Trip from Las Vegas to Denver (Grand Junction, Rifle: rent, home, car)

[Rosanne]

Hi all, we are planning a driving trip from Las Vegas to the Denver area in either Jan. or Feb. How bad will the driving be on I-70 during that time of year? Do they generally keep the roads clear of snow, is that road closed once in awhile because of snow? Thanks all!

[bluescreen73]

I-70 in the mountains does get closed due to snow every now and then. Just be mindful of the forecast 48 hours before and during your trip.

Make sure your car is compliant with the I-70 Traction Law. It's in effect regardless of conditions 24/7 from 9/1 through 5/31 between Dotsero, which is on the east side of Glenwood Canyon, to Morrison, which is in the foothills west of Denver.

The quick compliance check -

If your vehicle is AWD/4WD you just need a minimum of 3/16" of tread on your tires.

If your vehicle is 2WD, you need winter tires or all-season tires with an M+S rating and 3/16" of tread.

If you don't have the proper tires or tread depth, you will need alternative traction devices like chains or tire socks.

If your car isn't compliant and you cause a backup during a snowstorm, you can get a ticket. They start at $650.

Plan your trip so that you are not coming into Denver on a Sunday afternoon, or you will hate life because ski traffic is terrible between Silverthorne and Floyd Hill.

[reed303]

On I-70, keep an eye on Vail Pass (it's between Vail and Frisco) it is quick to close in heavy snows.

This website may be useful to stay informed.

https://maps.cotrip.org/home

[sunsprit]

have made this trip many times in years past ... and many trips from Denver to Vail when I had a 2nd home in Vail.

I-70 can be wide open, hard packed with ice or slush on top, or it can be snowy/blowing snow & icy, and/or the road can be closed due to inclement conditions and/or a number of accidents which close the road. Or any combination of these events can present for some distance and time in the Rocky Mountains during these months.

Colorado does a yeoman job of plowing the highway to keep it open as much as possible, but there are times when weather and snowfall and black icing conditions present that make travel difficult and the Patrol will close the highway until conditions improve. You would be well advised to keep an eye on the weather forecasts for the days prior to your planned travel and be flexible about the days of your travels. As well, keep current on the CDOT road reports while in transit and, if the reports are not favorable for your travel (including road closures), it's generally better to get off the highway at your earliest convenience and get lodging to wait out the situation. Even though you may be at a location where the inclement conditions haven't made travel difficult, by the time you get near the difficult miles you may find the lodging booked out and a less-than-pleasant time until the situations improve.

Do be aware that just because the highway is open, that doesn't mean that challenging inclement driving conditions aren't present. You can still be dealing with black ice, slushy driving, low visibility, and lots of miles at low speeds due to traffic and road conditions. The higher elevation passes can be backed up with traffic, and places like the Eisenhower Tunnel approaches can be stop-n-go for miles on each side of the pass during inclement conditions. It wouldn't be unusual for an accident on the road ahead, unforeseen in the road reports until it happens to bring traffic to a standstill, to stop traffic for awhile ... and you could be stuck out on the highway with no option but to sit and wait the situation out. Again, these are possibilities along with the times where traffic moves apace and you have far better driving conditions ... but you must be prepared to deal with these situations.

So best to be prepared for the winter travel. Don't forget to have your emergency kit in the car with beverages & food, warm clothing, and stuff to deal with the snow ... such as ice scrapers/snow brush, shovel, etc. Proper winter tires and a good condition vehicle are prudent to have before setting out on the trip.

[Rosanne]

Thank you everyone for the valuable insight. We may rethink the trip at that time of year. We've done it in the summer with no problems, but have never tried it in winter. Thanks again.

[himain]

I highly suggest you postpone this if you can. You do not want to be on I70 with snow/etc without proper SNOW tires.

[ejisme]

Originally Posted by Rosanne

Thank you everyone for the valuable insight. We may rethink the trip at that time of year. We've done it in the summer with no problems, but have never tried it in winter. Thanks again.

Plan your trip and part of that plan should be to cancel it if the weather/roads are bad. Also look at alternative routes. You'll be adding miles (~300), but maybe go over to Albuquerque and head north up I-25? It can get snowy and get closed, but probably not as often at I-70 over the higher passes. Another option would be to fly in and rent a car. More expensive probably, but less likely to have major delays or accidents.

[Rosanne]

We will probably fly instead of drive. Sounds like a smart thing to do. Thanks again everyone.

[COcheesehead]

I drove I-70 Denver to Grand Junction over 50 times in a single year. I had to wait once at the McDonalds in Vail because the pass was closed. It reopened about 45 minutes later. I-70 is too important and they work diligently to keep it open.

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

I drove I-70 Denver to Grand Junction over 50 times in a single year. I had to wait once at the McDonalds in Vail because the pass was closed. It reopened about 45 minutes later. I-70 is too important and they work diligently to keep it open.

CDOT does as good a job as any state highway department around!

And other than the snowstorms there is another thing to consider--the 2021 rock slide in Glenwood Canyon. It happened in early March IIRC and the interstate was shut down for a good part of the summer season. There were three ways to get to Grand Junction from Denver with all three a huge pain. The one that got the most action was Colorado 9 at the Silverthorne exit--north to U.S. 40 then west to Meeker and south on State highway 13 to Rifle then south to I-70. I went through that route twice that summer, enjoyed it too.

The truckers didn't enjoy it. In fact, the truck stop in Fruita on exit #19 lost a lot of business during that stretch as the over the road truckers coming up from I-15 took Salt Lake City to I-80 east through Wyoming and then dropped down to Colorado either from Cheyenne on I-25 or Laramie on U.S. 287. And the C-dot workers? Well, they earned their pay working on that mess, in fact they'll be doing work in the canyon for a long time regarding that burn scar near the rest area