Topic
Cars and driving
Registration and plates, emissions, mountain-pass and winter-driving rules, and the things that change when you drive and register a vehicle in Colorado.
109 notes - page 3 of 5
Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Los Caminos Antiguos is the scenic byway that runs through Antonito
The Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic Byway links Antonito with Alamosa, San Luis, and Fort Garland, tying together the San Luis Valley's old towns, the railroad, and the route toward the Great Sand Dunes.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Medano Pass Primitive Road is a sandy 4WD route on the Saguache edge of the Sand Dunes
The Medano Pass Primitive Road crosses deep sand and Medano Creek several times on the Saguache County side of Great Sand Dunes, and it needs a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Mosquito Pass is a rough, high four-wheel-drive road open only briefly each year
The Mosquito Pass road east of Leadville is a steep, rocky high-clearance four-wheel-drive route that is usually open for about six to eight weeks after the summer snowmelt.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Mosquito Pass is a seasonal 4WD road, not a year-round route to Leadville
Mosquito Pass connects Alma and Leadville over a very high, rocky road that is usually open only for a short stretch of summer and needs a high-clearance 4WD vehicle.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
North of Durango, US 550 climbs the San Juans over Coal Bank and Molas
The drive north from Durango on US 550 is a famous San Juan Skyway stretch over high passes; in winter CDOT may close it during storms, so checking conditions first is routine.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On I-76 through Morgan County, wind closes the road as much as snow
Interstate 76 crosses Morgan County's open plains, where blowing snow and ground blizzards can shut the road even when little new snow falls.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On Kiowa County's plains, the weather is the road hazard to plan around
Kiowa County's open Eastern Plains see severe thunderstorms, large hail, high wind, and ground blizzards, so the National Weather Service forecast is part of driving here.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On Phillips County roads, watch the sky before a long drive
Open plains country in Phillips County brings hail, high wind, and fast-moving summer storms that can change driving conditions on long county roads.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On the I-70 plains, it is the weather, not the curves, that can close the road
Kit Carson County's stretch of I-70 is flat and straight, but plains storms, hail, high wind, and blowing snow can make driving here dangerous and can close the highway.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On the Otero County plains, summer storms drive fast and hit hard
Otero County's open plains see severe summer thunderstorms with hail, high wind, and tornado risk, and the National Weather Service in Pueblo is the source to watch.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On the plains around Wray and Yuma, summer storms are part of the calendar
Yuma County sits in tornado-and-hail country, so the National Weather Service forecast and warnings are a normal part of planning a summer day here.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On the plains, the weather to plan for is wind, hail, and open-road storms
Driving and living in Bent County means planning for plains hazards like severe thunderstorms, hail, high wind, and blowing snow on long, open county roads.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
On the Weld County plains, weather can change the drive fast
Open Eastern Plains country in Weld County brings hail, high wind, and summer storms that can quickly affect driving and visibility.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Ouray's high passes turn a Jeep into a way over the mountains
Ouray bills itself as the Jeep Capital of America, and rugged seasonal four-wheel-drive routes like Imogene Pass and Black Bear Pass climb over the San Juans toward Telluride.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Over the top: Lizard Head Pass, a San Juan Skyway high point
Highway 145 climbs north from Rico over scenic Lizard Head Pass toward Telluride, a celebrated drive most of the year that simply asks for traction and patience in winter.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Owl Creek Pass is a seasonal back road into Montrose's mountains
Owl Creek Pass, reached by the Cimarron Road south of US 50, is an unpaved national forest route into the high country that opens and closes with the seasons and is not a maintained highway.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Owl Creek Pass is the gentler back road past Chimney Rock
Owl Creek Pass climbs from near Ridgway over a forest road below Courthouse Mountain and Chimney Rock on the Cimarron Ridge, opening to trailheads and the Cimarron drainages.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Pagosa Springs sits at the doorstep of the San Juan Skyway
The San Juan Skyway is a designated scenic byway looping through the mountains west of Archuleta County, and it is a long mountain drive rather than a quick day trip.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Phantom Canyon Road follows an old railroad grade up to Cripple Creek
Phantom Canyon Road north of the Cañon City area is a narrow gravel back road built on a former narrow-gauge railroad bed, with tunnels and tight turns that make it a slow, careful drive.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Rim Rock Drive: a road shaped by hand through the canyons
A 23-mile cliff-edge drive through Colorado National Monument, built largely by Depression-era crews and the CCC, with three rock tunnels and a string of canyon overlooks.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Shrine Pass Road connects Vail Pass to Red Cliff over a dirt route
Shrine Pass Road is a Forest Service dirt road from Vail Pass down to the town of Red Cliff, a scenic drive in summer whose opening and closing shift with the seasons.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Skyline Drive above Cañon City is a one-way road on a thin ridge
Skyline Drive west of Cañon City runs one direction along a narrow hogback ridge, so it is a road to take slowly and on purpose, not a shortcut.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
Some Gunnison County passes close for the whole winter
Several high routes around Gunnison County, including Kebler and Cottonwood passes, close seasonally for winter, so summer shortcuts are not year-round roads.
Read note ->Cars and driving - June 10, 2026
South of Trinidad, I-25 climbs Raton Pass into winter weather
Interstate 25 crosses Raton Pass at the New Mexico line south of Trinidad, a high stretch that can see snow, wind, and closures when the rest of the day looks fine.
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