Super helpful! I probably should’ve clarified that this trip will be happening closer to March where I hope to see snow but I’m assuming it won’t be freezing. I personally have ko2 and I’ve played in the snow already but as for my friend she won’t even drive in the snow even if she has the right tires. I’ll check either way I’ve tried to explain to her it’s gonna be cold but I don’t think she completely understands it. My biggest reason for Idaho springs is because I’m already familiar with the area and being such a small town I already made a few friends and I loved saint marys glacier. I’m sure there are much better places to see I just am familiar with it. When I said rockys or I guess “Rockies” (I think I’m dyslexic sorry) I was referring to Rockies national park. We looked on the map and already saw the road is closed to cut through there but I didn’t know it was something they did every year. I assume we will probably play by ear. I will stay in Colorado as long as I want. I travel and live in my Jeep so I can explore everything but I’m just trying to figure out how to get the most out of it for her. Thanks for the info! Lots of stuff I’ll need to look into!
@Life of Trevor
As
@old_man said March is usually the Snowiest month and it tends to be Wet Heavy snow. Keep in mind that many of the Ski areas are open into April. March is one of the best and busiest times for Skiing due to getting snow nearly every night combined with being Spring Break time for Tx and much of the Gulf states. I spend a lot of time in Estes Park, Breckenridge and Leadville over the years in the winter. Aspen I save for summer and Fall as I don't ski and much of what I enjoy doing in the area is not available in the winter.
For Estes you can expect Ave overnight Low temps from about 15* - 25* and daily highs in the mid 30's - 40's.
For Breck you can expect Ave overnight Low temps from about 15* - 25* and daily highs in the 30's.
For Leadville you can expect Ave overnight Low temps from about 10* - 20* and daily highs in the 20's-30's
Aspen tends to be a bit warmer overnight Low temps from about 30* - 40* and daily highs in the 30's- low 50's by the end of the month.
Not sure about the Sand Dunes area you'd need to look it up. It's futher South and low lying but so is Gunnison which often logs the coldest temps in the state.
I consider having friends in the area a very good reason to visit. They would even be able to offer some suggestions on things to do that are newer than what I'm aware of. Let us know of any suggestions they provide that you enjoyed. I talked to the SO who grew up in Idaho Springs. We could come up with lots of fun things to do in the summer and fall. Winter recommendations were to avoid the Indian Hot springs place as you could watch your clothes skitter away on their own. As you mentioned St Mary's Alice would be the only thing I could think of to do in Winter in Idaho Spgs. Had lots of Fun Snowshoeing, sledding, and tubing there in the past.
Rocky Mtn Natl. Park (RMNP) is open year round and offers camping in 1 site on the Estes park side through the winter. as I mentioned earlier Lots to do there in Winter. you can rent X-country skis or Snow Shoes from places in town and get advice for other fun trails. The ones I listed earlier are all short easy trails that I recommend for getting acclimated to the weather and altitude. Many more to check out depending on how you feel after doing the few I mentioned. Yes both Old Fall River Rd and Trailridge Rd are closed basically from first big snow in the fall - Memorial day.
Good luck and be safe!
Boort
