Estes Park to Moab, UT

[CaptnJohn]

My 1st trip on Wolf Creek Pass was June 8 1985 pulling a 28' TT with a 1984 Dodge Ramcharger. The pass was bad enough but the heavy snow made it a bit (a big bit) of a chore.

[fanrgs]

Another good place for CO road conditions is COtrip.org. Others have mentioned watching the weather forecast. We just had 6" of snow at my house in the SW Denver area last Saturday , May 21. Some mountain areas got 2'. I have been cutting up broken, fully leafed-out tree branches and hauling them to the county fairgrounds for three days and still have one more load to go. Ah, spring in Colorado!

You won't have any trouble with the 11,000' high Eisenhower Tunnel if you use your exhaust brake on the 10-mile long, 6% downgrade into Silverthorne. However, I am curious about your route from Estes Park. If you do not go back the long way to I-25, you can take a shorter route using CO 7 to CO 72 to CO 119 to I-70. Yes, it is winding and slow--it's the scenic route, not the fast route--but the views of the mountains are spectacular, especially after that recent snow.

We just took the motorhome to Las Vegas two weeks ago. We had snow on I-70 at the tunnel and over Vail Pass, single-lane traffic through Glenwood Springs, and cooler than normal weather in Utah. But the day we got to LV, it reached 102 degrees. We came home through N. AZ and SE UT and went from 50 and wind at Grand Canyon to 85 and calm in Cortez. So, expect HOT in Moab, but be prepared for 30 at night and rain or snow in Estes Park.

PS: if you are not on a tight schedule, you can see the highest mountain range in CO by using US 285 to US 50. Plus you can stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Colorado NM on you way to UT. For more on scenic routes and RV camping in the Colorado mountains, see my blog HERE.

[kermitvb]

Originally Posted by fanrgs

Another good place for CO road conditions is COtrip.org. Others have mentioned watching the weather forecast. We just had 6" of snow at my house in the SW Denver area last Saturday , May 21. Some mountain areas got 2'. I have been cutting up broken, fully leafed-out tree branches and hauling them to the county fairgrounds for three days and still have one more load to go. Ah, spring in Colorado!

You won't have any trouble with the 11,000' high Eisenhower Tunnel if you use your exhaust brake on the 10-mile long, 6% downgrade into Silverthorne. However, I am curious about your route from Estes Park. If you do not go back the long way to I-25, you can take a shorter route using CO 7 to CO 72 to CO 119 to I-70. Yes, it is winding and slow--it's the scenic route, not the fast route--but the views of the mountains are spectacular, especially after that recent snow.

We just took the motorhome to Las Vegas two weeks ago. We had snow on I-70 at the tunnel and over Vail Pass, single-lane traffic through Glenwood Springs, and cooler than normal weather in Utah. But the day we got to LV, it reached 102 degrees. We came home through N. AZ and SE UT and went from 50 and wind at Grand Canyon to 85 and calm in Cortez. So, expect HOT in Moab, but be prepared for 30 at night and rain or snow in Estes Park.

PS: if you are not on a tight schedule, you can see the highest mountain range in CO by using US 285 to US 50. Plus you can stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Colorado NM on you way to UT. For more on scenic routes and RV camping in the Colorado mountains, see my blog HERE.

Thanks. This is good advice. I'm torn between taking a "faster" route around Denver to pick up I-70 or the more sonic route you suggest. How is it if you are a "novice" at mountain driving?

[HangDiver]

I also suggest the scenic route that fanrgs mentioned. Its well worth it.

I would not worry about being a novice at mountain driving. Everyone is a novice once. And there's 1,000 novice drivers moving here everyday.

[Mistye]

We’ve pulled a 34’ and large 38 & 40’ 5’ers on the 70 east and west several times over the years. We have never turned off our propane or had any issue with the tunnels going through there.
It’s a beautiful drive. The biggest issues is narrowed lanes from construction/road work especially through the Glenwood Springs Canyon area And your brakes.
If you are not use to mountain driving be aware of not over heating your brakes both on your tow vehicle and trailer. The Eisenhower pass is 0ver 11,000 feet. Plan on manual down shifting your transmission to slow you down when needed and go slow and steady. The 2014 F250 should have power exhaust brakes but the turbo is smaller 2011-14 so the exhaust brakes are not as effective as 2015 on.
We started off with a 3/4 ton Ford F-250 then a Duramax 2500HD. After our first trip through the Rockies and back to CA we went to a 3500hd one ton dually…and have never gone back. It’s hard to beat the stability on those mountain roads. We’ve traveled from the west coast to the east coast and back several times.
Safe travels to you!

[fanrgs]

Originally Posted by kermitvb

Thanks. This is good advice. I'm torn between taking a "faster" route around Denver to pick up I-70 or the more sonic route you suggest. How is it if you are a "novice" at mountain driving?

I have never had a Ford truck with an exhaust brake. But I can tell you how I did it with my Ram turbodiesel when towing our fifth wheel. The Ram exhaust brake had an "auto" setting, which is what I used all over the Rockies and Sierras. That way, I could just turn it on and forget it because it recognized acceleration as well as deceleration. At the top of a pass, I slowed to the speed that I wanted to maintain going downgrade, manually shifted the 6-speed automatic into 3rd or 4th, depending the steepness of the grade, and let the gears, engine compression, and exhaust brake maintain my speed. I seldom had to hit the brakes and, if I did, it was for a very short time. On winding, very steep US 14A in the Bighorn Mountains of WY, we used this method with no problems to descend a 5-mile long, 10% grade while towing the fifth wheel. But there were numerous gas Class A motorhomes without exhaust brakes stopped beside the highway to let their brakes cool.

PS: There are no "fast routes" around Denver in an RV. The mountain route from Estes to I-70 that I suggested is about as "around Denver" as you can get. If I could have avoided taking my RVs through Denver traffic all these years, I would have done it in a minute. But when you have lived on the west side of the metro area for 60 years, you have to drive through it to go north or east. South or west, not so much, as I live two miles from where I-70 heads into the mountains. That's why I generally leave town on I-70 or US 285 (6 blocks from my house) and head W or S for mountain camping, fishing, kayaking, etc.

[Aljan913]

I live in Colorado and pull an RV through the tunnels and over the mountain passes a few times a year. Watch your speed on the down side of the passes. There are places to pull over if needed and gas stations. Enjoy beautiful Colorado!

[Comanchecreek]

A couple of quick suggestions. First, avoid Highway 50 during the week. They are back to regular road closures west of Gunnison. 70 is your best bet. There are shorter ways mile wise, but you will have an easier trip staying on 70. Second is to remember not to let your rig pick up speed as you crest the hill. When you reach the top is when it's critical to stay geared down and off of the brakes. Drive like you are going to use them up. Everybody will race past you you like you are standing still. Let them. Be sure your cooling system is top notch, and serviced. There are a number of pullouts along the way, don't be afraid to use them if everything is not 100%. Last is take your time. You will be traveling through some very beautiful country. Enjoy it.

[GFD47]

Retired transportation official here...Most propane prohibitions in tunnels are for commercial propane haulers, like the trucks that come by your house to fill up your 500 gallon tank. They aren't about whether or not the fridge is operating or even if the RV tanks are shut off. They're typically about the volume of combustibles that could burn or explode. The restrictions usually apply to heating oil trucks, gasoline tankers, etc. as well, but not us little guys.

[aircommuter]

Originally Posted by GFD47

Retired transportation official here...Most propane prohibitions in tunnels are for commercial propane haulers, like the trucks that come by your house to fill up your 500 gallon tank. They aren't about whether or not the fridge is operating or even if the RV tanks are shut off. They're typically about the volume of combustibles that could burn or explode. The restrictions usually apply to heating oil trucks, gasoline tankers, etc. as well, but not us little guys.

Exactly, that’s why I asked those who posted the law couldn’t produce the proof when I asked. I know CVC 31301 was put in place after the Caldecott incident in 1982. That created a blow torch effect and a couple thousand people were evacuated. They can still go through between 3-5am.
All caused by a drunk driver. Wrong place wrong time for the tanker truck.

[Coolharts]

I drove my truck only over the US-40 pass down to I-70 then to Denver yesterday. I don't think I would like to pull my camper on that road. The road condition is bumpy and broken, traffic and a lot of trucks, my nerves were shot when I got out of Denver to Ft. Collins.

[TwoKozy]

Pulled 26’ TT from Grand Junction to Colorado Springs two days ago. Rte 50 was closed during the work week from Montrose to Gunnison. Took rte 92 east as a get around. Beautiful drive. Got back on 50 in Sapinero. Smooth sailing from there. Monarch Pass was magnificent. Exhaust air brakes highly recommended. Let tranny do it’s own thing with cruise control assist. Except uphill. Kept rpm’s at 2 grand. TV loved it. DW was white knuckled with majority of drop offs on her side.
Safe travels.

[Coolharts]

I went straight East out of Ft Collins and made our way via back roads to I-70 and down Kansas 23 to our next stop. I avoided I-25 completely.