US-24 Corridor, CO Traffic Cameras: 120+ Live Cams

TrafficVision.Live provides real-time access to 120+ US-24 Colorado traffic cameras from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and 511CO. Our platform aggregates over 130,000 cameras from 600+ sources worldwide, giving you instant visibility into conditions along this critical east-west mountain corridor.

Camera Coverage Areas

Route Overview

US-24 crosses Colorado from the Kansas border to its terminus near Minturn at I-70, but the most critical 180-mile stretch runs from Limon through Colorado Springs and over the mountains to Leadville. This highway serves as both a commuter artery for Colorado Springs residents and a mountain access route to some of the state's most remote terrain.

Unlike I-70's heavily instrumented ski corridor to the north, US-24 west of Colorado Springs is largely a two-lane mountain highway with limited shoulders, steep grades, and few services. Conditions can vary dramatically over short distances — clear skies in Colorado Springs while Ute Pass is socked in with fog, or dry pavement in Woodland Park while Wilkerson Pass has black ice.

Segment Details

Limon to Colorado Springs (70 miles)

The eastern segment of US-24 crosses the high plains from Limon — a crossroads town where I-70 meets US-24/US-40 — west toward the Front Range. This stretch is flat, straight, and deceptively dangerous. Open prairie means full exposure to crosswinds that can exceed 60 mph, and winter ground blizzards reduce visibility to near zero with no warning.

Between Limon and Falcon, the highway passes through Calhan and Peyton — small communities with no services for long stretches. The lack of windbreaks makes this corridor one of the most wind-exposed routes in eastern Colorado. CDOT cameras along this segment focus on visibility and road surface conditions.

West of Falcon, US-24 enters the Colorado Springs metro area and transitions from rural highway to urban expressway. The Cimarron Expressway section through the city carries heavy commuter traffic and connects to I-25 at Exit 141.

Colorado Springs Through Manitou Springs (10 miles)

The US-24/I-25 interchange is the busiest point on the entire corridor. US-24 carries commuters between western suburbs (Woodland Park, Divide) and Colorado Springs employers. Morning eastbound and evening westbound traffic creates predictable congestion at the Cimarron interchange and along 8th Street through Old Colorado City.

West of I-25, US-24 passes through Old Colorado City and approaches Manitou Springs, the gateway to Pikes Peak. This segment narrows from expressway to surface road with traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, and tourist traffic. Summer weekends create significant backups as visitors head to Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak Highway, and the Manitou Incline.

Ute Pass (15 miles)

Ute Pass is the defining feature of US-24 west of Colorado Springs. The highway climbs 3,000 feet in 15 miles from Manitou Springs (6,320 ft) to the summit near Cascade (9,165 ft), following the path of Fountain Creek through a narrow mountain canyon. This critical segment handles over 15,000 daily commuters, and CDOT maintains an active rockfall and erosion mitigation program to manage the corridor's extreme terrain.

Key characteristics:

• Grade: Sustained 6-7% grades with tight switchbacks
• Width: Two lanes with limited passing zones
• Rock walls: Canyon narrows with minimal shoulders
• Safety history: The pass is highly sensitive to environmental hazards; in 2013 alone, the corridor was closed 17 times due to flood and weather events.
• Cascade curves: Tight S-curves at the steepest section
• Crystola: Sharp curves where Fountain Creek crosses the highway

Ute Pass is the primary commuter route for 15,000+ Woodland Park and Teller County residents working in Colorado Springs. The two-lane road creates bottleneck conditions when any vehicle slows — a single semi truck on the grade can back up traffic for miles.

Woodland Park to Divide (10 miles)

West of Ute Pass summit, US-24 levels out through Woodland Park (pop. 8,000), the largest town between Colorado Springs and Buena Vista. Woodland Park sits at 8,465 feet on a plateau above the Ute Pass canyon, serving as a bedroom community for Colorado Springs commuters and a staging point for mountain recreation.

From Woodland Park, US-24 continues west to Divide (9,200 ft), where CO-67 branches south toward Cripple Creek and Victor — two historic mining towns. The Divide junction sees increased traffic during casino season and gold mine tours.

Wilkerson Pass to Lake George (20 miles)

West of Divide, US-24 enters its most remote segment. Wilkerson Pass (9,507 ft) marks the transition from the Pikes Peak region into South Park — a vast, high-altitude grassland basin surrounded by mountain ranges. The pass itself climbs through dense forest with limited visibility around curves.

Wilkerson Pass conditions:

• Elevation: 9,507 feet — snow possible September through May
• Exposure: Summit and west face exposed to prevailing winds
• Wildlife: Elk and deer crossings frequent at dawn and dusk
• Services: None between Divide and Lake George (20 miles)

Lake George (8,515 ft) sits on the western slope of Wilkerson Pass at the junction of US-24 and CO-9. This intersection serves as a decision point: CO-9 heads south to Canon City, while US-24 continues west across South Park.

South Park: Lake George to Johnson Village (55 miles)

South Park is one of Colorado's four great mountain parks — a high-altitude basin averaging 9,000 feet surrounded by the Mosquito Range to the west, the Collegiate Peaks to the southwest, and Pikes Peak massif to the east. US-24 crosses the northern edge of the park through Hartsel (8,865 ft) and Trout Creek Pass before descending into the Arkansas River valley.

This segment is characterized by long, straight stretches across open rangeland with extreme wind exposure. Winter ground blizzards can close the highway with zero visibility. The remoteness means help is far away — cell service is spotty to nonexistent between Lake George and Buena Vista.

Trout Creek Pass (9,346 ft) is the final significant climb before the descent to the Arkansas River valley. The pass is less steep than Ute or Wilkerson but sits exposed to wind on both sides.

Buena Vista to Leadville (35 miles)

At Johnson Village, US-24 intersects US-285 and turns north along the Arkansas River valley toward Leadville. This segment offers dramatic views of the Collegiate Peaks — Mount Princeton (14,197 ft), Mount Yale (14,196 ft), and Mount Harvard (14,421 ft) line the western skyline.

Buena Vista (7,965 ft) is the main service town for the upper Arkansas valley, with fuel, food, and lodging. North of Buena Vista, US-24 follows the Arkansas River through a scenic corridor to Leadville.

Leadville (10,152 ft) is the highest incorporated city in North America. US-24 terminates at CO-91 (Fremont Pass, to I-70) and continues north as CO-300 to Minturn and I-70. Leadville serves as a gateway to Ski Cooper, the Climax Mine, and Turquoise Lake.

Winter conditions: The Buena Vista-to-Leadville stretch gains 2,200 feet in elevation. Conditions deteriorate rapidly above 9,000 feet. Ice and packed snow are common from November through April, and Leadville regularly sees temperatures 15-20 degrees colder than Buena Vista.

Why US-24 Traffic Cameras Matter

Elevation extremes: US-24 traverses a 4,800-foot elevation range across its Colorado route. Weather conditions can differ dramatically between segments — rain in Colorado Springs, snow on Ute Pass, clear skies in South Park, and ice in Leadville, all on the same day.

Commuter dependency: Over 15,000 daily commuters use the Colorado Springs-to-Woodland Park segment. Unlike Denver's I-70 with parallel routes, US-24 through Ute Pass has no alternate route. A crash in the canyon can strand commuters for hours with no detour option.

Two-lane bottleneck: West of Manitou Springs, US-24 is primarily a two-lane highway. Any slowdown — a crash, a slow vehicle on a grade, construction, wildlife — affects the entire corridor. Cameras let you see the backup before you're stuck in it.

Remote segments: Between Divide and Buena Vista (75 miles), services are minimal and cell coverage is unreliable. Checking cameras before entering this stretch is the only way to know current conditions.

Seasonal Conditions

Winter (November - April)

Winter is the most dangerous season on US-24's mountain segments. Key hazards by location:

• Ute Pass: Black ice on shaded canyon curves, chain law activations, rock fall from freeze-thaw cycles
• Wilkerson Pass: Snow accumulation, wind drifts across summit, reduced visibility
• South Park: Ground blizzards with zero visibility, extreme cold (-20F possible), wind chill to -40F
• Leadville approach: Packed snow and ice, temperatures routinely below zero, extended winter conditions into May

Summer (June - August)

Summer brings different challenges:

• Afternoon thunderstorms: Daily storms above 8,000 feet from 2-6 PM bring lightning, hail, and flash flooding
• Tourist traffic: Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and Manitou Springs generate heavy weekend volumes on the Colorado Springs segment
• Construction season: CDOT schedules roadwork during summer, with flagging operations causing 15-30 minute delays on two-lane sections
• Motorcycle traffic: US-24 is a popular motorcycle route; watch for riders on curves

Shoulder Seasons (May, September - October)

The most unpredictable months. Snow is possible on any pass through May and returns in September above 9,000 feet. Temperature swings of 40+ degrees in a single day create freeze-thaw ice conditions. Fall elk migration increases wildlife collision risk, particularly near Lake George and across South Park.

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• CDOT Traffic Cameras Guide — Official CDOT system overview, traction law codes, and COtrip integration
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