Tips/Guide to driving I70 and General Snow Driving

bobross

Member
Hey i thought I would make a thread so people can add tips and info on driving I-70 in the winter. Feel free to add anything like frontage road info, how to drive in the snow, any sneaky tricks, or even how to spot a Texan driving a rental car and avoid them/make a rude gesture.

Tips:

If there is a lot of traffic westbound the right lane before Floyd Hill says it ends but doesn't for about 1/2 mile so you have a pretty wide open lane to pass a bunch of cars on the right before it ends

Eastbound after the US 6 exit on the left a 3rd lane is on the far left so if you have a car that can accelerate up Floyd Hill then you can pass a shit load of cars

When traffic is moving the left lane is fastest when traffic is stopped the right lane is quickest (Just my observation)

Down shift instead of breaking, break lights cause traffic

When there is very heavy traffic, no one is moving, eastbound take the Loveland exit and get back on the highway, lets you pass literally hundreds of cars since the off-ramp and on-ramp are spread out

Get the fuck outa the left lane if you are going too slow

On weekends if you leave Denver by 6:30 am you miss most of the traffic. And the traffic on Sundays Eastbound starts earlier from the people the spent the weekend up in Summit County.

If Loveland Pass is closed they close Eisenhower Tunnel for hazardous materials on the top of every hour so plan ahead

If traffic is stopped and there is 420? written on the window come join a blaze sesh (haha my own addition)

Drinking beers at the Dillion Dam Brewery can really pass the time so you will miss the traffic



Add your own tips and tricks to enduring the I70 hell hole


 
1. If you are from any other state besides the ones to the west of colorado then turn around once you reach the Morrison exit on I-70.

2. If you decide to make the trek past the Morrsion exit then don't go to Loveland. Loveland has the worst skiing on the I-70 corridor. It's windy, everything is ice and they never groom the trails. Winter Park, Breckenridge, Vail, Keystone and A-Basin are much better choices.

3. Please roll down your window and look behind you to see if anyone is coming when you are trying to pull your gas guzzling Chevy Suburban off the shoulder in traffic.

4. Speed past me at 75 mph all you want, I'm just going to laugh when you are pulled over/in the ditch.
 
I like the 420 idea.

I fucking hate dealing with traffic/weather at that one downhill left hand turn where the strip mine is before Idaho Springs.
 
So i just had my first experience with gnarly I-70 traffic tonight. Made the mistake of leaving Breck at 4:30.

Is it always that bad? I've been able to avoid it by staying for night skiing at Key so far, but is it always complete death if you leave around 4?
 
bastard. i wanted to go up today. but yes, basically always traffic on a weekend around then. prime rush hour traffic time.
 
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