While Colorado is overall one of the safest places to live, there are still things to be cautious and leery of when it comes to living in or visiting the Centennial State. Winter in Colorado can be brutal and even dangerous if you’re not prepared. Are you not sure what to be looking out for? No problem; just check out our list of the most dangerous things about a Colorado winter. Knowing about these winter dangers in Colorado before you encounter them will help keep you safe and sound.

  1. Let’s get the most obvious out of the way: Snow.

Flickr/Chris Ford While every place east of the mountains is somewhat mild (in terms of snow fall), it is still best to stay prepared during a snow storm, as blizzards can cause electric outage and slick roads. Snow is a fact of life during winter in Colorado so you’d better get used to it.

  1. Avalanches.

Flickr/Washington State Dept of Transportation As per the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, an average 27 people lose their lives to an avalanche every year in America.

  1. …and those who do not know how to drive in the snow.

Flickr/sovraskin Trust us; there are A LOT of people in Colorado who don’t exactly drive the safest in the wintertime (except for all of us, of course), so buckle up, put down the phone, and be careful!

  1. Dry skin.

Flickr/Quinn Dombrowski Okay, this one isn’t really exclusive to winter (as Colorado has virtually no humidity year round), but nevertheless, it can be painful, so consider investing in some lotion and chapstick that stay in your car at all times.

  1. Hiking.

Flickr/will_cyclist Winter is one of the most beautiful times to hike in Colorado, but it is also one of the most dangerous, so make sure to use designated trails and try to only go during the daylight.

  1. Broncos football.

Flickr/Thomas Hawk Watch out… they WILL break your heart. How will we ever deal?!

  1. …and/or being a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Flickr/Nathan Rupert Look, the Broncos may suck, but you best not be cheering on ANY other team! NOPE. Unforgivable!

  1. Animals

Flickr/Travis Bears may be sleeping peacefully through the winter, but other animals like elk, moose, and mountain goats are still out and about, so make sure to give them their space and they will give you yours.

  1. Hitchhiking

Flickr/Justin A pretty good rule-of-thumb when it comes to hitchhiking? DO NOT GET INTO A CAR WITH SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW! (Seriously; why do we still see so many people around the state trying to hitch a ride?!)

  1. Flu.

Flickr/SharonaGott ‘Tis the season, Colorado. Bundle up!

Colorado in winter can be dangerous if you’re not careful, but knowing is half the battle. Stay safe this winter, Colorado. Also, maybe consider taking it a step further by avoiding The 10 Most Dangerous Places In Colorado After Dark, too.

Flickr/Chris Ford

While every place east of the mountains is somewhat mild (in terms of snow fall), it is still best to stay prepared during a snow storm, as blizzards can cause electric outage and slick roads. Snow is a fact of life during winter in Colorado so you’d better get used to it.

Flickr/Washington State Dept of Transportation

As per the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, an average 27 people lose their lives to an avalanche every year in America.

Flickr/sovraskin

Trust us; there are A LOT of people in Colorado who don’t exactly drive the safest in the wintertime (except for all of us, of course), so buckle up, put down the phone, and be careful!

Flickr/Quinn Dombrowski

Okay, this one isn’t really exclusive to winter (as Colorado has virtually no humidity year round), but nevertheless, it can be painful, so consider investing in some lotion and chapstick that stay in your car at all times.

Flickr/will_cyclist

Winter is one of the most beautiful times to hike in Colorado, but it is also one of the most dangerous, so make sure to use designated trails and try to only go during the daylight.

Flickr/Thomas Hawk

Watch out… they WILL break your heart. How will we ever deal?!

Flickr/Nathan Rupert

Look, the Broncos may suck, but you best not be cheering on ANY other team! NOPE. Unforgivable!

Flickr/Travis

Bears may be sleeping peacefully through the winter, but other animals like elk, moose, and mountain goats are still out and about, so make sure to give them their space and they will give you yours.

Flickr/Justin

A pretty good rule-of-thumb when it comes to hitchhiking? DO NOT GET INTO A CAR WITH SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW! (Seriously; why do we still see so many people around the state trying to hitch a ride?!)

Flickr/SharonaGott

‘Tis the season, Colorado. Bundle up!

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Address: Colorado, USA

The OIYS Visitor Center

Dangerous Things In Colorado December 28, 2021 Tori Jane What are some scary places in Colorado?   Colorado, like any place, has its less-than-safe areas and regions. Some of them are man-made, like cities and/or towns, but some are naturally dangerous, too. For example, Colorado’s legendary 14,000+ foot peaks, known as “14ers”, are a goal for many hikers to conquer, but they’re definitely risky, too. Several rescues take place on these mountains each year, and some folks have even died trying to scale them. Dangerous Colorado mountains include:

Longs Peak Red Mountain South Ridge Trail at Maroon Bells

  Colorado winters are pretty dangerous, too, with temperatures dipping well below freezing many times during the coldest months. In terms of man-made dangerous, there are a few towns that come to mind when thinking of dangerous or scary places in Colorado; the towns of:

Sheridan Alamosa Sterling

  for example, are the three most dangerous towns in Colorado for 2021, per SafeWise. For more about Colorado’s more dangerous towns and cities, keep reading:   What are some dangerous places to avoid in Colorado?   We’re glad you (sort of) asked! The website SafeWise publishes articles using FBI statistics every year to determine what the safest – and most dangerous – towns in Colorado are. The town of Pueblo has the highest rate of violent crime in the entire state, with a concerning 1,142.08 violent crimes per 100,000 residents occurring in 2020. Among the more-populated cities, the two most dangerous were Denver and Colorado Springs. In terms of small towns (other than Pueblo), some of the most dangerous were:

Trinidad (at #10) La Junta (#7) Canon City (#5)

  Interested in more stats? Check out this article about the most dangerous places in Colorado after dark. You may (or may not) be surprised by the towns that made the list, including the ones mentioned above. For the most part, Colorado is a safe place to live – there are just some areas you might want to be a little more careful in, is all.  

The OIYS Visitor Center

Dangerous Things In Colorado

December 28, 2021

Tori Jane

What are some scary places in Colorado?   Colorado, like any place, has its less-than-safe areas and regions. Some of them are man-made, like cities and/or towns, but some are naturally dangerous, too. For example, Colorado’s legendary 14,000+ foot peaks, known as “14ers”, are a goal for many hikers to conquer, but they’re definitely risky, too. Several rescues take place on these mountains each year, and some folks have even died trying to scale them. Dangerous Colorado mountains include:

Longs Peak Red Mountain South Ridge Trail at Maroon Bells

  Colorado winters are pretty dangerous, too, with temperatures dipping well below freezing many times during the coldest months. In terms of man-made dangerous, there are a few towns that come to mind when thinking of dangerous or scary places in Colorado; the towns of:

Sheridan Alamosa Sterling

  for example, are the three most dangerous towns in Colorado for 2021, per SafeWise. For more about Colorado’s more dangerous towns and cities, keep reading:   What are some dangerous places to avoid in Colorado?   We’re glad you (sort of) asked! The website SafeWise publishes articles using FBI statistics every year to determine what the safest – and most dangerous – towns in Colorado are. The town of Pueblo has the highest rate of violent crime in the entire state, with a concerning 1,142.08 violent crimes per 100,000 residents occurring in 2020. Among the more-populated cities, the two most dangerous were Denver and Colorado Springs. In terms of small towns (other than Pueblo), some of the most dangerous were:

Trinidad (at #10) La Junta (#7) Canon City (#5)

  Interested in more stats? Check out this article about the most dangerous places in Colorado after dark. You may (or may not) be surprised by the towns that made the list, including the ones mentioned above. For the most part, Colorado is a safe place to live – there are just some areas you might want to be a little more careful in, is all.  

The OIYS Visitor Center

The OIYS Visitor Center

Colorado, like any place, has its less-than-safe areas and regions. Some of them are man-made, like cities and/or towns, but some are naturally dangerous, too.

For example, Colorado’s legendary 14,000+ foot peaks, known as “14ers”, are a goal for many hikers to conquer, but they’re definitely risky, too. Several rescues take place on these mountains each year, and some folks have even died trying to scale them. Dangerous Colorado mountains include:

  • Longs Peak
  • Red Mountain
  • South Ridge Trail at Maroon Bells

 

Colorado winters are pretty dangerous, too, with temperatures dipping well below freezing many times during the coldest months.

In terms of man-made dangerous, there are a few towns that come to mind when thinking of dangerous or scary places in Colorado; the towns of:

  • Sheridan
  • Alamosa
  • Sterling

for example, are the three most dangerous towns in Colorado for 2021, per SafeWise. For more about Colorado’s more dangerous towns and cities, keep reading:  

What are some dangerous places to avoid in Colorado?  

We’re glad you (sort of) asked! The website SafeWise publishes articles using FBI statistics every year to determine what the safest – and most dangerous – towns in Colorado are. The town of Pueblo has the highest rate of violent crime in the entire state, with a concerning 1,142.08 violent crimes per 100,000 residents occurring in 2020. Among the more-populated cities, the two most dangerous were Denver and Colorado Springs.

In terms of small towns (other than Pueblo), some of the most dangerous were:

  • Trinidad (at #10)
  • La Junta (#7)
  • Canon City (#5)

Interested in more stats? Check out this article about the most dangerous places in Colorado after dark. You may (or may not) be surprised by the towns that made the list, including the ones mentioned above. For the most part, Colorado is a safe place to live – there are just some areas you might want to be a little more careful in, is all.