The Best and Worst Times to Travel In Colorado During the Holiday

Things are slowly getting back to normal from the pandemic and that means hitting the highway in Colorado to travel for the holidays.

According to a report from AAA, there will be a 32% jump in Colorado highway travel during the upcoming holidays.

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Life in Colorado 2020-2021

Like the rest of the country, when COVID-19 hit Colorado, public outings became a thing of the past.

Last year, many Coloradans decided to stay put and not travel to see friends or family. It was an extremely difficult thing to do, but the majority of us were willing to make that sacrifice to mitigate the risk of exposure and transmission of COVID-19.

Fast Forward to Colorado Life 2021-2022

These days things have calmed down on the COVID-19 front. Vaccinations are available and people are feeling a lot safer.

In fact, 32% more Coloradans are ready to hit the road this year which brings the total number of Coloradans ready to travel to 1.9 million.

"If 2020 year was the year of cancellations, 2021 marks a triumphant return to traditional travel patterns as Coloradans gather with their family and friends again, some for the first time since 2019," said Skyler McKinley, AAA's regional director of public affairs.

"The pandemic is still very much part of our lives, of course, but vaccines have opened up wider travel possibilities and created a greater level of comfort that's made year-end celebrations possible and popular."

Taking to the Open Road in Colorado

More people are planning to hit the road rather than the skies this year, which means traffic could definitely get ugly.

It's important to be prepared because 250,000 more Coloradans will be driving this year compared to last. Avoiding busy times will help make traveling a little less stressful, and luckily AAA composed a list to help:

12/23/21 - Worst Time: 12:00 - 6:00pm | Best time: After 7:00pm
12/24/21 - Worst Time: 2:00 - 6:00pm | Best time: Before 1:00pm
12/25/21 - Minimal congestion expected
12/26/21 - Worst Time: 1:00 - 7:00pm | Best time: Before 12:00pm
12/27/21 - Worst Time: 5:00 - 6:00pm | Best time: Before 1:00pm
12/28/21- Worst time: 1:00 - 7:00pm | Best time: Before 12:00pm
12/29/21 - Worst time: 1:00 - 7:00pm | Best time: Before 11:00am
12/30/21 - Worst time: 1:00 - 7:00pm | Best time: Before 12:00pm
12/31/21 - Worst time: 2:00 - 4:00pm | Best time: Before 1:00pm, after 5:00pm
1/1/22 - Minimal congestion expected
1/2/22 - Worst time: 2:00 - 6:00pm | Best time: Before 1:00pm

Colorado Travel Tips

Remember that slow and steady wins the race. You may be running late to Grandma's Christmas dinner, but the important thing is getting there in one piece.

Don't forget to check the basics on your vehicle before making any long drives. You can go as in-depth as you like but at least: