Advice on winter driving in the Rockies

[Ken in LA]

Could you please share your thoughts with me on winter driving in the Rockies notably:

• I have been told the drive from Las Vegas to SLC is pretty easy. Is this true?
• Conversely, is it true the drive from Las Vegas to Colorado (Aspen, etc.) is very challenging and potentially dangerous?
• How difficult is the drive between resorts in Colorado notably between Aspen, Copper, and Winterpark?

I drive a compact front-wheel-drive car. If we take my car I will install snow tires and will use snow chains as appropriate.

Sorry to be so neurotic. I am your stereotypical SoCal driver who cancels appointments rather than drive in inclement weather. I have very little big mountain driving experience and have lost the muscle memory from my youth growing up in the icy Northeast. Nowadays, the mountain I most frequent (Mammoth) is blissfulllly easy to reach from LA.

Thank you.

 

[Talisman]

• I have been told the drive from Las Vegas to SLC is pretty easy. Is this true?
• Conversely, is it true the drive from Las Vegas to Colorado (Aspen, etc.) is very challenging and potentially dangerous?
• How difficult is the drive between resorts in Colorado notably between Aspen, Copper, and Winterpark?

1 It isn't common to chain up in the Rockies unless you are driving a tractor trailer or a log skidder. Even in CA there is low speed limit with chains and we usually drive close to the speed limit in snow if we can see.
2 You are way over thinking this. Put on on decent snow tires and drive the speed you are comfortable with, but pull over for those who approach and need to pass.
3 The snow in the Rockies is drier than the high moisture content Sierra snow or on the East Coast which is easier to plow and drive in.
4. AWD is a better choice, but you know this. The other drivers are the issue for me and driving to Aspen from west to east should be low traffic.

Stop worrying and enjoy your ski trip.

 

[KingGrump]

You will be on interstate most of the way. The various state DOT keeps them pretty clean. You should have no issues with a set of good snow tires.

Good snow tires are the key. For inexperienced snow drivers, a FWD with good snow tires is probably safer bet. It won't get them in to trouble as deep as a AWD. Winter driving is mostly in your head and seat of the pants. Watch your speed and check the brakes often.

I am on the road for 4+ months every winter. I'll take a FWD with good snow snow tire over a AWD with all season tires.

 

[scott43]

We were going to drive from SLC to Telluride rather than from Denver. Looks much easier that way..desert..flattish. Don't overthink the drive as others have said. Good snowtires and FWD and you'll be good until you lose ground clearance, in which case you should probably rethink your drive anyway..

 

[KingGrump]

you'll be good until you lose ground clearance, in which case you should probably rethink your drive anyway

Ah, common sense. Not so common nowadays. Good advice.

Check the weather report and try not to drive through any blizzards.
The better part of Valour, is Discretion.

 

[Nancy Hummel]

I drive back and forth between Denver and Aspen most weekends. I do not schedule work appointments on Monday. If there is a bad storm, I wait until the plows have done their job. Many times, the roads are not bad but visibility is bad. Be patient and be willing to wait it out or stop.

 

[BGreen]

1. Yes
2. It’s a lot longer and you have a higher chance of inclement weather, low visibility, low friction. Real snow tires are highly recommended (many threads here, pick one), chains are not unless you are a semi. If the roads are bad enough to need chains, they are probably closed.
3. That’s a hard question to answer. Aspen to Copper is a long drive — probably 4 hours on a good day. Google maps is your friend.

Perhaps consider adding a winter driving course to your ski holiday. Bridgestone in Steamboat is a good start. While Steamboat wasn’t on your vacation plans, Bridgestone is reasonably close to Winter Park. It’s all about what you are used to. I find driving in LA traffic to be terrifying.

 

[dbostedo]

... Aspen to Copper is a long drive — probably 4 hours on a good day...

On a good day (clear weather, clear roads) it should be well under 3 hours, considering Aspen to Denver is about 4 or so.

 

[P-Ute]

Local Utahan's take on common sense stuff:
1. Stay on Interstate15 and Interstate 70, imperative if the weather is bad! Pay attention to weather reports.
2. On I-15 and particularly on I-70, there long stretches with no services. Keep the gas tank at least half full and know where there are options for a hotel in bad weather.
3. Good tires on all 4 wheels, snow tires are best. M&S is bare minimum.
4. When snowing heavily, chains, AWD or 4WD are often required on I-15 from SLC to Park City and Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons. Not sure about Colorado, have not skied there for over 20 years.
5. Highways are usually plowed/sanded/salted early in the morning. Travel during the day if possible.
6. Rural highways and interstates are often not plowed after dinner time. I learned this the hard way.
7. Deserts can be cold, snowy and very windy;
8. You are crossing multiple mountain passes and deep canyons, take it slow and easy. Follow the big trucks, if they have all pulled off the road, you might want to.
9. Your cell phone will not work in many remote areas.
10. Have your vehicle serviced/checked before you head out.
11. Hope for the best! Plan for the worst.
I have driven the roads you are considering many times in types of weather. Go for it! Sounds like a great road trip. I am hoping to head north to WY, MT and maybe BC.

 

[mikel]

Good plan. Snow tires and bring chains. I agree with @BGreen, the road will most likely be closed before you actually have to put on chains. It seems that CDOT is getting quicker to close sections of roads with Vail Pass probably affected the most. Timing is everything. Driving between the resorts is not so bad. Traffic can be heavy at times and yes, there are also times you have to deal with weather issues but just pay attention to the forecast.

I can't think of anything dangerous about driving from Vegas to Aspen other than the other drivers? Get on I15 and you make what? 2 right turns the whole way?

You will have a great time!

 

[slowrider]

Was a trucker nearly 40 years. What was I thinking. Anyway, lots of good information in this thread. My advice, prepare for the worst conditions. Extra clothes, water, some food and keep fuel in your tank. Drive like you have no brakes. It's a hella lot easier to speed up than slow down. Run it cool. A couple of miles on the Snowpack, piece of cake.

 

[Bill Miles]

Could you please share your thoughts with me on winter driving in the Rockies notably:

• I have been told the drive from Las Vegas to SLC is pretty easy. Is this true?

Yes. Pretty Flat Interstate all the way.

• Conversely, is it true the drive from Las Vegas to Colorado (Aspen, etc.) is very challenging and potentially dangerous?

Not really. Still pretty flat interstate until Glenwood Springs. You have to go over Vail pass to get to Copper, Breck, etc., but it is not very steep and is still interstate.

• How difficult is the drive between resorts in Colorado notably between Aspen, Copper, and Winterpark?

See above. You to have to get on the two lanes going to winterpark.
I drive a compact front-wheel-drive car. If we take my car I will install snow tires and will use snow chains as appropriate.

You should be fine as far as traction goes. If you hit inclement weather, my experience is the visibility is a worse problem than traction. I never had to use chains in Colorado except many years ago in a Camaro going over Loveland Pass (no tunnel yet) in a snowstorm..

Sorry to be so neurotic. I am your stereotypical SoCal driver who cancels appointments rather than drive in inclement weather. I have very little big mountain driving experience and have lost the muscle memory from my youth growing up in the icy Northeast. Nowadays, the mountain I most frequent (Mammoth) is blissfulllly easy to reach from LA.

Thank you.

 

[Ken_R]

Could you please share your thoughts with me on winter driving in the Rockies notably:

• I have been told the drive from Las Vegas to SLC is pretty easy. Is this true?
• Conversely, is it true the drive from Las Vegas to Colorado (Aspen, etc.) is very challenging and potentially dangerous?
• How difficult is the drive between resorts in Colorado notably between Aspen, Copper, and Winterpark?

I drive a compact front-wheel-drive car. If we take my car I will install snow tires and will use snow chains as appropriate.

Sorry to be so neurotic. I am your stereotypical SoCal driver who cancels appointments rather than drive in inclement weather. I have very little big mountain driving experience and have lost the muscle memory from my youth growing up in the icy Northeast. Nowadays, the mountain I most frequent (Mammoth) is blissfulllly easy to reach from LA.

Thank you.

Most of the drive is at lower elevations and with generally little snow. Between Aspen and Copper u do need to go over Vail Pass which can be VERY nasty in winter (deadly combination of bad weather and bad drivers and trucks). To get to Winter Park you need to go over Berthoud Pass which can get REALLY snowy and at 11,300 feet the weather can be just nasty. The road has been improved over the years and CDOT do a great job of clearing it but it still demands respect.

Chains are pretty useless on i70 since u will be going at higher speeds even if its snow packed. So snow tires are the best choice. Most days you will not need them but when you do you will be glad you have them.

 

[wutangclan]

So snow tires are the best choice. Most days you will not need them but when you do you will be glad you have them.

People keep saying "snow tires", but in fact "winter tires" is the correct term, because aside from the tread pattern, the softer formulation is what keeps the rubber pliable and sticky at cold temperatures, which provides much better grip on bare or wet roads without snow. Summer/all-season tires become rock hard, gripless hockey pucks in cold temperatures.

And modern winter tires are so good that chains are pretty redundant. If there's enough unplowed snow to warrant chains, your car doesn't have sufficient clearance anyway and would get beached. In which case you should just wait at a rest stop until the snow plow goes by. 90% of today's mainstream crossovers/SUVs are pretenders without true "off-road" capability, nevermind a compact car.

 

[Jason Kurth]

On another note do any of the rental car chains out of denver put winter tires on most of their vehicles?

It's hard enough renting an AWD car without spending 2x the cost of the plane ticket for a full size SUV. I would rent a FWD if I knew they had winter tires.

Last april I rented a cheap FWD sedan thinking I would be fine that late in the season and it happened to be the weekend it dumped a foot every day for three days straight. Luckily I met up with a friend with a 4x4 and kept it parked once I got there but would have been in a bad situation if I were alone.

First time I went out there I rented some Nissan crossover and it snowed a few inches one morning and it handled like shit in it and I almost slid off the road in leadville.

I called around about AWD and made reservations for some pickups this season since I was told 90% were 4x4s and they were a much better deal and half the price of any of the big SUVs for some reason. I'm hoping/assuming the trucks will also have better tires than the other vehicles but who knows.

 

[mdf]

I have found the typical rental AWD with all-season tires to be adequate. Not great, but adequate. I only remember one that was scary to drive, and even on that one dialing up the caution a few notches was able to compensate. (The tread looked ok - just something about that particular vehicle was off.)

In contrast, one year in Utah one of the other people had a rental car, probably FWD. The roads were fine but the condo parking lot had a little slope and a sheen of refreeze. I was able to get going with no problems, but she literally could not go forward. And it wasn't her -- several people who thought they were great winter drivers tried as well. It was starting to be a problem since she had to get to the airport. Finally we grabbed the buckets of sand/salt next by the various entrance doorways (meant for the steps), hand-treated a path ahead, and had four people pushing from behind. Once she reached the public road she was fine and made it to the airport without incident.

 

[Jason Kurth]

Yeah a good AWD rental is usually fine, trouble is finding one for a decent price. Usually seems to be only big SUVs like Yukons are for sure AWD and they are typically like $600 a week.

 

[cantunamunch]

I can't think of anything dangerous about driving from Vegas to Aspen other than the other drivers? Get on I15 and you make what? 2 right turns the whole way?

Running out of gas because you didn't fill up at the last pump (oh, we're good for another 150miles, no problem!) is probably the biggest danger.

Yeah a good AWD rental is usually fine, trouble is finding one for a decent price. Usually seems to be only big SUVs like Yukons are for sure AWD and they are typically like $600 a week.

And then you wind up assigned to the one with the Cali plates and bald tires...

 

[scott43]

And then you wind up assigned to the one with the Cali plates and bald tires...

QFT.... Last time to Colorado we got upgraded to a Nissan Armada..Cali plates..fortunately HAD tread..

 

[Jason Kurth]

Luckily at least in my experience at hertz and alamo in denver they just let you go out into the lot and pick whatever you want from certain rows. i remember being out there with my phone flashlight checking treads.