Colorado in December ?
Discussion
Anybody been to Colorado in December time ? Got the chance to go on a bit of a trip from Dallas to San Fran so think I should see some of the Rockies in winter time.
I was thinking of taking the train (
)so I could just sit and admire the view. Anybody gone cross country on the train ?
I was thinkning that some of the roads might cause problems because of the snow so a hire car might be useless unless its a 4X4 which is expensive.
I was thinking of taking the train (
)so I could just sit and admire the view. Anybody gone cross country on the train ?I was thinkning that some of the roads might cause problems because of the snow so a hire car might be useless unless its a 4X4 which is expensive.
Not sure you need a 4x4 but you would definitely need snow tyres which I doubt a car hired in Dallas would have given it can easily be 70 deg there in December. So logistics will be a big problem unless you drive to Colorado and then pick up a car with snow tyres. Of course it might not snow so you might be fine.....or you may get 10 ft of snow.
I've done a bit of driving across Texas and it's mostly flat and VERY boring...and the local county police love supplementing their income by giving out speeding tickets so you really can't do more than the limit which when you are driving 000's of miles gets to you when the scenery is dull as ditchwater......
Fly and use the time you save to get on some skis in Colorado.
I've done a bit of driving across Texas and it's mostly flat and VERY boring...and the local county police love supplementing their income by giving out speeding tickets so you really can't do more than the limit which when you are driving 000's of miles gets to you when the scenery is dull as ditchwater......
Fly and use the time you save to get on some skis in Colorado.
My wife is from Colorado so we travel back there every so often to see her family. We were out there last December and went up into the Rockies - very beautiful in the snow. The authorities out there are good at keeping the major routes cleared so a 4x4 isn't essential although it would certainly help. It can be really really cold out there so make sure you take a load of decent winter gear - when we were there the temperature was regularly -25c and below overnight. On at least one day the warmest it got was -18c!
And if you get the chance go and visit Lookout Mountin (off I-70 west of Denver). The views looking east across the Colorado plains are superb.
Bertie W
And if you get the chance go and visit Lookout Mountin (off I-70 west of Denver). The views looking east across the Colorado plains are superb.
Bertie W
I used to live in Denver and in December i could still be 70 or it could be freezzing.......
The scenery as you drive up into the Rockies can be amazing........a 4X4 might be useful but I managed 2 ski seaosn (going at least twice a week) in a Ford Focus without snow tyres and never had anything even close to an incident.
Well worth a visit
The scenery as you drive up into the Rockies can be amazing........a 4X4 might be useful but I managed 2 ski seaosn (going at least twice a week) in a Ford Focus without snow tyres and never had anything even close to an incident.
Well worth a visit
This is what we hired in Colorado in late November a few years ago, great idea because it started to snow within days and we were there for three weeks with no snow chains.
We stayed in a place called Fort Collins and made several (hairy) trips into the mountains for skiing. Although we didn't have the ideal transport we survived (just don't let her drive back down the mountains
).
Oh and however cold you think it will be, double it. It is absolutely freezing, once the snow started we saw -30 more than once.
Aforementioned scenery.
Beautiful place - I'd move there tomorrow given the opportunity but avoid the icy Jaegermeister run things at all costs.
We stayed in a place called Fort Collins and made several (hairy) trips into the mountains for skiing. Although we didn't have the ideal transport we survived (just don't let her drive back down the mountains
).Oh and however cold you think it will be, double it. It is absolutely freezing, once the snow started we saw -30 more than once.
Aforementioned scenery.
Beautiful place - I'd move there tomorrow given the opportunity but avoid the icy Jaegermeister run things at all costs.
Edited by mattviatura on Tuesday 2nd November 16:48
Thanks looks fab !! What I am expecting/hoping for.
Looks like I might get the train over there on the Californian Zepher and then might find a rental for 2/3 days when I get there.
Should have an appropriate vehicle for hire one hopes.
Is it illegal to have a car without snow tyres/chains during winter there ?
Looks like I might get the train over there on the Californian Zepher and then might find a rental for 2/3 days when I get there.
Should have an appropriate vehicle for hire one hopes.
Is it illegal to have a car without snow tyres/chains during winter there ?
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