Mountains
CDOT traction law can apply on Routt County state highways
A Porch Note from Colorado Porch — plain-English local details for all 64 Colorado counties.
Winter driving up here goes smoother when your car is ready before the sign ever turns on.
When conditions call for it, CDOT can switch on passenger traction and chain laws on any state highway in Colorado. That includes the routes threading through the Yampa Valley and over the passes around Steamboat Springs. Drivers get the word from highway signs, from COtrip, and from traffic and roadway condition alerts as they go up.
A dry driveway in town tells you very little about the next pass, the open stretch, or the shaded curve a few miles on. So when traction law is active, what counts is whether your vehicle carries the required tires, a four-wheel or all-wheel drive setup, chains, or an approved traction device for that condition. The rule reaches every state highway, not just the famous mountain corridors.
Pull up COtrip and CDOT’s traction-law page before a winter drive and you can sort out tires and chains in a warm garage rather than on the shoulder in blowing snow.
Sources
Official or primary sources used for this note. Local details can change, so confirm before acting.