Guys - just bought my first 4x4 pickup. It needs tires. I'm planning to do trip up to Colorado for skiing next winter, and potentially a trip to Canada this summer in late May when snow is possible but not likely. Most of my driving is to work, kids sports games, and to the lake or gun range. I definitely don't like excessive road noise. Will a set of highway tires be adequate for that small amount of rough-condition driving? Or is there something with a little more grip that doesn't ruin the everyday driving experience?

Sorry - I have no experience with non-highway tires, 4x4 pickups, or driving off the pavement at all, so I'll take all the help I can get.

Would also take any recommendations on ski resorts for beginners that aren't on the other side of Colorado where I have to drive through hundreds of miles of questionable roads in the dead of winter to get there.

The 4x4 drives a little rougher due to a much stiffer and stronger suspension system. Street tires suck in wet grass, they are worse in mud.

As a family we had good luck with Breckenridge and Keystone. Crested Butte is great but _COLD_.

Winter Park is owned by the city of Denver and you can take a train there.

Arapaho Basin is good too.

Stay away from Vail, big buck$ for lodging, food etc.

This from 30 years ago.

Goodyear wrangler all terrian adventure with kevlar. I have these and they are about as good as you will get for a off road/highway tire. They are quiet.

Those A/T tires will "sing" to you on regular pavement.

I have had nothing but 4x4 for the last 35 yrs, and run A/T

for tires get the cooper discover a/t3, quiet on road and will handle rain and snow great.
I would not recommend street tires at all.

just remember too, 4x4 does not mean you won't get stuck, it just means you get stuck a lot further away from civilization.

as for ski area, monarch, all interstate driving to get there, smaller area so usually not as crowded. stay in salida which is a cool little town.

I would book reservations now just to be sure you have them for your time frame.

Been driving 4x4 pickups since I started driving. Born here but raised in Colorado and now back here, I've gone through several sets of tires.

Michelin LTX have done the best for me for overall road conditions. They are worthless in mud but great in rain and snow.

I also ran several sets of BF Goodrich AT's and they were the best for on and off-road conditions like hunting. Only problem is they are a soft rubber tire so they wear out quick.

Ran one set of Monster Mudders when I was young and those were the beast off-roading.

Never did like the Goodyear Wranglers, they didn't perform like the BF Goodrich for what they were made for.

I learned to ski at Purgatory in southwest Colorado north of Durango. Great mountain for all ages and levels of skiing ability. Lots of other things to do like snowmobiling and tubing. Drive across New Mexico and then up into CO at Farmington, about 12 hours on the road.

BF Goodwrench KO2 rotate them every 5,000 miles. I get a minimum of 60,000 miles out of mine

Purgatory, when it gets good snow, is awesome. The snow there is drier and fluffier than heavy, wet snow other parts of Colorado get. Also recommend Wolf Creek just north of Pagosa Springs. They always get a ton of snow. It’s remote, and is never over crowded.

I run Toyo Open Country A/T tires. They produce a very smooth ride with very little road noise and won't hurt the wallet. As a poster above said, rotate regularly and they too last ....

Best advice on here so far IMO.

As for the skiing, we started out back in the early 80's at Keystone, it is still pretty good. I also like Wolf Creek, but you may not want to start out there.

I have run the same on my Tundra TRD 4X4. I don't mind the road noise vs a highway tire. These are also a 10 ply tire and since I drive ranch roads fairly often this mitigates flats etc. As mentioned keep them rotated and the front end aligned and you can get 50K+.

As Dan mentioned: Breckenridge and Keystone. Crested Butte is great but _COLD_.

Winter Park is owned by the city of Denver and you can take a train there.

Arapaho Basin is good too. These are all still a good choice in 2020 and 2021. My son just left Steamboat after a week at Music Fest and drove to Durango. He said it got a little dicey in passes and they could not go over 20 mph. They were in a 4Runner with BF Goodrich AT. Mandatory chain eforcement was not in effect they just had to go slow.

My current truck came with Goodyear Wrangler A/T with Kevlar, they are not that great off road or in snow. I had Firestone Destination A/T and two sets of Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo on my previous truck--both were quiet on the highway, good wet and dry traction, good off road, and good in snow. 4x4 is good for getting a lot of people into trouble.

Toyo open country A/T or Nitto Terra Grapplers are about the best A/T tire out there.