How to visit Colorado mountains during the winter without driving through unsafe road conditions to get to the transit service?

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How to visit Colorado mountains during the winter without driving through unsafe road conditions to get to the transit service?

If you are uncomfortable driving in (potentially) snowy and icy conditions, then the easiest thing is to not do it. And by this I don't mean not to visit, I mean that you could organize your trip so that someone else does the driving for you.

My problem is I suspect places like Colorado Springs itself will be difficult to drive into because of unsafe road conditions.

This could be solved by stopping driving at some distant location and then taking Amtrak or Greyhound to the city center and then picking up transfers into the mountains. The big caveat here is that a major snow storm could hit the plains areas juts as you arrive at your stop off point, and hence negate all your careful planning

Back a long time ago I arrived by Amtrak in Denver and then took a shuttle bus up to Breckinridge. (I picked the train up in Chicago - so came no where near to driving in the mountains)

And in my experience, even people who grew up driving in areas with snow still have issues getting around. So I commend you for recognizing your limitations.

And as an unrelated anecdote, the Amtrak train from Denver to San Fran goes over though some spectacular mountain scenery in the Rockies. I think it's a great trip to take.

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Amtrak's California Zephyr will take you through the Rockies along the Colorado River. The train is equipped with observation, dining and sleeping cars, and the scenery is spectacular - I would absolutely recommend as a trip it by itself.

In terms of providing access to the mountains, you can pick it up anywhere from Chicago to San Francisco, or, closer by, in Denver. It won't take you to Colorado Springs, but it does stop in the mountains - notably at Winter Park (which is also served by Amtrak's Winter Park Express from Denver) - and onwards to stations such as Hot Sulphur Springs.

It won't avoid the roads, but Colorado Springs is served by Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches; these stop at the Greyhound station, so there'll be Greyhound services there too.

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