank down into it about an inch or two after i got out...with sub zero temps during the night, my tires froze into the mud...lol...had to wait for the sun to come out (and it always does) and soften the mud back up before i could back out. i hope i've made sense...lol...i'm in the yukon right now for the yukon quest...cold and a tad tired. headed for dawson soon. if you thrive well at high altitude, you'll like it there. i did fine at first but am having troubles now. thick blood, etc. have you spent time up there at all? one mans paradise can be another man helloo ya know...lol. have you checked out the growing season, water quality, etc? :-) gotta run.

[mountnbob]

My family lived at what used to be State Hiway housing on LaVeta Pass for 3 -4 years. The answere to your query is that there is no answer. It can vary with the severity of the winters or lack thereof. I can remember when the plows would push back the snow at the park at the top of the pass as far as they could and then bring in a D-6 Dozer to push it back the rest of the way. Snow could be stockpiled off of the edge in this way as deep as 20 feet. I can remember helping my dad push elk off of the road because there was no where else they could walk easily for the deepness off of the road. Some years though, the snow never got over 3' accumulation in the meadow there at Pass Creek. There was a tin shed at Pass Creek turn off that housed a Snow Cat to service the mircowave communication tower. That should tell you what you might be up against.
My advice would be to plan for the deepest, and enjoy the best. The pass will remain open for the most part, but getting off the road in the winter will require some maintenance without a HOA to help or the county.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by paradice

we live in big bear lake ca , but we are buying a lot at paradise acres , on pass creek road. I just would like to know about weather there . thanks

As others have said, it varies quite a bit from year to year. An "open" winter, as has been common the last few years, is not too bad. A friend, who lives not far from where you are talking about, was only snowed in at his house for a day or more twice last winter. Not bad. BUT, when a bad winter comes along, it can be bad.

The big problem up in that area is that it is far from most any services or shopping. Closest town of any size is Alamosa--which may or may not have what you need. My friend had to drive 180 miles roundtrip to Pueblo just to get a thermocouple valve for his furnace (in winter, on bad roads, of course--Murhpy's law, you know). To get in and out reliably in winter, both of his vehicles are 4WD's. With distances to towns, and 15 mpg vehicles, fuel prices are killing him. Also, unless one is relying on a wood stove, the primary heat source is propane. That is also getting darned expensive, particularly when it is being delivered to remote areas. Also, there are quite a few retired folks who live up in that area--I personally think that can be risky if one has any significant health problems. It is a long way to medical care, and specialized care often requires going to Pueblo, Colorado Springs, or Denver. That is no fun in an emergency (been there, done that in another relatively remote area of Colorado). Those kinds of thoughts never crossed my mind when I was 25, but now that I'm older, it is a factor in deciding where to live. Medical care in rural Colorado is MUCH better than it used to be, but it is still possible to die in some places before you can reach a facility that can handle your problem--it's just a fact of geography.