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RE: Interstate 80 road condition
We prefer I-70 across from Co to PA. Less truck traffic if nothing else.
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4runnerguy
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05/25/12 10:32am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: us 50
We were there last summer. Right at the entry booth to the campground is a paved road that will take you down to the river.
Another, quicker way to get to the bottom of the canyon is at the Cimarron turnoff on US 50 west of Blue Mesa Res. There's an NPS visitors center there and it's a two mile paved road that takes you through a cut in the canyon right to the bottom of the Black Canyon below Morrow Point Dam. Well worth the 10 minute detour.
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4runnerguy
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05/25/12 10:30am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: colo springs & grand junction rv park suggestions
I'd agree with Island Acres SP east of Grand Junction. Right near the interstate, so easy on, easy off. FHU available. Reserve NOW if you'll be there on a weekend near the 4th.
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4runnerguy
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05/25/12 10:24am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area - Show Low, AZ
Weren't there some pretty big forest fires near there a few years ago? How is the burned area recovering?
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4runnerguy
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05/25/12 10:18am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Colorado National Park
Nice campground overlooking the valley. We often camp there in the spring before snow has melted in other parts of the state. Allison loves it because it means shopping in Grand Junction (GWS has limited number of stores).
The rim drive is interesting and the trails are nice, but if you've spent much time in the Moab area, CO NM will seem pretty small by comparison. As mentioned, it is a nice place to camp as a stop through Colorado. Much cooler than other options down in the valley.
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4runnerguy
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05/25/12 10:14am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Rio Grande National Forest
We've camped at several, including those heading up toward Rio Grande Reservoir and those near Clear Creek Falls. All are generally quiet. In some CG's few sites have much shade right at the campsite, but often it's been cool enough we actually wanted the sun for warmth. Be warned -- Rio Grande Reservoir is often quite low as it is an irrigation impoundment. Phenomenal views above many of the CG's up toward Rio Grande Reservoir. There is also a county run CG on Lake San Cristobal south of Lake City that is right on the lake (Wupperman Campground).
Of course you might be looking for a CG closer to US 160. Never stayed at any on the Rio Grande NF, but there are some nice NFS CG's on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass with access to Pagosa Springs.
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4runnerguy
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05/23/12 07:26am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: From Glenwood Springs, CO to Bullhead City, AZ
Morefield CG at Mesa Verde is a nice CG. Since it's higher up on the mesa, it's cooler than CG's down in the valley, plus you save time on the commute every day. As noted, some FHU sites available. Get to the visitors center relatively early in the day to secure reservations for some of the tours.
The road from Carbondale to the top of McClure Pass is through some beautiful scenery. I don't know where you are staying in GS, but Redstone NFS CG is a nice place and about half the campsites do have 15 amp service. From there, there some great 4x4 touring above Marble (I've forgotten, maybe that's why you're heading here in the first place). Do an image search on "Crystal Mill". That's on the road above Marble.
Once you top McClure Pass, you're on the dry side of the pass, and the forests give way to a sage/juniper/pinon forest. Further down, some nice farmland scenery near and beyond Hotchkiss. Definitely more scenic than the drive from GJ to Delta.
Another possibility leaving GS is to head west on I-70 and take CO 65 up to Grand Mesa. Generally the mosquito population has ebbed by August (and they'll be gone early this year because of the drought) and there's a ton of lakes up there. The CG's are at 10,000' so plenty cool (think highs in the 70's). Easy day trip to Black Canyon NP and into Delta for food.
A possibility near Flagstaff is Bonito NFS CG. No hookups, but a really interesting CG. Big lodgepole pine (IIRC) all around, but very little ground cover as the area is covered with gravel sized ash blown out from the nearby Sunset Crater I believe. Flush toilets there.
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4runnerguy
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05/20/12 11:00am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Going from Colorado Springs to Los Vegas
Las Vegas, NM would be a better place for the OP to visit if he has an aversion to mountains! And for us, a preferable destination with lots of historic buildings.
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4runnerguy
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05/17/12 09:01am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Guanella Pass Re-Opening...!
If you have a 4 x 4 you can go to the old Waldorf mine area. To get to Waldorf you drive about 6 miles on the old Argentine Central railroad bed. Then continue on the rail bed to the top of McCellan Mounatain. Do a Google search on the Argentine Central Railroad.
Great mountain bike ride, too, except for the lack of oxygen near the top of McClellan Mountain. Railroad grades aren't too steep for this old body to handle.
As far as Guanella Pass is concerned, far and away the best time to take it is the last week or two of September, when the aspen are changing. One of the better viewing localities near Denver.
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4runnerguy
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05/17/12 08:57am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Reno to Utah
Shoulders are plenty wide, and cell phone service exists in the valleys but gets dicey when you cross the mountain ranges. IMHO, US 50 is the way to go across Nevada. I'd say we do US 50 ten times for every time we take I-80. Far more scenic. And unless you're travelling at 2:00 a.m., there's plenty of traffic on the "Loneliest Road in America". As for CG's along the way, Bob Scott NFS CG is right off the highway just east of Austin and fills many evenings with overnighters. On our trips across, we usually stay at Cave Lake SP near Ely, NV. It's about seven miles off the highway on a paved road, but it sits at 7300' so it's cooler than being on the desert valley floor. Busy with locals on weekends, but fairly empty on weekdays. And yes, there is a lake there, stocked with trout.
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4runnerguy
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05/17/12 08:48am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Colorado Passes/Roads open early
Wildflower season will surely be early and short this year, due to the low snowpack. The Columbine in our yard are already blooming, a full month early.
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4runnerguy
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05/14/12 12:42pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: TN, I-75 Southbound lane slidding off the mountain at MM143
This is the kind of thing I worry about when driving mountainous roads. Now I have photos to back up my phobia, thanks.
I guess I'm always more concerned about falling rocks. Although I must admit that the signs warning of "Falling Rocks" is difficult to understand. Am I supposed to look up while I'm driving and steer out of the way if I see a rock coming down????
The photo above looks like fairly loose gravels above a solid bedrock -- a tough thing to stabilize once it gets siding.
For a great picture of what erosion does, check out what happened to the Mineral Bottom Road in Canyonlands NP several years ago (note the two people at the edge for scale):
http://www.nps.gov/cany/images/MineralSwitchbacks3_large.jpg height=800 width=1200
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4runnerguy
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05/12/12 08:59am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: From Glenwood Springs, CO to Bullhead City, AZ
From Glenwood, head west to Grand Junction then south to Ridgway. You can detour east at Montrose and spend a night or two at Black Canyon of the Gunnison. It's high enough in elevation to be comfortably cool at night, a there is 30 amp elec. in B loop. Nice place.
From Ridgway, head west on CO 62 then south on CO 145 to Cortez. Some great scenery on this route and high enough up to be cool. Plan a couple of days in this area. (Looking at your map, it looks like you are taking US 550 north from Durango to Ridgway heading out -- this is a different route through different scenery on the return.) The Anasazi Cultural Center near Dolores is worth a short side trip.
From Cortez, head to Flagstaff, which is at 7000' so cooler than other places around there. There are several options to do this (US 491 to I40, US 191 to I-40) to avoid duplicating your route out. Around Flagstaff, there are several very interesting NM's to visit, as well as day trips to the surrounding mountains.
Once it's time to go to Bullhead, it's an easy day trip from Flagstaff.
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4runnerguy
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05/11/12 09:50am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Batimore MD to Denver CO
Personally, the traffic light situation on US 34 isn't nearly as bad in Greeley as it is going through Loveland. That's why if you stay on I-70 to Denver and head north on I-25, CO 66 up the North St. Vrain is a better option than US 34 through Loveland to Estes Park. BTW, unless you're in Denver at rush hour, I wouldn't bother with the toll road (almost $18 for 20 miles!). Just take I-76 up to I-25. Even taking I-70 to I-25 isn't that bad. Denver had pretty decent traffic flow for a large city (as long as it isn't rush hour).
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4runnerguy
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05/10/12 09:49am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Rachel NV
I love camping in Nevada, and I must say Rachel would be near the bottom of my list of places to go. There are SP's near Pioche and Caliente and camping at the NWR south of Alamo that would all be far preferable.
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4runnerguy
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05/10/12 09:19am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Easy 1st Trip to Colorado Recommendations
Lauren, Busskipper, and others have all pointed you in the right direction: Buena Vista/Salida. From KS, take I-70 to Limon, US 24 to Colorado Springs, CO 115 to Penrose and US 50 to Salida. You can camp around there or continue up the Arkansas River Valley to Buena Vista and Leadville. Using this route, you'll avoid any mountain passes and will be right in the middle of some of the tallest mountains in the state. Tons to do there. Do a search on Buena Vista here and you get lots of ideas of places to camp and things to do. While other suggestions about SW CO mention the beauty, the problem is that with 4-5 days, you'll be driving all the time. Plus there's those pesky mountain passes. ;)
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4runnerguy
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05/10/12 09:09am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Estes Park, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO
peak to peak highway is a tourist/cop infested mess.
I live not 20 miles from it and I NEVER go on it. it's not that exciting. I bet i haven't been on it in over 20 years. I don't miss it.
I don't know the problem with the Peak to Peak highway. There are some jams right around Blackhawk, but overall I don't think it would be any slower than going over Trail Ridge Road. Plus, the east side of the divide hasn't been hit nearly as hard by the pine beetle as the west side. The area around Grand Lake is bad, but when we went took CO 134 from Toponas to Kremmling last year, we thought the segment around Gore Pass may be the worst we had seen anywhere. To me, the biggest downside of the Peak to Peak option is having to go through the Eisenhower Tunnel and over Vail Pass on I-70 -- two big climbs and drops in a short distance. But the views of the Indian Peaks area are far more spectacular from P2P than around Granby IMHO.
If you do end up going over Trail Ridge, I would still opt for the route over CO 134 through Toponas. No use dropping all the way down to Georgetown.
Hanging Lake and trail have been closed for some mtce., don't know if it is open now or not.
Hanging Lake Trail was re-opened last year. If it's a weekend, get there early, as once the parking lot fills they close the exit. Another thing to do in Glenwood is rent bikes (if you don't have them) and ride up Glenwood Canyon. Rafting season this year will be short with the puny winter we had.
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4runnerguy
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05/06/12 09:49pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Co.Rt. 550. Durango to Ridgeway ??
BBQ ??? What ever happened to MY POST QUESTION??? LOL
We just didn't want you to starve!!
Limited amount of NFS CG's in this area. North of Durango and south of Silverton, Haviland Lake NFS CG. Some of the sites have electric but no hookups otherwise. Pit toilets. Sites are lake front. No dump station. Nice setting and nice views, but somewhat of a drive into Silverton.
Near Silverton, South Mineral NFS CG is a first come, first served CG with pit toilets and a few water spigots scattered through the CG. Arrive early to get a spot. Great views and good access to Silverton area.
Near Silverton, there's also several popular boondocking spots where hundreds of RV's congregate every night. A couple have pit toilets but no water. Other than the private parks in Silverton, there are no dump stations in the area. We usually spend a week every year camping near Silverton.
Near Ridgway, many speak highly of Ridgway SP, but we've never stayed there. Do a search here for lots of info as to which campgrounds and sites people like best. Do a search on Ouray for info on the private CG's there. Great hot springs pool in Ouray -- has amazing views all around. Last time we were there, we watched a bear on the hillside on the other side of the road for half an hour.
South of Telluride, Matterhorn NFS CG has four sites with full hookups. While the other site have no hookups, there are showers in this CG, unusual for NFS CG's in CO. There are several 4x4 trails from this area heading east over the mountain to US 550 and the Silverton area.
South of Matterhorn CG is Cayton CG. We've never camped there, but some sites have electricity and there is a dump station. Some are fairly out in the open, but at that elevation, heat generally isn't a proplem.
Near Dolores, there's a great little NFS CG near McPhee Reservoir. I think four have FHU and maybe a dozen more have electric. There is a dump station there. Visit the Anasazi Hertiage Center a couple of miles down the road.
There are a few more CG's around Haviland lake north of Durango and in the Rico/Telluride area, but most are smaller w/o any hookups.
Now, can we get back to talking about BBQ. ;)
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4runnerguy
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05/03/12 02:52pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Seeking suggestions for Southern Colorado...
We took a day and went to Hovenweep (bring high-DEET bug repellant, nasty biting gnats there) and Lowry Pueblo.
We found the DEET based repellents didn't work at all. You'd look down at your arm and the gnats were just doing he back stroke in it. :( In the visitors center they recommended a citronella based repellent, which did work better. The bugs can be buggy, but the trip and the pests are worth it for the visit.
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4runnerguy
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05/02/12 05:58pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Seeking suggestions for Southern Colorado...
Morefield CG in Mesa Verde NP has some FHU sites. Reservations a must. Cooler up on the mesa than down in the valley, plus a lot closer to the ruins and museum.
Don't miss the Anasazi Heritage Center north of Cortez near McPhee Reservoir. Lot of interesting displays. Your parks pass gets you in for free. They can give you ideas on other, more obscure ruins in the area. If you have the time, a day trip over to Hovenweep in UT is also worth your while. BTW, McPhee NFS CG near the reservoir a couple of miles away does have a handful of FHU sites. We really enjoy staying there, although access to the water isn't easy from the CG.
If you go to the hot springs in Pagosa, be warned that there is no free re-entry on the same day like most pools. So take a picnic in.
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4runnerguy
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05/02/12 12:00pm |
Roads and Routes
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