Riding in West Colorado in early may
 

Hello fellow riders,

I will be riding in West Colorado from May 1 to 10. I will arrive in Cortez/Durango then would go up Million dollar highway to Naturita and then to Grand Junction via HW141.

How cold will it be? Could there be snow? I know Million dollar highway might be very cold..

Any info would help!

I live on the eastern flanks of the Rockies so my knowledge of Western slope weather is fairly general, but here's my take. In general, May is still winter in the high country. Certainly prepare for cold to very cold riding conditions.

The first 2 weeks of May in Colorado are very iffy for weather prediction. Snowstorms are not rare, and they can be big ones. I always count on at least one storm in the first 2 weeks of May.

The million dollar highway crosses 3 very high passes, close to or above 11,000 feet elevation. I would count on full winter conditions at some time in early May, and slippery ice in the shady spots from daily melting snow freezing at night. A local could tell you better, but I would not plan on riding it.

Highway 141 is lower down (and a beautiful ride) and is likely to be rideable at that time.

.................shu

I've been through that area in May a couple of times, finding everything from comfy shirtsleeves weather (intense sun at altitude that time of year) to blinding blizzards, sometimes in rapid succession. Riding can be great fun and very scenic, or death-defying. The upshot is that no one can predict what you'll find in early May, and that remains true at least into late April.

At high elevations--which means your entire route--if there are snowbanks along the roads there will be intermittent black ice at night and early morning, regardless of the weather.

If I were you and dead set on riding out of Durango I'd try to leave my options open, either by preparing to wait out bad weather or by heading to lower elevations. That's a good time of year for riding out of Moab, for example--just pay close attention to the high passes which tend to separate major destinations throughout the Rockies and Four Corners region.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark