Colorado (CO) Road Conditions & Traction Law

3 current reports along the route. Always check with the responsible state DOT before setting off.

• Lanes blocked

  Mile 298 to 288: the right lane is closed due to road maintenance operations.

  Between I-25 and I-25 (near Lynn) from Mile Point 288 to Mile Point 298. The right lane is closed due to road maintenance operations.

  Mile 298 to 288 • south • CO • Ongoing

• Lanes blocked

  Between Exit 256: Lookout Mountain and Exit 259: Morrison Road (near Genesee) at Mile Point 257. Truck ramp occupied…

  Between Exit 256: Lookout Mountain and Exit 259: Morrison Road (near Genesee) at Mile Point 257. Truck ramp occupied. Slower speeds are advised.

  east • CO • Ongoing

• Lanes blocked

  Between County Road 43 and County Road 37 (1 mile west of the Hudson area) from Mile Point 28 to Mile Point 27. Road…

  Between County Road 43 and County Road 37 (1 mile west of the Hudson area) from Mile Point 28 to Mile Point 27. Road maintenance operations. There is alternating traffic.

  Mile 28 to 27 • west • CO • Ongoing

Interstates Through Colorado, Road by Road

Each stretch has its own live conditions, closures and cameras for the Colorado miles only — the weather 500 miles away on the same interstate says nothing about this drive.

• I-25 Colorado Road Conditions 299 mi
• I-70 Colorado Road Conditions 450 mi

NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, from 4 weather stations in Colorado. A dash is a figure that station does not report, not a zero.

Snowfall across Colorado is not one number: Grand Junction averages 19.1" a year and Vail averages 190".

Every figure above is a town or a city. The summits are a different climate: Berthoud Pass, Eisenhower Tunnel, Loveland Pass, Monarch Pass, Vail Pass, Wolf Creek Pass each has its own page with the readings at the top and a six-day summit forecast.

Driving in Colorado Month by Month

What the road normally throws at you, month by month, from NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Colorado's own stations. Each month names its dominant hazard and the place that measured it — this is what the month is usually like, not a forecast and not a restriction.

• January Snow 35.2 in of snow at Vail, 21.3 days that never thaw at Vail
• February Snow 36 in of snow at Vail, 12.9 days that never thaw at Vail
• March Snow 26.3 in of snow at Vail, 5.4 days that never thaw at Vail
• April Snow 21.2 in of snow at Vail, 1.6 days that never thaw at Vail
• May Snow 4.8 in of snow at Vail, 0.1 days that never thaw at Vail
• June Heat 13.4 days above 90°F at Grand Junction
• July Heat 23.3 days above 90°F at Grand Junction
• August Heat 16.7 days above 90°F at Grand Junction
• September Snow 1.3 in of snow at Denver
• October Snow 7.2 in of snow at Vail, 0.8 days that never thaw at Vail
• November Snow 28.9 in of snow at Vail, 9.8 days that never thaw at Vail
• December Snow 29.2 in of snow at Vail, 22.4 days that never thaw at Vail

Colorado Traction Law & Chain Law

Colorado is one of the few states where winter tire rules are law, not advice. CDOT sets a Traction Law on the I-70 Mountain Corridor for the whole winter season and can activate one anywhere else in the state when a storm moves in, and drivers who ignore it are fined — more if they end up blocking a lane.

Traction Law

A Traction Law is in force on the I-70 Mountain Corridor between Dotsero and Morrison every year from September 1 through May 31, regardless of the forecast on the day. CDOT can also activate it on any other state highway when weather or road conditions require.

You need one of the following: an all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle on mud and snow (M+S), winter, or manufacturer-rated all-weather tires with at least 3/16-inch of tread — or, on any vehicle, chains or an approved alternative traction device on two or more drive tires.

Passenger Vehicle Chain Law

In a severe storm CDOT escalates to the Passenger Vehicle Chain Law. Every vehicle then needs chains or an approved device, whatever it drives on — CDOT calls this the final safety measure before the highway closes, so a sign showing it means the road is close to shutting.

Fines

Non-compliance is a $100 fine plus a $33 surcharge. If your vehicle ends up closing a travel lane, that becomes $500 plus a $157 surcharge.

Approved alternative traction devices

AutoSock, EasySox, Alpha Trax and ISSE tire socks are on the approved list. CDOT keeps the current list at apl.codot.gov.

Commercial vehicles

Commercial vehicles have a separate rule. Under the Must Carry Law, anything over 16,000 pounds combined or carrying 16 or more passengers must carry chains from September 1 through May 31 on sections of I-70, Colorado 9 and US 40, 50, 160, 285 and 550 — $500 for not carrying them, and up to $1,000 plus a surcharge for blocking the road. CDOT keeps 130 chain stations across the state for it.

How you will know it is active

• Highway signs on the corridor
• COtrip.org, CDOT's own travel map
• CDOT road and travel condition alerts

Text and email alerts are available from subscription.cotrip.org ↗.

Traction and chain law status is set by CDOT and changes with the storm. This page does not carry it — what it does carry, below, is CDOT's own report of the pavement on the I-70 corridor, which is a different thing. Check COtrip ↗ for the requirement in force before you drive.

Source: CDOT, checked August 26, 2026.

What CDOT Reports on I-70 Right Now

CDOT's own report for each stretch, in CDOT's words, with the time CDOT last changed it. A stretch it has not reported on is not in this list — that means we have nothing to quote, not that the road is clear.

• Airpark Rd-Bennett dry 7 hours ago
• Bennett-Limon dry 7 hours ago
• Copper Mtn-Silverthorne dry 10 hours ago
• Denver C470 to I-25 dry 7 hours ago
• Denver I-25 to Airpark Rd dry 7 hours ago
• Eagle-Vail dry 10 hours ago
• Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels-Georgetown 4s - wet in areas 3 hours ago
• Genesee-C470 dry 8 hours ago
• Georgetown-Idaho Springs dry 8 hours ago
• Glenwood-Eagle dry 10 hours ago
• Grand Junction-Palisade-Rifle dry 10 hours ago
• Idaho Springs-Genesee dry 8 hours ago
• Limon-Genoa-Seibert dry 7 hours ago
• Rifle -Glenwood Springs dry 10 hours ago
• Seibert-Stratton-Burlington-Kansas dry 7 hours ago
• Silverthorne-Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels 4s - wet in areas 3 hours ago
• Utah-Grand Junction dry 10 hours ago
• Vail Pass-Copper Mtn dry 10 hours ago
• Vail-Vail Pass dry 10 hours ago

Source: CDOT, via COtrip ↗. Read 11 minutes ago. Chain and traction requirements are not in this report — check COtrip for those.

Related Roads

Colorado Road Weather FAQ

Are any roads closed in Colorado right now?

No full closures are reported on the interstates in Colorado as of Oct 8, 2026 9:17 PM MDT. 3 lane closures, roadworks or restrictions are in force. They are listed under closures and road blocks on this page.

What are Colorado road conditions today?

The map on this page colors the interstates across Colorado by what is on the pavement right now — dry, wet, slush, snow or ice — from radar and surface data, last updated Oct 8, 2026 9:12 PM MDT. Right now temperatures run from 48°F to 75°F and the strongest wind is 12 mph.

What is the Colorado traction law?

You need one of the following: an all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle on mud and snow (M+S), winter, or manufacturer-rated all-weather tires with at least 3/16-inch of tread — or, on any vehicle, chains or an approved alternative traction device on two or more drive tires. It is in force September 1 through May 31 on the I-70 Mountain Corridor between Dotsero and Morrison. CDOT can also activate it on any other state highway when weather or road conditions require.

How much is the fine for not following the Colorado chain law?

Non-compliance is a $100 fine plus a $33 surcharge. If your vehicle blocks a travel lane, $500 plus a $157 surcharge.

Do I need chains to drive I-70 in Colorado in winter?

Not always. Under a Traction Law, all-wheel or four-wheel drive on compliant tires with 3/16-inch of tread is enough. In a severe storm CDOT escalates to the Passenger Vehicle Chain Law. Every vehicle then needs chains or an approved device, whatever it drives on — CDOT calls this the final safety measure before the highway closes, so a sign showing it means the road is close to shutting.

What counts as an approved alternative traction device in Colorado?

AutoSock, EasySox, Alpha Trax and ISSE tire socks are on the approved list. CDOT keeps the current list at apl.codot.gov.

Which interstates run through Colorado?

Colorado has 3 through interstates on this site: I-25, I-70 and I-76 West — about 936 miles of interstate across the state. Each has its own page for the Colorado stretch.

Are there mountain passes in Colorado?

Yes — 6 on this site: Vail Pass at 10,662 ft, Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158 ft, Loveland Pass at 11,990 ft, Wolf Creek Pass at 10,857 ft, Berthoud Pass at 11,307 ft and Monarch Pass at 11,312 ft. Each has its own summit page.

Where are Colorado road closures reported officially?

Colorado's official traveler information service is COtrip, at cotrip.org, and it is where closures and restrictions are reported.

Are there live traffic cameras in Colorado?

Yes. This page shows 6 live views in Colorado from the state transportation departments' own camera feeds, further down the page, refreshed each time you load it.

How often are Colorado road conditions updated?

The road surface and weather layers are rebuilt whenever this page is opened with data more than ten minutes old, and refreshed on a schedule in between, so nothing here is more than about two hours old even on a road nobody has looked at. Closures and road blocks are re-imported from the state 511 feeds every fifteen minutes, and the written state-by-state summaries are refreshed daily. Every section on this page carries the time its data was fetched.