Tag: mountain travel

Denver7 with Labor Day travel tips as FAA projects busiest weekend in years

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DENVER — Whether you’re traveling by car or plane this Labor Day weekend, you can expect company! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is projecting the busiest travel weekend in 15 years.

We’re sharing some travel tips from the experts to help your holiday weekend run smoothly.

Denver International Airport

429,000 passengers are expected to pass through Denver International Airport’s security checkpoints, according to airport officials.

Denver7 spoke with airport spokesperson Michael Konopasek ahead of the rush.

Denver7

He said many travelers aren’t taking advantage of east security, which just opened last month.

“But what’s kind of, I think, a cool travel hack during this Labor Day travel weekend is that East security sees some shorter lines sometimes. So if you can go over to E security, especially if you’re a pre -check customer,” Konopasek said. “We’re trying to get some of those pre-check customers going over to East security, getting them used to that new security checkpoint so they know that that’s an option as well.

Parking at DIA

If you plan to park at DIA, there are fewer spots than usual.

Improvements are being made to both the West Economy Lot and West Garage, temporarily reducing the number of spots.

Before heading to the airport, you can check availability at FlyDenver.com/parking.

Mountain travel

If you’re heading westbound on I-70 this weekend, AAA says it’s best to hit the road early.

“We’ll see a lot of those folks on our roadways heading up and down I-70, up and down Highway 285,” said AAA Regional Director of Public Affairs Skyler McKinley. “Expect that kind of traffic in the traditional tourist hotspots…Vail pass, headed to Steamboat, headed to Aspen, as well as the broader Intermountain West.”

Denver7

All construction projects will be suspended until Tuesday to limit potential backups, according to CDOT.

You can always check for any closures or crashes by heading to CoTrip.org.

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Claire Lavezzorio

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August 29, 2025
Colorado travelers urged to pack their patience for Fourth of July holiday rush

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DENVER — The Fourth of July travel rush is on in Colorado.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said drivers should be prepared for additional traffic and longer drive times on mountain highways over the next four days.

To help minimize potential traffic delays, CDOT is suspending all construction and maintenance projects from midday Wednesday until Monday, July 8. The only exception is for emergency operations.

Summer tourism in the high country typically hits its peak over the next six to seven weeks, according to CDOT.

Motorists are strongly encouraged to check the status of the state’s roadways before traveling. Information is available at cotrip.org or CDOT’s social media accounts. Travelers can also call 511.

From the roadways to the sky, those heading to Denver International Airport can also expect some crowds. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 473,000 people over the next six days.

“TSA has been planning for the Fourth of July period for months,” said TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers. “What I want travelers to know is regardless of what day they’re traveling or regardless of when they’re traveling within the day, it’s going to be extremely busy.”

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Claire Lavezzorio

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July 3, 2024
Weekend storm dumps more snow on Tahoe area, travel to the area discouraged

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Weather officials are urging motorists to avoid the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade mountains this weekend as another system of heavy mountain snow began moving through the region Saturday morning.

The snow will continue through early Sunday with accumulations up to 2 feet above 6,000 feet elevation and 4 to 8 inches above 3,000 feet, said Sara Purdue, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

On Saturday morning along Interstate 80 — the popular route to Lake Tahoe — snow was accumulating up to 1 inch per hour and expected to increase up to 2 inches per hour later in the day, according to the weather service. Wind gusts are forecast to top 50 miles per hour in some areas, Purdue said.

She said travelers should expect dangerous driving conditions with slick roads and near white-out conditions at times. Motorists should be ready for road closures and carry tire chains, extra warm clothing, food and water if venturing into the area.

The newest storm system comes after one skier was killed and another guest was injured Wednesday when they were buried in an avalanche at the Palisades Tahoe resort, officials said. It occurred at about 9:30 a.m. above the G.S. Gully area of the KT-22 peak, the resort said in a statement.

The skier who died was identified Wednesday night by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office as 66-year-old Kenneth Kidd, a resident of both Point Reyes and the Truckee Tahoe area.

Hours before that avalanche, forecasters had warned that the risk of an avalanche in the area was “considerable” for a portion of the central Sierra Nevada, encompassing all of Lake Tahoe and much of the surrounding mountains.

A Level 3 threat indicates “dangerous avalanche conditions” that could lead to “small avalanches in many areas; large avalanches in specific areas,” and warns that “natural avalanches [are] possible; human-triggered avalanches likely.”

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Ben Poston

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January 13, 2024