Evacuation Guide

Denver, Colorado Evacuation Routes

Plan your escape with optimized routes and safe zones

Threat Assessment

Wildfire

Foothills and mountain wildfires threaten western suburbs. Smoke impacts entire metro. Marshall Fire (2021) destroyed 1,000+ homes in Superior/Louisville.

Blizzard

Major snowstorms can dump 2-3 feet with 50+ mph winds. March and April are historically snowiest months.

Flash Flood

Urban flash flooding along South Platte and Cherry Creek. Rapid snowmelt combines with spring rain for flood risk.

Hail

Denver metro is one of the most hail-prone areas in the US. Baseball-sized hail causes billions in damage annually.

Tornado

Eastern metro and DIA corridor see tornadoes May-July. EF3 tornado struck Windsor in 2008.

Evacuation Routes

I-25 North to Fort Collins/Wyoming

primary

Primary northbound evacuation via I-25 through Loveland and Fort Collins toward the Wyoming border.

65 miles to Fort Collins, 100 miles to Cheyenne1 hour to Fort Collins (normal), 2-4 hours (evacuation)

I-25 through Denver metro is heavily congested at all times

US-85 (Santa Fe Drive) is parallel alternate route

Wildfire

Flash Flood

Industrial Accident

I-25 South to Colorado Springs/Pueblo

primary

Southern evacuation via I-25 to Colorado Springs and continuing to Pueblo. Military installations along the route.

70 miles to Colorado Springs, 115 miles to Pueblo1.25 hours to CO Springs (normal), 3-5 hours (evacuation)

Palmer Divide between Denver and CO Springs - severe weather zone

Colorado Springs has multiple military bases (Peterson, Schriever, Fort Carson, NORAD)

Wildfire

Civil Unrest

Urban Disaster

I-70 West to Mountain Communities

secondary

Western evacuation via I-70 climbing through the Rocky Mountains. Access to ski towns and mountain communities.

100 miles to Vail, 170 miles to Grand Junction1.75 hours to Vail (normal), 4-6 hours (evacuation)

I-70 corridor is THE bottleneck for westbound Front Range evacuation

Eisenhower Tunnel may restrict traffic to one direction during emergencies

Urban Fire

Chemical Spill

Civil Unrest

I-70 East to Limon/Kansas

secondary

Eastern evacuation via I-70 onto the Great Plains. Wide open spaces with minimal hazards.

90 miles to Limon, 200 miles to Hays, KS1.5 hours to Limon (normal), 3-4 hours (evacuation)

Flat, open terrain - tornado risk during spring/summer

Sparse services east of Bennett for 60+ miles

Wildfire

Urban Disaster

Mountain Hazards

US-285 South to South Park

tertiary

Southwestern route via US-285 through the foothills to Fairplay and South Park basin. Less traveled mountain route.

85 miles to Fairplay1.75 hours (normal), 3-5 hours (evacuation)

Mountain road with switchbacks and steep grades

Kenosha Pass (10,001 ft) - altitude and weather challenges

Urban Disaster

Chemical Spill

Flood

Cherry Creek Trail

foot

On-foot or bicycle evacuation via Cherry Creek Trail from downtown Denver southeast to Cherry Creek Reservoir and beyond.

12 miles to Cherry Creek Reservoir3-5 hours on foot, 1 hour by bike

Cherry Creek can flash flood - do NOT use trail during heavy rain

Trail is paved and well-maintained for bikes and pedestrians

Vehicle Unavailable

Road Blockage

Grid Down

Urban Fire

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Safe Zones & Rally Points

Colorado Convention Center (Emergency Shelter)

shelter • Capacity: 10,000

Denver Health Medical Center

hospital • Capacity: 525

UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital

hospital • Capacity: 620

Swedish Medical Center

hospital • Capacity: 368

Denver Fire Station 1

fire station

City Park

rally point

Washington Park

rally point

Denver International Airport

resource

Empower Field at Mile High

shelter • Capacity: 76,125

Sloan Lake Park

rally point

Cherry Creek State Park

rally point

Buckley Space Force Base

resource

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