Iconic ‘Leaving Colorful Colorado’ sign destroyed in I-70 crash

One of Colorado’s most photographed roadside landmarks is in pieces after a Saturday evening crash on westbound I-70 near the Utah state line.

A sprinter van pulling a cargo trailer blew a tire and careened off the highway near mile marker 231 around 6:15 p.m., smashing through the wooden “Leaving Colorful Colorado” sign that has bid farewell to westbound travelers for decades. The van rolled and came to rest against a tree. The driver self-extricated, was evaluated on scene and declined transport to the hospital, according to Capt. Adam Compton of the Lower Valley Fire District. Colorado State Patrol also responded.

The fire district’s social media post summed up the community’s mood: “RIP ‘Leaving Colorado’ sign. You served travelers well.”

The signs are more than roadside décor — they’re a piece of Colorado identity. Lisa Schoch, senior historian with the Colorado Department of Transportation, told CBS Colorado that 40 signs of the same rustic wooden style were posted along the state’s borders in the 1950s, hand-built by CDOT employees. “They’re very rustic and kind of old school,” Schoch said. “These are iconic. They’re part of our history.” In the 1990s, CDOT briefly replaced the wooden signs with purple and orange metal versions reading “Welcome to Colorado, mountains and much more.” The public hated them. “People really rebelled,” Schoch said, and the old wooden signs were put back.

The “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign on the eastbound side greeting drivers entering from Utah was not damaged. Identical “Leaving Colorful Colorado” signs still stand at the Kansas, New Mexico and Wyoming state lines. There is no estimate yet for when the destroyed sign will be replaced.