DENVER — Traffic on Interstate 70 is getting worse. That's something the thousands of people who get up earlier and earlier every year to hit the slopes on weekends call tell you, and there's data that backs it up.
Despite the hours in the car that comes with a day trip to some of Colorado's more well-known resorts (and the ones that use the Epic and Ikon passes), the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said there hasn't been a marked increase in traffic on US 285, the corridor to numerous other options as well as an alternate route to Breckenridge.
In part, that's because these smaller ski areas are farther away. The closet, Monarch Mountain, is about three hours away on a good day. With that being said, that's roughly the same driving time as Vail on a bad day ... or even a little bit shorter.
As for an average day?
"I-70's average travel time is still 30 to 40 minutes shorter despite the regular congestion on ski weekends," Fowler said.
Fowler said her main takeaway is that, despite the traffic, travelers more or less accept it as a reality.
Nevertheless, people at small ski resorts say they're benefiting from visitors who are sick of being stopped on I-70 ... and long lift lines like the one seen at Vail a few weeks ago.
Skiers are heading more and more to smaller places like Eldora in Nederland and Snowy Range near Laramie, Wyoming.
We talked to the spokespeople at multiple resorts that aren't along the I-70 corridor about if they're seeing increased crowds, as well as highlighted other resorts that don't require stop-and-go traffic from Idaho Springs to Copper Mountain.
Learn more below.
This story is part of our weekly 9Neighborhoods series. Join us at noon on the 9NEWS Instagram for a photo tour of some mountains that don't involve I-70 and all the pain that it brings. Have any idea for a community or topic we should explore next? Email us at webteam@9news.com!
Monarch Mountain
Distance from Denver: 157 miles (2 hours and 54 minutes)
Cost of a one-day lift ticket at the window: $94
Eva Egbert, who does sales and marketing with Monarch, said crowds on I-70 has helped this relatively small resort about 30 minutes away from Salida.
“We’ve got people telling us it’s not just because of traffic, they’re sick of long lift lines and they’re looking for somewhere that’s a little more mom and pops,” Egbert said.
Monarch is unique in that it doesn’t make its own snow. Luckily, a couple epic winters in southern Colorado have been a boon for the ski area.
Egbert said staying affordable and small has been good for Monarch, which gets numerous visitors from Colorado Springs.
“It saddens me that skiing is becoming a sport for the upper middle class,” Egbert said, “and it’s important that ski resorts like us are still making it affordable for middle class and new families to enter the sport at affordable rates.
“That’s why it’s so important for the little guys to survive and fight the fight, because we’re the ones who introduce people to the sport.”
The longest lift line Egbert said she's seen during her five years at Monarch was 10 minutes on a powder day at the Panorama Lift.
Eldora
Distance from Denver: 50 miles (1 hour and 15 minutes without traffic)
Cost of a one-day lift ticket at the window: $139
This is an obvious one: Eldora is probably the closet ski area to Denver. Without traffic, it’s a quick jaunt up Boulder Canyon to Nederland.
But, since it’s close, it tends to get quite a bit of visitation during weekends and holidays – including from folks who give up on I-70 traffic, bail out at the Central City exit and take Highway 119 to Eldora.
“If I see I-70 closed or anything like that, we brace ourselves,” said Sam Bass, the marketing director at Eldora.
Due to an influx of people headed to the ski area, the resort has gotten approval from Boulder County to add 800 new parking spots. This comes with a caveat though: visitors driving alone have to pay $10 to park.
As another way to manage crowds, Bass said Eldora gives away round-trip tickets on the RTD bus that connects it with Boulder.
“We’ve had parking problems and congestion for a while, and we’ve seen them grow in conjunction with the population increase on the Front Range,” Bass said.
As a rule of thumb, Bass said visitors should learn to manage when they do decide to ski. Typically that means going on weekdays if possible, and avoiding peak times during holidays and weekends. Those peak times are usually between 8 a.m. and noon, and could be all day when there’s fresh powder.
“To a certain extent, we do need to accept as skiers and riders that things have gotten busy, and knowing that, the next step is to be strategic about when you visit, so you’re not coming to the mountains when the bulk of the crowds are,” Bass said.
Snowy Range
Distance from Denver: 164 miles (2 hours and 50 minutes)
Cost of a one-day lift ticket at the window: $49
Lots of people in Northern Colorado will be likely mad us for mentioning this one, but Snowy Range – which is in the Medicine Bow Mountains just west of Laramie – is an affordable, tiny ski resort just across the border in Wyoming.
Ellie Southerland, the ski area’s director of marketing operations, said “we don’t have lift lines, maybe 1 minute but that might be an exaggeration.”
Parking is free, and Southerland said there are never problems finding a space.
“In the past few years, we have seen an increase in so-called ‘crowds,’ but we also have plenty of room to grow,” Southerland wrote in an email. “On the drive up you may see a few other cars on the roads, but nothing that causes a traffic slowdown.”
That's backed up by the Wyoming Department of Transportation. Public relations specialist Jordan Achs said traffic has increased along WY 130 between Laramie and Snowy Range, but nothing astronomical.
"We're not noticing increased traffic, traffic jams, anything like that," Achs said.
Snowy Range doesn’t have the amenities of some of the large resorts on I-70 (like places to stay) … but what it does have is a brewery in the lodge, which is worth something.
Wolf Creek
Distance from Denver: 252 miles (four hours and 36 minutes)
Cost of a one-day lift ticket at the window: $76
Located near Pagosa Springs, Wolf Creek is known for getting some of the most snow out of any ski area in Colorado.
How much snow is that? Roughly 430" inches, on average. That's a lot of snow.
According to its website, 20% of Wolf Creek's trails are beginner, 35% are intermediate, 25% are advanced and 20% are for experts only.
Crested Butte
Distance from Denver: 228 miles (four hours and 18 minutes)
Cost of a one-day lift ticket at the window: $136
It's not like Crested Butte is a particularly little known gem (it's considered one of the best resorts in the country). It does, however, avoid I-70 -- even though the drive time means folks coming from Denver would have a hard time with a day trip.
Which isn't a bad thing. Crested Butte is often ranked one of the country's best ski towns.
It's known for its laid-back, non-pretentious vibe, as well as the combination of expert and beginner terrain.
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