Winter in Winter park Co
 

I'm going on a ski trip at the end of Feb in Winter Park Co. I was wondering if anyone lives in that area and can let me know how the roads usually are. I don't plan on driving all the way to the resort, but to the town of Fraiser.

I'm trying to be cheap and avoid renting a SUV for the drive. Happy to take the Z on a road trip but don't want to ruin my vacation with horrible roads.

Any advise appreciated.

I would reserve an SUV, check weather forecast on the day before trip. It could snow the day of your drive or planned return.

Colorado native here.

February? I'd suggest renting an SUV for a couple of reasons:

The weather here in the mountains can literally go from sunny and 70 to a 20 degree zero-visibility blizzard in 2-3 hours. Because of this the weather folks generally just look out a window and tell you what it's currently doing, because no one can forecast the lunacy here. :)

I-40 between Empire and Fraser in winter is sketchy even in good weather, because it's a lot of shadowed switchbacks as you go up over Berthoud Pass (11,000 feet). So even if the day is nice you'll hit ice at least a half dozen times - and when going downhill on a 6% grade any ice makes it stupid easy to swap ends in a fat-tired RWD sportscar.

For years I lived in Vail and drove a hopped up 1972 Wagoneer for this reason. About a dozen times a year someone would shut down the highway because they were testing mother nature in the wrong car. Rent the right tool for the job, and have a much nicer vacation would be my advice. :)