Travel
Holidays
Driving on I-25 this weekend? You'd better have a long playlist ready.
By Catie Cheshire
August 27, 2024
Colorado's outdoor activities attract a lot of visitors on holiday weekends, and that can clog up highways.Flickr/Jimmy Emerson, DVM
Audio By Carbonatix
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Domestic travel is up this year for Labor Day weekend, and Denver is poised to be one of the country's top destinations.
According to AAA, Denver is the eighth-most-popular place for travel this Labor Day, which could make travel difficult, particularly along Interstate 25. According to AAA Colorado spokesperson (and Westword contributor) Skyler McKinley, Denver has placed among the top travel destinations in the country regularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when travelers used the city as a jumping-off point to get out into nature for socially distant fun.
"To an extent, the secret was out after that: Interest in Denver has persisted as the travel economy has returned to normal, and we regularly see Denver place in the top ten U.S. destinations for both winter and summer — which is remarkable, given our relative lack of normal tourist draws such as cruise ports and theme parks," McKinley says.
That checks out: Other top destinations include Anchorage, Alaska for cruise lovers and both Orlando and Los Angeles, home to Disney and Universal theme parks, among many others. McKinley adds that although many travelers make Denver their home base, the roads around Colorado will be crowded as people venture out from the city center.
Colorado Roads With Heavy Traffic Labor Day Weekend
"Most, based on the car rental data we have from DEN, are likely renting a vehicle and heading westward to take in the last few rays of summer sunshine," McKinley says.
Citing data from transportation analytics firm INRIX, AAA warns people to avoid driving Thursday, August 29, and Friday, August 30, if possible — or to go into the road trip expecting traffic.
"Car travelers should avoid the afternoon and early evening hours of Thursday and Friday, as those times will be the most congested," AAA suggests. "Drivers should hit the road in the morning unless they’re leaving on Saturday, when the best time to travel by car is in the afternoon."
As for return trips, traffic is predicted to be heavy in the afternoon on Sunday, August 31, and when Labor Day hits on Monday, September 1. AAA recommends leaving as early as possible in the morning on those days — ideally, before noon on Sunday and before 10 a.m. on Monday.
AAA recommends that Denver drivers wait until after 1 p.m. on Tuesday, September 3, to return home if they want the smoothest ride and least traffic. Denver's peak congestion is expected to hit on September 3 at 7:30 a.m. from Fort Collins to Denver on I-25.
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