La Veta Pass in winter (Salida, Monument: home, live in, car)

[JukieF]

Hi folks. I'm going to make a car trip in February to New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. I live in northern Colorado, so I have to go all the way south through Colorado, and there's no choice but to go over at least one pass. I've ruled out Wolf Creek, but I will probably have to decide between La Veta and Raton. I've driven over La Veta Pass a number of times, but never in the winter. Can anyone tell me what to expect in terms of road conditions in the middle of winter? I'll have a few days' flexibility, so I hopefully can avoid driving over it during a blizzard. :-) I'm just wondering whether I'm worrying too much. I'm an older woman who will be traveling solo, though, so I'm a bit concerned about having to put on chains and that sort of thing. If you've had experience with the pass during winter, I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much.

[EastwardBound]

Originally Posted by JukieF

Hi folks. I'm going to make a car trip in February to New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. I live in northern Colorado, so I have to go all the way south through Colorado, and there's no choice but to go over at least one pass. I've ruled out Wolf Creek, but I will probably have to decide between La Veta and Raton. I've driven over La Veta Pass a number of times, but never in the winter. Can anyone tell me what to expect in terms of road conditions in the middle of winter? I'll have a few days' flexibility, so I hopefully can avoid driving over it during a blizzard. :-) I'm just wondering whether I'm worrying too much. I'm an older woman who will be traveling solo, though, so I'm a bit concerned about having to put on chains and that sort of thing. If you've had experience with the pass during winter, I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much.

Unless there is a recent storm, La Veta Pass should be fine. Alternatively, you can go down 285 through Salida and down. From the San Luis Valley, if you're hitting Taos, you can continue down 285 or CO159.

[Dogmama50]

If the conditions are bad enough that you need to put on chains it's best to not be on the road. The sun comes out pretty quickly here and the CDOT trucks do a good job of keeping people safe. www.cotrip.org for current road conditions.

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by JukieF

Hi folks. I'm going to make a car trip in February to New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. I live in northern Colorado, so I have to go all the way south through Colorado, and there's no choice but to go over at least one pass. I've ruled out Wolf Creek, but I will probably have to decide between La Veta and Raton. I've driven over La Veta Pass a number of times, but never in the winter. Can anyone tell me what to expect in terms of road conditions in the middle of winter? I'll have a few days' flexibility, so I hopefully can avoid driving over it during a blizzard. :-) I'm just wondering whether I'm worrying too much. I'm an older woman who will be traveling solo, though, so I'm a bit concerned about having to put on chains and that sort of thing. If you've had experience with the pass during winter, I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much.

Check out my info on the New Mexico forum on the thread you started.

[WinterJo]

I agree, unless there is a storm, it isn't bad. I have come over it in near whiteout conditions and was happy to have a car to follow all the way to Fort Garland but that is the only time it has been bad for me. I usually just watch the weather and decide if the trip is worth it or not. That one time, I really had to get home that day. I can't speak about Raton. I have only driven that in the summer.

[JukieF]

Thanks, everyone. Even though I'm a third-generation Colorado native, I've always avoided driving in the mountains in winter (I don't ski). I've run into some problems on Monument Pass, even though it's cleared all the time when it snows, so I'm leary. This is one of those times I won't be able to just stay home and hide my head in the sand (snow). :-)