Colorado tours and day trips from Denver, compared

Colorado this week: ski openings, mountain roads and Halloween events

Updated October 21, 2026. Mountain conditions change fast, so check the linked official source on the day you travel.

• Ski season hasn't started yet. Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Loveland were all making snow by mid-October (Denver Gazette). Keystone is selling lift tickets for Saturday, October 24, but told the Steamboat Pilot it had no official opening date. A-Basin's site says it will open as soon as it can (A-Basin), and Loveland is aiming for late October or early November (Loveland). Set dates so far: Breckenridge and Copper on November 6, Vail on November 13, Steamboat on November 21, Beaver Creek on November 25, and Aspen Mountain and Snowmass on November 26 (Vail Resorts, Colorado Ski Country USA). Compare ski resorts near Denver or book a ski day tour.
• Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park closed temporarily on October 13 for snow and ice between Rainbow Curve and Milner Pass (CBS Colorado). The road's average closing date for winter is October 23, and last year it closed on November 14 (NPS, NPS). Call the recorded status line at 970-586-1222 before you drive up. Timed entry is over for 2026, so you only need an entrance pass, and Bear Lake Road stays open all year (NPS, NPS). RMNP tours from Denver
• The Maroon Bells shuttle stopped for the season on October 18. Through October 31 you need a parking reservation to drive in, but you no longer have to arrive before 8 a.m. From November 1 parking is first come, first served until Maroon Creek Road closes for winter, typically around November 10 (Visit Maroon Bells). Aspen and Maroon Bells guide
• Independence Pass (CO 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes) is still open (Independence Pass Foundation). CDOT says it typically closes on or near November 7 (CDOT); it closed on November 17 in 2025 and on October 31 in 2024. Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista usually closes in late October or early November, and Guanella Pass around Thanksgiving (Denver Gazette). Check COtrip.org the morning you drive. Scenic drives that stay open in winter
• Pikes Peak Highway is on fall and winter hours: the gate opens at 9 a.m., the last car goes up at 3 p.m., and the summit closes at 4 p.m. Weather can close all or part of the road, so call (719) 385-7325 the day you go (Pikes Peak Highway). Pikes Peak tours
• The traction law season runs September 1 to May 31 on I-70 between Morrison and Dotsero, and CDOT can turn the law on for any state highway. When it's on, an AWD or 4WD car needs all-weather, M+S or winter tires with at least 3/16-inch tread. Any car that doesn't meet that, including a 2WD car, needs chains or an approved traction device on two or more drive tires. A ticket costs $100 plus a $33 surcharge, or $500 plus $157 if your car ends up blocking a lane (CDOT, CDOT). Our traction law guide. Renting for a mountain trip? Compare AWD SUVs at Denver airport.
• Halloween in Denver: Boo at the Zoo has nights left on October 23 to 25 and October 30, plus a sensory-friendly night on October 31, all from 4:30 to 9 p.m. (Denver Zoo). Glow at the Gardens, a path of hand-carved pumpkins at Denver Botanic Gardens on York Street, runs October 21 to 24 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. (Denver Botanic Gardens). Elitch Gardens runs Fright Fest through November 1; the kids' Booville area closes at 6 p.m. each night (Elitch Gardens).