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[hbelkins]

Could have also posted this in the Kansas-centric board, but there's less likelihood of this possibility in Kansas than there is in Colorado, so Mountain West it is.

There's a possibility that my brother and I will be traveling to Moab, Utah, the first few days of March. He has a permit to drive the White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park, and his camping reservation is March 6. So most likely we'd be overnighting in Moab on March 5, and it's probably going to be a two-day drive out there using the direct route of I-70.

We're concerned about the possibility of winter weather. This is a definite worry immediately west of Denver, but I know blizzard-like conditions can blow up in eastern Colorado and western Kansas (I've seen the gates on the interstate and the on-ramps).

If there's a non-blizzard snow, how good is Colorado about getting I-70 cleared across the Rockies? He'll be in a 4WD truck but there could still be issues.

At what point should we seriously consider using I-44 and I-40 west from St. Louis, which is a longer drive but over a much gentler grade crossing the Continental Divide? What should we look for in the weather forecast? We'd probably have to take an extra day to get out west if we use the southern route.

Also open to suggestions as to the best route to take in early March from I-40 in New Mexico to Moab. I'm presuming we should somehow make our way to US 666 491 and go into Utah from there.

[Rothman]

4WD is okay for keeping going, but not so much for stopping.

March is very much dicey in the Rockies.  I'd just put more days than you need in your schedule to make sure you get from A to B.  Plows matter less than what kind of snow event comes your way.

Bring warm stuff to camp in during March in Moab.  Insulate above and below you...

[zzcarp]

4WD is okay for keeping going, but not so much for stopping.

March is very much dicey in the Rockies.  I'd just put more days than you need in your schedule to make sure you get from A to B.  Plows matter less than what kind of snow event comes your way.

Bring warm stuff to camp in during March in Moab.  Insulate above and below you...

I-70 also has a traction law from September to May. Sounds like you have 4WD which works, otherwise you need snow tires or chains in a snowstorm. There's a pretty hefty ticket for people who get stuck and block the traffic who don't have adequate tread and traction.

As for getting through, the biggest question mark is always Glenwood Canyon. It seems recently we've had a lot of jacknifed semis closing the canyon this winter. It's a 4 hour detour easily around it if/when it closes, either by going on US 40 through Steamboat Springs and Craig or by taking US 50 from Salida to Grand Junction. It's also not something you can necessarily plan for, so I second the idea of building some extra travel time just in case.

[zachary_amaryllis]

CDOT is great about plowing the roads. I live on a lightly-travelled state highway, and if it snows, they're generally by about once an hour or so.

You probably know this, but 4WD does not really help on I-70, unless you get stuck. ABS does. Someone above me suggested building extra time into your schedule to allow for Glenwood Canyon possibly being closed, and that's solid advice. I've never travelled the 'southern' detour, but the northern one will take you over 2 pretty dicey passes (Berthoud, and Rabbit Ears)

Decent snow tires, decent vehicle, you'll be fine. Don't drive fast, all that. You got this.

[hbelkins]

My brother would be driving. I'm just along for the ride, if the trip occurs.

[JREwing78]

Google Maps estimates about a 3 hour drive time difference between I-70 direct through Colorado and I-70 -> I-44 -> I-40 -> US-491 through New Mexico (starting in Columbus, OH).

You have options to cut SW off I-70 down to I-40 in several places between St. Louis and western Kansas, though you'll add on more drive time the later you wait to divert.

I think as others suggested the ability to keep flexibility in your schedule will be key.

[Duke87]

One thing to remember is the weather very much varies with elevation. Moab is at 4000 feet so it may not be quite as cold as much of the trip across Colorado, but early March is still likely to be nippy, certainly.

As far as winter weather... yes, it's a risk. May be a somewhat higher risk this year, snowpack in Colorado is currently running 25-50% above normal overall. But if you have a 4WD vehicle you should be able to handle anything that isn't bad enough to close the road, especially if you're just sticking to I-70.

Only other thing to beware of is western states are not as fond of salting roads as states back east, so even if it last snowed a few days ago you may find you don't have bare pavement in some places (off-interstate anyway).

[zachary_amaryllis]

One thing to remember is the weather very much varies with elevation. Moab is at 4000 feet so it may not be quite as cold as much of the trip across Colorado, but early March is still likely to be nippy, certainly.

As far as winter weather... yes, it's a risk. May be a somewhat higher risk this year, snowpack in Colorado is currently running 25-50% above normal overall. But if you have a 4WD vehicle you should be able to handle anything that isn't bad enough to close the road, especially if you're just sticking to I-70.

Only other thing to beware of is western states are not as fond of salting roads as states back east, so even if it last snowed a few days ago you may find you don't have bare pavement in some places (off-interstate anyway).

I live on a state highway, while not 'salt', they definitely put 'something' down, because once the snow melts off, the road are whitish for a while. Usually, once the sun comes out, the roads clear fairly quickly, unless it's REAL cold.

[Rothman]

One thing to remember is the weather very much varies with elevation. Moab is at 4000 feet so it may not be quite as cold as much of the trip across Colorado, but early March is still likely to be nippy, certainly.

As far as winter weather... yes, it's a risk. May be a somewhat higher risk this year, snowpack in Colorado is currently running 25-50% above normal overall. But if you have a 4WD vehicle you should be able to handle anything that isn't bad enough to close the road, especially if you're just sticking to I-70.

Only other thing to beware of is western states are not as fond of salting roads as states back east, so even if it last snowed a few days ago you may find you don't have bare pavement in some places (off-interstate anyway).

I live on a state highway, while not 'salt', they definitely put 'something' down, because once the snow melts off, the road are whitish for a while. Usually, once the sun comes out, the roads clear fairly quickly, unless it's REAL cold.

Heh.  Reminds me of how southeast Idaho uses what the locals call "lava": Red volcanic rock.  Red stuff sticks like glue to your car but doesn't eat it like salt does.

[JayhawkCO]

There are three places where you could have major delays:

Hays->Denver - This is the highest likelihood of having the highway shut down completely. This happens maybe 6-7 times per year.
Eisenhower Tunnel - This is closed often, and sometimes you get the joy of driving Loveland Pass in whiteout conditions. Definitely a butt puckerer.
Glenwood Canyon - As zzcard said upthread, for some reason this has been a particularly bad year for accidents that have closed the canyon.

Just look at the weather and if it's going to be a bad storm, take the southern route. If it's just a little bit of snow in the mountains, just drive slow and you'll be fine. Mountain access is the economic lifeblood of the state, so CDOT spends a lot of time making sure there's a way to get to the resorts.

tl;dr - If there's snow in the mountains, meh. If there's a bunch of snow in Denver, go south.

[hbelkins]

Brother still hasn't made the call on the trip yet. There are some roads closed in Canyonlands, including the Shafer Trail road that accesses White Rim Road. There are other ways to access White Rim Road, but they add length (and Potash Road is said to be super muddy) and he wants to be able to make his reserved campsite at Murphy C before dark.

[hbelkins]

Trip is a no-go. My brother decided to wait until he thinks he's physically able to hike down into the Grand Canyon and will combine the trips.

Doubtful I'll be able to tag along if he goes later this year, as it will require 6-7 days of me having to foot gas and lodging bills while he's down in the canyon.