Vail Pass Rest Area in Colorado closed through October 2023

Truckers accustomed to stopping at the Vail Pass Rest Area in Colorado will need to make other plans for the next year and a half.

Beginning Monday, May 2, the rest area along Interstate 70, mile marker 189 in Colorado, is mostly unavailable through October 2023. The Colorado Department of Transportation is commencing work on the rest area, which includes building reconstruction and improving access roads and parking facilities.

Parking will remain available at the Vail Pass Rest Area, according to CDOT. However, restroom facilities will not. CDOT encourages motorists to use nearby rest areas instead, including the Gateway Visitor Center in Georgetown and Edwards Rest Area. Also, motorists should anticipate rest area closures in Glenwood Canyon if there is rain in the forecast.

Need for Vail Pass Rest Area renovations

Plans to update the rest area began in 2016 when Colorado’s Transportation Commission completed a statewide rest area study. Vail Pass rest area was found to need significant repairs.

According to the 2016 rest area study, the Vail Pass Rest Area is the only rest point for truck traffic on the 69-mile stretch between Georgetown and Vail. That exceeds the 60-mile spacing guidance provided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

A 2019 assessment found the following needs at Vail Pass:

• Update restroom facilities to meet current and future capacity needs.
• Replace the drinking water system with a reliable system to meet current and future volume of use.
• Increase parking capacity for users.
• Address ingress and egress traffic pattern to improve user safety, circulation, and accessibility to the rest area, other connecting roads, and trails for all users.
• Improve winter maintenance operations by adding snow and equipment storage.

Colorado does not allow overnight truck parking at state-owned rest areas. However, there is one exception. There is a state-owned truck parking lot at Dotsero in the event Interstate 70 closes at Vail Pass during winter. LL