• Protecting our environment: During your stay, remember to practice Leave No Trace principles. Remember to pack out your trash, avoid overcrowded hiking trails and biking trails, and please avoid causing wildfires with open flames and smoking.
• Safety Precautions: Try to avoid wearing cotton by instead putting on quick dry clothing to avoid hypothermia. Wear socks and proper footwear when recreating in mountain terrain. Stay hydrated and bring extra water, as well as be sure to use sunscreen when appropriate.

The wildlife in Eagle County represent a pride point for many locals. Our wild friends are an essential part of a complicated and interconnected ecosystem, but living around humans poses challenges, especially with the changing of seasons and life cycles. Luckily, we can do a number of things to make life easier for wildlife.

1. Respect Wildlife — When you see wildlife, it’s essential to not approach or harass them. Human disturbances can exacerbate loss of body weight, reduce reproductive success, and decrease survivability of the fawns and calves.
2. Respect Trail Closures — Trails are closed to protect critical winter habitat and migratory & feeding routes. Violation of seasonal trail closures can keep wildlife from precious resources and resting spaces.
3. Keep Your Dog(s) Leashed — When dogs chase wildlife, it burns precious calories and can separate infants and nursing mothers.

With abundant recreational opportunities, the natural beauty and activities associated with the Eagle River Valley attract thousands of visitors to the valley each year. Make sure you enjoy the great outdoors, safely, year-round.

• The most effective way to prevent mishaps is to adequately prepare. Knowledge of the area, weather, terrain, limitations of your body, plus a little common sense can help to ensure a safe and enjoyable time in the mountains.
• Travel with a companion. Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member and check in with them upon your return.
• Wear appropriate clothing and shoes (no cotton and quick dry clothing). Be prepared for drastic changes in temperatures and weather conditions.
• Be weather wise. Before you leave, find out the weather report. In this area, weather can change very quickly so know the signs for approaching storms or changing weather conditions. Avoid bare ridge tops, exposed places, lone trees, streams, and rocks during lightning storms.
• Learn basic first aid so you will know how to identify and treat injuries and illnesses. Carry a first aid kit with you.
• Build campfires in a safe area, and never leave a fire unattended. Make sure the fire is completely out before you leave. Embers buried deep within the pile have a tendency to reignite later.
• Avoid open flames and DO NOT smoke outside during a fire ban.

Driving during severe winter weather conditions can be demanding. How you handle your vehicle in those conditions could be the difference between a safe trip and serious trouble. The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it. If you must go, scan COTrip.org for travel warnings and pass-closure alerts before hitting the road. Be sure your car has winter-appropriate tires or compliant traction equipment. And, if you’re renting a vehicle, it’s best to reserve one with AWD or 4WD before heading up into the mountains.

Driving Safely on Icy Roads

• Equip your car with proper winter tires.
• Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
• Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
• Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
• Keep your lights and windshield clean.
• Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
• Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
• Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
• Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
• Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

Traveling into Colorado’s wintry landscape might be a bucket-list item for some, but it shouldn’t be done on a whim (or without proper planning — like checking the avalanche forecast, education and gear).

First, understand the risks:

It doesn’t matter what your mode of transportation is either. Be it snowmobile, snowcat, snowshoes, cross-country skis, touring skis, splitboard or simply by foot, traveling through Colorado’s wide-open snowscape is inherently risky.

According to Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s director Dr. Ethan Greene, “On average, six people die in Colorado in avalanches each year. It is more than any other natural hazard [that’s] weather related. More people die in avalanches in Colorado — on average and in total — than any other state.”

Survival, if you’re buried in an avalanche, is about 45 percent.