Snow on Teide: when it falls and what happens to the roads
Update, 1 November 2026: the snow has come early this year. After the storm of 1 November, the Cabildo de Tenerife has restricted access to seven trails in the National Park because of ice and snow: PNT 07 Montaña Blanca-La Rambleta (from the top of Montaña Blanca to the junction with PNT 11), PNT 09 Teide-Pico Viejo-Mirador de Las Narices del Teide (on the section towards PNT 38 Cuevas Negras), PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo, PNT 11 Mirador de La Fortaleza, PNT 12 Mirador de Pico Viejo, PNT 23 Los Regatones Negros and PNT 28 Chafarí. Only experienced mountaineers, or people going with professionals accredited by the Park, may enter, with the signed self-declaration of responsibility, crampons and, where required, mountaineering federation membership. Having a booking does not exempt you from these requirements. The restriction stays in place until a new resolution lifts it, so check Tenerife ON before you go up. The park is not closed: you can visit it, but you cannot walk these trails without meeting the conditions.
The short answer: snow on Teide is most likely from December to March, and most snowy days fall in January and February. When it does snow, it draws thousands into the park in a very short time, as the president of the island's government, the Cabildo de Tenerife, puts it. That is why the Cabildo either closes the roads into the national park at such times, or regulates who can go up and how.
Snow chains are not the answer: in its snowfall announcements, the Cabildo does not require chains, it closes the roads, and only reopens them once they are safe. The trails towards the summit are closed at the same time, and the cable car may stop too. So snowy Teide is not an outing you book in advance, but one you check before you set off.
In this article we look at when it usually snows, who closes the roads and on what basis, where to check the current situation, and what to prepare for if you go up. For the Canary Islands winter weather in general, see our Canary Islands weather guide.
When it snows on Teide
The best long-term data series comes from the Izaña station of AEMET (the Spanish state weather service), at 2369 metres. According to the 1981-2010 climate normals, the monthly average of snowy days looks like this:
October: 0.2 days
November: 0.6 days
December: 1.6 days
January: 2.4 days
February: 2.5 days
March: 2.1 days
April: 0.6 days
May: 0.2 days
From June to September the normals show zero snowy days. If you add up the months, you get roughly ten snowy days a year (that is our own calculation, AEMET does not publish an annual total). Frost is more common than snow: on average there are 12.3 frost days in January, 10.3 in February and 9.0 in March, but still 6.5 in April. So in April snow is already rare, but frost is still common.
Two things are worth knowing about these figures. The first is that they are averages, and any given winter can differ widely. The second is that Izaña is not the summit: the station stands at 2369 metres, in the municipality of Güímar. Almost the whole national park lies above 2000 metres, and the upper station of the cable car is at 3555 metres. A pre-alert from December 2024 shows well how much altitude matters: snow was forecast above 1800 metres, which could settle above 2000-2200 metres, and above 2400 metres could be more than 20 centimetres deep.
One small point for reading the forecast: if AEMET gives a snow level (cota de nieve) in the forecast for a town, that does not mean it will snow there. According to AEMET's explanation, it is the average snow level for the area, and it only applies to points that are higher up and where precipitation is also expected. If a 1700 metre snow level is forecast for Tenerife, you do not need to expect snow in La Laguna, at 549 metres. On the plateau above 2000 metres you do, though, if precipitation arrives as well.
Who closes the road, and on what basis
Three roads lead into the park, from four directions: from the north, the TF-21 from La Orotava and the TF-24 from La Esperanza; from the southwest, the TF-21 from Vilaflor and the TF-38 from Chío. The Cabildo closes them, and the closure stays in place until traffic is safe again. So there is no set reopening time announced in advance.
Behind this is a system of alerts. The Canary Islands Government's Dirección General de Emergencias (the directorate general for emergencies) declares a snow pre-alert (prealerta), alert (alerta) or maximum alert (alerta máxima) based on the AEMET forecast, under its plan for adverse weather events (PEFMA). The Cabildo can then activate the island's own emergency plan (PEIN), and closes the roads and the trails.
This is how it works in practice, in two official examples:
22 December 2024. A pre-alert was in force. That day the Cabildo closed all three roads (TF-24, TF-21, TF-38) because of ice patches and snow. It reopened the next day, after crews had cleared snow and ice all weekend, and also had to remove fallen rocks from the road.
2 March 2025. The TF-24 closed between kilometre points 24 (Los Loros) and 43 (El Portillo), and the TF-21 between 16 and 43 (the lower cable car station), because of ice patches, and the closure of the TF-38 depended on the rain and snow. The trails to the summit had already been closed the afternoon before. All the roads reopened on 5 March, but the trails were still closed even then.
The lesson: the trails are sometimes closed as early as the afternoon before the snowfall, and they reopen more slowly than the roads.
When they regulate instead of closing: the December 2025 model
In December 2025, after the snowfall brought by storm Emilia, the Cabildo at first did not close the roads but managed the crowds instead. Its reasoning was that large numbers of cars and people could lead to accidents and blocked roads, could hinder the emergency services, and that uncontrolled crowds could also damage the natural environment in the snow.
On weekdays (16-19 December) a one-way loop was in operation. From the north you could only go up on the TF-21, from La Caldera to Portillo Bajo, and come down on the TF-24. From the southwest you could drive up the TF-38 and the TF-21 from Vilaflor as far as the cable car, and come back the same way. Stopping or parking on the road and at the viewpoints was banned, except in designated places, the speed limit was 50 km/h, and tour coaches, motorhomes and caravans were not allowed in.
At the weekend (between the evening of 19 December and the morning of 22 December) it was stricter. Access for private cars was restricted, and free TITSA buses took visitors up from three points: from Vilaflor (home of the Pino Gordo) to the cable car, from La Esperanza to the Izaña turn-off, and from Aguamansa to Portillo Alto. You could only set off upwards within set time slots, and the stretch between Portillo Alto and the cable car was closed to cars. The Cabildo stressed that this was not a full road closure, but a partial, temporary restriction on traffic.
You cannot read a rule for the next snowfall into this in advance: according to the Cabildo, these were preventive and temporary measures, for those days only. If you would go by bus, we cover bus travel in our article on the Canary Islands without a car.
Snow chains? That is not how the system works
Do you need snow chains for Teide? We went through seven of the Cabildo's snowfall announcements between December 2024 and March 2026, and the hiking regulations: snow chains are not mentioned in any of them. In these announcements, the Cabildo's tools are road closures, access control and free buses. If the road is closed, chains will not get you up either.
If you are thinking of hiring a car on the island, see our article Do I need a car in Tenerife. In snowy weather, the general advice of 112 (the Canary Islands Government's emergency call centre) also applies: check your tyres, brakes and antifreeze, fill up the tank, and take warm clothes in the car.
Where to check before you set off
The Cabildo itself asks you to check the road conditions and the forecast before you set off. These are the official places:
Roads: the Cabildo's road information page, where the Centro de Información de Carreteras shows the traffic situation in real time.
Alerts: the Canary Islands Government's emergencies page, where you can read any pre-alert or alert currently in force, along with a list of past alerts.
Weather warnings: AEMET's warnings page.
Closures and reopenings: the Cabildo's announcements. The details of the December 2025 bus arrangements, for example, were published in this announcement.
Even when the roads are open, the Cabildo warns that there may be ice patches on the road at some points in the morning.
The cable car and the summit in winter
The Teide cable car takes you from the lower station at 2356 metres up to 3555 metres. According to the operator's information, it may stop because of bad weather. If it is not running that day, it lets you know by email or SMS in the morning, but if you booked an early slot, you are probably already on your way by then. Delays because of wind and cold also happen.
In ice or snow, the Cabildo may close the trails starting from the upper station. You can still go up then, and the viewpoint and the exhibition remain open, but walking is not allowed. In snow, the upper section of the trail from Montaña Blanca is closed too: in March 2025 it was off limits from the top of Montaña Blanca upwards.
On the footpaths to the summit, the Cabildo's regulations work like this in winter:
During a pre-alert, the trails are off limits between 16:00 and 9:00.
During an alert and a maximum alert, they are closed 24 hours a day.
Even without an alert, the park management can close them because of ice, snow, wind or frost, and then even a permit obtained in advance is not valid.
In March 2025, for example, only mountaineers with federation membership and official specialist guides could go onto the closed trails, with crampons, an ice axe, technical clothing and a special permit. We have written more about the permit and the cable car here: Teide summit: permit and cable car.
One more important point: if the cable car stops, you have to walk down. That is why the operator only sells one-way tickets with a hiking permit and the compulsory equipment.
Safety: cold, ice, clothing
According to the national park's official visitor guide, the park is a high mountain area with an extreme climate, where at certain times of year ice and snow cover parts of it, and that can be dangerous. It asks for hiking boots and warm clothing even when it is warm, because the weather changes quickly up there. The cable car operator also says to be prepared for both extreme cold and extreme heat.
A good winter checklist is the compulsory and recommended equipment in the Cabildo's hiking regulations. Compulsory on the summit trails:
hiking shoes
long hiking trousers and a warm jacket
gloves and a hat (according to the regulations, especially in winter)
water
Recommended alongside: a charged phone, a head torch with spare batteries, sun protection (a peaked cap, sunglasses, sunscreen), an emergency blanket, energy-rich food and a whistle. The compulsory list was also reviewed by the Guardia Civil's mountain rescuers (GREIM) and the island's fire and rescue service.
In heavy snowfall, 112 advises you to avoid breathing in very cold air, to dress warmly, and to protect your face and head above all. Put off hikes in the affected areas, and check the weather and the roads before you set off. If something goes wrong, you can call 112. For general questions about safety on the island, see our article Safety in Tenerife.
What not to do
Do not set off if the roads are closed. During closures, the Cabildo explicitly asks you not to go to the park, and to respect the signs and the instructions of the security forces.
Do not stop at the roadside if traffic is being regulated. In December 2025, stopping or parking on the road and at the viewpoints was banned, and was only allowed in designated places.
Do not drive off the road. Under the park's rules, driving a vehicle off public roads and tracks is an offence.
Do not step onto a closed trail, even if you have a permit: in ice and snow, the park management can override that too.
Do not hike alone, and do not leave the marked path. According to the park's guide, it is easier to get lost in the park than you might think. If you are planning a special or dangerous route, tell the park staff first.
If it is not the snow but the clear winter sky that draws you up, we have written about it in our stargazing article. We have gathered the park's trails on our Teide National Park page. And where to stay on the island in winter, our microclimates article shows you.
In short
Most snowy days fall in January and February, but according to the normals snow occurs in every month from October to May, and frost is still common in April.
The Cabildo decides on closing the TF-21, the TF-24 and the TF-38, and the closure lasts until the road is safe.
When crowds are big, they may regulate instead of closing: a one-way loop, a ban on stopping, free buses.
There is no snow chain rule in the official announcements: the solution is closure or regulation.
Before you set off: the Cabildo's road information, the Canary Islands Government's alerts page and AEMET's warnings.
In ice, the summit trails are closed and the cable car may stop.
Dress warmly, with a hat and gloves, and do not stop at the roadside.
Sources: AEMET, climate normals 1981-2010 (Izaña) and the Aemetblog explanation of snow level forecasts; AEMET warnings; Cabildo de Tenerife, announcements (22 and 23 December 2024, 2 and 5 March 2025, 15 and 19 December 2025, 2 March 2026), road information page and the 112 self-protection advice for adverse weather; Turismo de Tenerife, Teide hiking regulations (November 2024); Gobierno de Canarias, Dirección General de Emergencias; MITECO, Parque Nacional del Teide, visitor guide; Teleférico del Teide, terms of travel.
Cover photo (cropped): snowy Teide from one of the trails in the Parque Nacional del Teide, 20 December 2025. Kawon Kez Sel, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
