Driving to Denver in December

[talkingevs]

I am going to be making a trip from Vegas to Denver in December. To avoid snow issues, im going to take the long route on the I40/I25 rather than I70. Will I have issues with snow and will I need tire chains for that? Any recommendations for stops on charging, food, etc?

 

[dgpcolorado]

^ Your proposed I-40, I-25 route is about 268 miles longer than the more direct route via I-70. It does avoid high mountain passes. Yes, you can hit snowstorms on those highways — the worst snowstorm I have ever driven in was on I-40 between Grants NM and Albuquerque, but it was a fluke: had I been two hours earlier or one day later, I would have missed it entirely. Most of the time those highways will be clear and dry — you need to time your trip to drive them then.

My suggestion is to be flexible and keep an eye on the weather. If it looks bad just stay put and wait a day or two (or leave earlier, if that works). If the weather is nice, the shorter route via I-70 will be easy. Colorado is very good at plowing and sanding roads after a snowstorm, so if you wait until a day or so after a storm, you shouldn't have much difficulty, especially if your M3 is AWD (as opposed to RWD). If you try to drive in a snowstorm, yes, you could need chains. However, it is much better to stay off the roads for a day or two until the snowstorm is gone and the roads are clear. Roads in the sunny Four Corners states do not stay snowpacked all winter, even in the mountains.

For Colorado road information, including dozens of webcams of road conditions, check out cotrip.org. I would guess that other states have something similar but I haven't needed them because I try to time my trips to the weather.

Please be aware that if you do try to drive in snow, getting going is not the problem. The problem is stopping and turning and AWD doesn't help much with that (only snow tires or chains, plus experience, will help). Best to just stay off the roads when they are slick.

 

[talkingevs]

Yea, its our 18' LR RWD I will be taking, so no AWD. I've driven in snow before as I grew up in Wisconsin, but never with the Tesla. I've heard Denver doesn't have much snow yet in December, so I'm more worried about just getting there. The problem with making it a flexible trip is I need to reserve hotels. I will certainly keep an eye on the weather patterns and that website your provided. Thanks!

 

[PLUS EV]

I agree with everything dgp said. Best advice is to be flexible and time it right. I-40 and I-25 get to some very high elevation so of course there can be snow in December.

Why do you need to reserve hotels in advance? Hotels are unlikely to sell out in December. Even on busy summer holiday weekends, I never have a problem finding a room and I never book until same day.

Also, your experience driving in Wisconsin snow is unlikely to be very useful here. The conditions are just way different. Like dgp said, snow in the southwest isn't usually too bad, but you'll have a lot more issue with elevation changes than you do in Wisconsin.

 

[IronCoffee_Max]

Yea, its our 18' LR RWD I will be taking, so no AWD. I've driven in snow before as I grew up in Wisconsin, but never with the Tesla. I've heard Denver doesn't have much snow yet in December, so I'm more worried about just getting there. The problem with making it a flexible trip is I need to reserve hotels. I will certainly keep an eye on the weather patterns and that website your provided. Thanks!

Having driven route … you can make it from Vegas to Denver in one trip. No hotels needed. Just my two cents.

 

[talkingevs]

Having driven route … you can make it from Vegas to Denver in one trip. No hotels needed. Just my two cents.

Are you talking the I70 route? I know you can make it in one day, just a long drive with charging stops. And to avoid possibility of having to have tire chains which I don't have, will prolly take the 25/40 route instead. I'll be paying attention to weather too and if it doesn't look like any snow that week maybe I'll take the 70

 

[Barry]

Having driven route … you can make it from Vegas to Denver in one trip. No hotels needed. Just my two cents.

You CAN do it, but it's a LONG day. And this was before Tesla slowed down the supercharging rate. When I did the return trip from LV to Denver, I spent a night in Green River, UT to break up the trip. This is from someone who finds driving a chore and not a fun, leisure-time activity.

 

[Ostrichsak]

You CAN do it, but it's a LONG day. And this was before Tesla slowed down the supercharging rate. When I did the return trip from LV to Denver, I spent a night in Green River, UT to break up the trip. This is from someone who finds driving a chore and not a fun, leisure-time activity.

I would also plan for 2-days just in case the weather isn't ideal which is likely that time of year. It's a much more enjoyable and less stressful trip that way too.

 

[talkingevs]

I think we will just keep an eye on the weather and then choose the morning of. It has autopilot so it's not as stressful driving but we could always stop in Moab or something if we get tired

 

[PLUS EV]

I think we will just keep an eye on the weather and then choose the morning of. It has autopilot so it's not as stressful driving but we could always stop in Moab or something if we get tired

Moab isn't exactly "on the way" though. Maybe Grand Junction? West of there along I-70 is very sparsely populated.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Moab isn't exactly "on the way" though. Maybe Grand Junction? West of there along I-70 is very sparsely populated.

In addition, weather conditions may not allow you to just set Autopilot and forget it. Inclement weather may make this feature unavailable.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[talkingevs]

In addition, weather conditions may not allow you to just set Autopilot and forget it. Inclement weather may make this feature unavailable.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Well yes. If we encounter snow or ice we won't be using autopilot. My point was if roads stay dry, autopilot makes the trip less stressful but still need to pay attention

 

[roblab]

Please be aware that if you do try to drive in snow, getting going is not the problem. The problem is stopping and turning and AWD doesn't help much with that (only snow tires or chains, plus experience, will help). Best to just stay off the roads when they are slick.

Amen on the "plus experience"! The biggest danger driving in snow is other drivers, especially ones that haven't driven in snow. Experienced drivers will SLOW DOWN and make NO SUDDEN MOVES. The car does not like to change directions or speed quickly, and you can lose all traction in seconds. You will find yourself going in a general straight line.

We were traveling across Oregon and it had snowed lightly earlier in the day. I was taking it easy when two Jeeps zipped around me, and sure enough, about five miles later we came to a long bend. Both Jeeps were off in the brush, one upside down with all the blankets and boxes they'd tied on strewn all over. A semi had stopped and so I figured I'd be no help, but it has worried me ever since. Driving in snow and ice is a good way to get killed.