The Vail Pass rest area will temporarily close starting Monday, May 2. The closure will allow the Colorado Department of Transportation and contractor crews to demolish and reconstruct the rest area building, as well as improve access roads and parking facilities.

Motorists should anticipate the rest area will remain closed through October 2023.

Drivers will still be able to use exit 190 (Vail Pass), but there will not be restroom facilities available. CDOT encourages motorists to use other rest areas nearby, including the Gateway Visitor Center in Georgetown and the Edwards Rest Area in Edwards.

Backcountry recreation access from the rest area is popular on Vail Pass. During the rest area closure, there will continue to be recreation access to adjacent National Forest lands, including Shrine Pass Road, Black Lakes Road, Wilder Gulch Trail and the paved Vail Pass Recreation Path. There will be limited parking.

The Vail Pass Recreation Path will remain open this summer. However, users should anticipate defined recreational path access through the rest area site

The purpose of the Vail Pass rest area replacement is to improve the existing rest area facilities.

For additional information about this project, call the project information line at 720-237-6173, email the project team at hope.wright@state.co.us, or visit the project website at: CODOT.gov/projects.