How Global Warming May Impact Your Colorado Winter Vacation
It is October when I’m working on this podcast episode and every couple of days I see someone on Threads talking about wanting to visit Colorado and how they’re so excited to experience the snow. I’m excited to experience it too if it ever comes. Before you start planning your Colorado winter trip, we need to talk. Global warming is real and the weather in Colorado is not what you think it is. In fact, when I went to college out East I was constantly confused by people’s insistence that it’s always snowing in Colorado and cold. They would insist and I would think-I’m the only person out of the two of us in this conversation who has lived in Colorado so I think I know what I’m talking aboutl Before you book your winter vacation listen on. I’m not a meterologist but I currently live in Denver and I grew up in Colorado. One thing I do want to mention is that this winter (2026/2027) there is supposed to be a Super El Niño. With that in mind, allegedly there’a potential for quite a bit of snow and precipitation this winter. It’s early days yet we’re at the tail end of fall and still reaching 80 degrees in October.
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Cowtown Denver
Are you Denver curious? Are you in the process of planning to move or visit the city and would like to understand more of what’s happening in the city? The issues that locals care about and more importantly-where to find good food to eat? Cowtown Denver has you covered. Written and researched by a local who loves the city, has lived in other cities both in the United States and abroad and still calls Denver home. Become a part of the herd head to https://squarestateco.com/cowtown today. If you have a question about an upcoming visit or live in town and are looking for something to do once you sign up you can leave me a message via the Voxxer link that I share with community members. One thing to note: I respond to those messages Tuesday through Thursday.
Why You Should Book a Tour
There are some activities that are a bit more complicated to put together. In those cases it’s easier to book a tour with a company that has the resources to deal with the logistics, provide a contained environment to meet new people and tour guides to explain what in the heck you’re looking at. If you don’t like driving in winter conditions-book a tour. I’ve listed some of the experiences that would be great for a tour. Visit https://squarestateco.com/tour
- Visiting Red Rocks Amphitheater-It’s a beautiful venue that doesn’t have transit access from September-May. And ride share services are pretty pricey if you’re planning to use use to get there.
- Make your way down to Garden of the Gods for a Jeep tour of the park and other points of interest.
- Or, stay in Denver and enjoy exploring the city via an electric bike tour.
A couple of important things to be aware of a tour will make mountain exploration easier. There are many trails and even towns that are difficult to get to if you’re unfamiliar with using the town’s transit system. Winter is also considered a high season for tourism in Colorado. There will be a lot of traffic and people who can’t drive well through the mountains passes because they aren’t used to it. If you have other trips planned before you make it to Colorado, check out tours in the city or towns you plan on visiting. https://squarestateco.com/tour
Colorado’s Winter Weather
Again, before I share what Colorado’s weather is like during the winter-I want to mention again that I grew up in Colorado. I’ve lived in both Boulder and Denver, Colorado for many years. Both as a child and an adult. Now that’s out of the way the truth is that Colorado’s winter weather is pretty nice. Growing up we would have a few epic snowstorms every winter and then the snow would melt pretty quickly. One nice thing about Denver’s winters is that they’re very sunny so you don’t get the winter blues.
The winters have been changing though.
They are a lot warmer. We haven’t had a huge snowstorm in the Denver metro area for years. And last year it snowed maybe 5 times in Denver. The warm weather isn’t just happening in the Denver metro area-the warm weather is happening in the mountains too. By the way, when I’m saying the weather is “warm” what I mean is that the temperatures have risen from what they were previously in a steady, measurable change over time. It’s not just me feeling like things have changed. The data is showing that Colorado and the surrounding region (Rocky Mountain West-Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona) have gotten warmer.
How does the weather impact your winter vacation?
I think that it’s helpful to share a break down of different points during the winter when people are likely to visit Colorado. They include the early winter, the beginning of the holiday season and the start of “real” winter. I prepped this episode and then a few days later it was announced that the Ice Castle winter experience was cancelled for the 2026-2027 winter season. I’m not surprised about this because the ice castles need two things to work: water and cold. We basically are struggling with maintaining water as a resource and having sustained cold weather.
Thanksgiving Vacation
Holiday lights are everywhere around town and in the mountains announcing the beginning of the holiday season. There are a number of really fun holiday events both in Denver and the mountains for visitors to enjoy. Events ranging from: holiday drone experiences, Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens and more. What may surprise you is that it’s not really snowy this time of year in Denver BUT if there’s going to be a weird random snow storm that pops up to ruin your travels, it will happen the Wednesday that you’re booked to leave for Colorado or the Monday that you’re returning home.
- There will likely be snow in the mountains but it’s likely that there won’t be snow in Denver. According to KDVR the last time it snowed on Thanksgiving in Denver was 2015.
- Where to Stay if You’re Stranded in Denver During Thanksgiving
December Holiday Visits
Now you’re probably thinking that there’s a lot of snow in Denver on Christmas. You would be wrong. There’s a slightly higher chance for snow on Christmas vs. Thanksgiving but I can’t remember the last time it snowed on Christmas. It’s almost always sunny though with a bit of chill. One thing that I can almost guarantee is that traveling to or from Denver if there’s going to be a storm (do you see a trend happening) impacting travel to the Denver metro-that’s the moment when an epic storm is going to happen.
- Where to Stay If You’re Stranded in Denver During a Christmas snowstorm
New Year’s
Now you’re probably thinking, surely it’s going to snow on or around New Year’s Eve. Funny story, the answer is…nope, it doesn’t really snow in the Denver metro area at that time of year. Happily, typically there’s accumulated snow in the mountains so visitors are able to enjoy classic winter experiences like skiing, soaking in hot springs (several hours away) or sitting in front of a cozy fire.
- Where to Stay If You’re Stranded in Denver on New Year’s Eve
January Relief
Finally, it’s January. You’re in the process of booking you’re winter holiday in January. There has to be snow in Denver in January…right? Well, no. In fact, January is the 6th snowiest month of the year. Happily, the mountains typically have quite a bit of snow at this time of year. The snow is starting to really come down in the mountains. If you’re a snowsports enthusiast you’re booking those ski, snowboarding, crosscountry, snowmobiling experiences from January-April. By the way, April is the second snowiest month of the year. March is the snowiest month of the year.
- Where to Stay If You’re Stranded in Denver in January
5 Additional Tips Before You Book
(That Winter Trip to Colorado)
- Are you looking to enjoy snow sports? If yes then you may want to seriously consider booking your vacation any time after late December. That’s when the mountains seem to be getting more snow these days.
- Look at historic data-That ski resort you’re excited about might not be getting a lot of snow these days.What happened last year?
- If you’re NOT looking to do snow sports-Then you should be happy with whatever snow the mountains have if you decide to visit
- Read up on altitude sickness-Each trip to Colorado will be different. Maybe you’ve visited 7 times before. The 8th time could be the one that you get altitude sickness.
- Do you plan to drive or use alternative modes of transit? Such as the bus, scooters, and the train? This will impact where you should book your hotel while in town. A few hotels that are either within walking distance to Union Station, a frequent busline or lightrail.
Global Warming Is Real
Coloradans are experiencing the impact of global warming in real time. If you’re looking for a snowy, wintery experience…you can have one but when you book that experience may be a different a time than you originally planned for. Want to learn more about Denver or stay in the loop as I share weekly events, where to eat and more. Go to: https://squarestateco.com/cowtown to get Square State’s weekly newsletter Cowtown Denver.
Michelle Jackson is the founder of the website and podcast Square State Colorado. She’s focused on supporting local businesses, sustainability and sharing a more nuanced and thoughtful experience of Denver and the state of Colorado. She grew up in Colorado and is excited to square this Square State with her readers and listeners. Go to: https://squarestateco.com to learn more about Denver and the state of Colorado if you live here or are planning to visit or move here.