Ten miles of exposed interstate at 10,600 feet. The most closure-prone stretch of I-70 in Colorado.
Checking the latest CDOT report…
Status from CDOT COTrip, refreshed once each morning. This page reports what CDOT publishes — for a legal closure or an active incident, cotrip.org and CDOT variable message signs are authoritative.
Vail Pass carries I-70 between Copper Mountain and Vail, topping out at 10,662 feet. The westbound descent into East Vail is steep, curved, and shaded, and it accounts for a disproportionate share of the corridor's winter crashes. CDOT closes this segment more often than any other stretch of I-70 in the state.
The westbound grade into East Vail is where most closures start. A single jackknifed semi blocks the road for hours.
The pass is above treeline for much of its length and holds no shelter from wind. Visibility can drop to nothing while Copper and Vail stay clear.
The north-facing curves hold ice long after the rest of the corridor has dried out, especially in early morning.
CDOT will close the pass preemptively when a forecast justifies it, rather than clearing wrecks in the middle of it.
Worst from late afternoon into the overnight hours during active snow. The pass frequently reopens by mid-morning once plows have worked it. Check before committing — Copper and Vail can both look fine while the pass between them is closed.
There is no practical alternate. The detour is US 24 through Leadville and Minturn, which adds well over two hours and crosses Tennessee Pass at 10,424 feet. When Vail Pass closes, the corridor is effectively cut.
Vail Pass closes more than any other stretch of I-70 because it combines high elevation, a steep shaded westbound descent into East Vail, and long exposed sections above treeline. Most closures begin with a jackknifed truck on the descent or with whiteout conditions from blowing snow.
There is no practical alternate. The detour runs US 24 through Leadville and Minturn, adding more than two hours and crossing Tennessee Pass at 10,424 feet, which is often affected by the same storm. When Vail Pass closes, waiting is usually faster than driving around.
Vail Pass tops out at 10,662 feet on I-70 between Copper Mountain and Vail, in Summit and Eagle Counties. Much of the pass sits above treeline with no shelter from wind.
I-70 · 11,158 ft · Silverthorne to Georgetown.
US 6 · 11,990 ft · Arapahoe Basin and Keystone to Georgetown.
CO 9 · 11,542 ft · Breckenridge to Fairplay.
Live status for all seven passes and highway segments we track.