Colorado road question

[rynosback]

I’m going to be staying in Delta, CO and then off to Denver. I could get there a couple different ways. Head North on 50 and take 70 E or continue SE on 50 and take 25 North. I have a 40’ 5ver. Just wondering if anyone has gone these routes and any comments or comparisons. I have driven 70 E before and going that way I know I have to climb to the Eisenhower tunnel.

Thanks for your thoughts and advice. 

[Randyretired]

Either way you have a pass to go over.  I70 is interstate with less switchbacks.  Hwy 50 has switchbacks and slower road conditions with some steep hills.  I70 is a little easier drive but both are good roads with mountain driving.

[remoandiris]

I just drove my 2011 GMC Denali dually pulling my 42' 5er from Olathe (~ 10 miles south of Delta) to Salida.  No issues and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.  Traffic on 50 is light.  IDK about traffic on I-25.

Monarch Pass (about 20 miles west of Salida) is 11,000+ feet.  Lots of parking and a restaurant at the top.

I have driven 50 from Olathe to Grand Junction a few times recently.  4-lanes and an easy drive.  70 from GJ to Glenwood Springs is the same.  It has been many years since I drove 70 from one end to the other.

IMO, neither route you are considering is a problem as long as your truck is up to the task.

[2gypsies]

We prefer Hwy 50 but if you're going to Denver it would be out of your way.

Edited June 14, 2020 by 2gypsies

[Chalkie]

Speaking as a Colorado resident, and having pulled our 40' fiver over both routes, I can tell you I prefer the US-50 route. However, you do not need to go all the way over to pick up I-25. You take 50 to Poncha Springs and then take US-285 north into Denver. This way is just a few miles longer than taking 70, and it does take about an hour longer, but I find it to be a more relaxing drive. With the exception of Monarch Pass, the passes you will cross are all relatively low. 

Either way you decide to go, please, take your time and enjoy the magnificent scenery. Both routes are very scenic. 

[rynosback]

6 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

We prefer Hwy 50 but if you're going to Denver it would be out of your way.

Mapping it from Delta, it is only about 10-12 miles more taking 50 to 25 vs 50 to 70.

[rynosback]

1 hour ago, Chalkie said:

Speaking as a Colorado resident, and having pulled our 40' fiver over both routes, I can tell you I prefer the US-50 route. However, you do not need to go all the way over to pick up I-25. You take 50 to Poncha Springs and then take US-285 north into Denver. This way is just a few miles longer than taking 70, and it does take about an hour longer, but I find it to be a more relaxing drive. With the exception of Monarch Pass, the passes you will cross are all relatively low. 

Either way you decide to go, please, take your time and enjoy the magnificent scenery. Both routes are very scenic. 

Thanks, I did not even think of taking 285. I will have to look into that. 

[rynosback]

6 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

We prefer Hwy 50 but if you're going to Denver it would be out of your way.

Sometimes taking the longer way is the better way. 

[rynosback]

7 hours ago, remoandiris said:

I just drove my 2011 GMC Denali dually pulling my 42' 5er from Olathe (~ 10 miles south of Delta) to Salida.  No issues and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.  Traffic on 50 is light.  IDK about traffic on I-25.

Monarch Pass (about 20 miles west of Salida) is 11,000+ feet.  Lots of parking and a restaurant at the top.

I have driven 50 from Olathe to Grand Junction a few times recently.  4-lanes and an easy drive.  70 from GJ to Glenwood Springs is the same.  It has been many years since I drove 70 from one end to the other.

IMO, neither route you are considering is a problem as long as your truck is up to the task.

The Cummins in my Ram is up to the task and LOVES to work hard. 

[2gypsies]

1 minute ago, rynosback said:

Sometimes taking the longer way is the better way. 

Agreed.  We rarely drove a straight line from A to B.  We liked to explore different highways.

[Ray,IN]

A bit off-topic; this website is great for current road conditions and many other concerns. One stop shop for travelers

[rynosback]

57 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

A bit off-topic; this website is great for current road conditions and many other concerns. One stop shop for travelers

Thanks I will add it to my list. I have been using this one, 

http://www.safetravelusa.com/

[2gypsies]

1 hour ago, Ray,IN said:

A bit off-topic; this website is great for current road conditions and many other concerns. One stop shop for travelers

This link isn't working.

[rynosback]

2 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

This link isn't working.

I got it to work.

Edited June 15, 2020 by rynosback

[Chalkie]

13 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

A bit off-topic; this website is great for current road conditions and many other concerns. One stop shop for travelers

I like that site, I wish they would expand to the whole USA.

[rynosback]

Good thing I decided not to take 70. A post on a FB group that I’m on.

 

I live and work here in Colorado (CDOT). If you are traveling through on I-70 east or west and going over the Rockies. Please be aware that the highway between Idaho Springs and Georgetown is under construction. The highway is very rough with narrow lanes. Some of the construction will require lane closures, only leaving one lane open. Just went through there June 12th and noticed how rough the road was and hard to control. If your next to a semi it is possible to touch. The speed is still 55 -65 mph, but I would recommend slowing down and focus on yourself. Make sure everything is batten down! Stay safe and have fun!

[Chalkie]

Good point! A pundit once said there are four seasons in Colorado. Almost winter, winter, still winter, road construction. There is a very good website to check road conditions throughout the state, https://www.cotrip.org/home.htm

Edit: And it is not just I-70. I-25 is under heavy construction between Monument and Castle Rock in what is referred to as "The Gap" widening the highway to make it 3 lanes each way. Closures and narrow lanes are the norm. 

Edited June 15, 2020 by Chalkie

[Ray,IN]

10 hours ago, Chalkie said:

I like that site, I wish they would expand to the whole USA.

This website was designed for California and expanded to include the Western states, you have noticed there are no live road cameras East of CO. I also would like to see it expanded and developed for the entirety of the U.S.A.

Edited June 16, 2020 by Ray,IN

[Ray,IN]

23 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

This link isn't working.

It must be undergoing maintenance, as it loads like websites did when DOS was the latest thing.

[2gypsies]

17 minutes ago, Ray,IN said:

It must be undergoing maintenance, as it loads like websites did when DOS was the latest thing.

DOS!!  Are we really that old to remember it?  😵

[Chalkie]

18 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

This website was designed for California and expanded to include the Western states, you have noticed there are no live road cameras East of CO. I also would like to see it expanded and developed for the entirety of the U.S.A.

Well, there are now live traffic cams nearly everywhere in the US. I think the developers are being parochial or lazy.

 

[rynosback]

3 hours ago, Chalkie said:

Well, there are now live traffic cams nearly everywhere in the US. I think the developers are being parochial or lazy.

 

The app I posted at least shows stills of the camera that you want to see. Why would need to see a live stream? If you can get data on traffic and road conditions (weather and road construction), what else would you need to know?

[kb0zke]

Yesterday we came down from Gering, NE to Limon, CO on hwy 71. The first part was nice. The last half, though, was terrible. The road was very rough, and 50 mph was the best compromise between getting there at a reasonable time and shaking things apart. We did lose one breakable item that was supposedly stowed in a safe place (where it has ridden for six years), but fell to the floor and smashed into lots of little, sharp pieces. Replacement is on order. Tomorrow we go to TX, and we're on US highways, so maybe they aren't as rough.

[Ray,IN]

21 hours ago, rynosback said:

The app I posted at least shows stills of the camera that you want to see. Why would need to see a live stream? If you can get data on traffic and road conditions (weather and road construction), what else would you need to know?

The Western live cameras are quite useful when traveling and trying to beat that snowstorm near the pass ahead.

[rynosback]

6 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

The Western live cameras are quite useful when traveling and trying to beat that snowstorm near the pass ahead.

If I’m try to see what weather is happening, I just look at the radar. As I can predict when it is going to start vs looking at what is happening. But that is how I determine the weather.