hbarker
Tyler
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we are heading out soon , wanted to know from you guys what pass is the hardest on a tow vehicle,, Ive been over Raton and its like 7,000 ft. not to steep ..
But I read Poncha pass:
The pass has a mild approach on the northern side and a moderate 5% approach from the south, though it remains open all year round and does not normally cause problems for vehicles in winter.
Would it be a harder crawl than Raton ?
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cruiserjs
Mesa AZ/ openroad
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We have used both pretty often. To me they are just about the same, but how do you propose getting to the San Luis valley in order to cross Poncha?
Just curious.
John
Colorado Cruiser
Cruiser CF29CK 5th wheel; 2009 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2wd, short bed
wonderful lifetime traveling companion/spouse
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hbarker
Tyler
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was going to cut on 64 off I-25 and check out eagles nest, NM, and redriver, NM.
But also dont know about hwy 38 out of eagles nest.. hows it?
ms streets does not show a mountain pass on it,
* This post was
edited 07/06/11 08:30pm by hbarker *
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IDman
colorado
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Poncha Pass is very easy from either direction. From the south, it is a long and straight shot with a very good road. It is only 9000' so there is nothing to it. If you are going to the town of Poncha Springs and don't want to go over a "pass", then take I-25 to Pueblo, then go west on Hwy 50. This will take you along the Arkansas River which is a very slow, winding road with lots of traffic. I'd take Poncha Pass.
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hbarker
Tyler
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I-25 to Pueblo, then go west on Hwy 50...
Thats the way we usually go.. or cut off at walsenburge an take 69..
But ,, we wanted to take a diff route this tiem and see some more stuff we have not seen before.
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grey`eagle
N31° 55’ W95° 30’ ----- ESE of One Tree, TX
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hbarker wrote:But also dont know about hwy 38 out of eagles nest.. hows it?
ms streets does not show a mountain pass on it,
NM 38 from Eagle Nest over to Red River is a good road. You'll cross Bob Cat pass (9820') just before Red River, it's no big deal. RV accommodations in RRiver are not the greatest.
From Red River west over to Questa is also a good road. North from Questa on NM522 which becomes CO159 at the state line is a good road all the way to Ft Garland, they just resurfaced it last summer.
West from Ft. Garland on US160 to Alamosa, then north on CO17 to US285 to Poncha Springs at 9012'. CO Dot indicates Poncha Springs pass is <3%.
Bottom line - 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other. Going I-25 and US160, you cross Raton and No LaVeta, both are no big deal. Going US64 to NM 38, you'll cross Bob Cat then nothing else until Poncha Springs.
If you go thru Cimarron on US64, be darn sure and watch your speed. Cimarron PD patrols that mile or so thru town very aggressively.
Also, If you decide to go thru RRiver, then you can save quite a few miles by taking US56 out of Clayton, NM to Springer. Then north on I-25 for about 5 miles to NM58 to Cimarron, then west on US64.
We go this way every year towing our 30ft 5ver and have no qualms at all.
'04 F-250 PSD TV
'04 CF28CK Cruiser
Now enjoying mother earth at ground level and one mile per minute.
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hbarker
Tyler
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Ohhh man !!,, Thats the good info I was looking for..
Your a regular search engine grey'eagle .. Thanks fellas !
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grey`eagle
N31° 55’ W95° 30’ ----- ESE of One Tree, TX
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One more tidbit of info that might help.
If you go thru Amarillo on US287, then suggest not going north on US287 thru Dumas. They are in the middle of constructing a RR overpass just west of town on US87 and traffic gets bogged down.
There are three alternates to get back on US87. The route we take is to continue thru Amarillo on I-40 to the westside Loop 335, then north on the loop for about 5 miles. Take the FM1061 exit to the right, then left under the overpass on FM1061 up to US385. That will be 26 miles of TX Farm Road which is a good road with little traffic and a few rolling hills for about the first 5 or 6 miles.
At US385 right turn toward Channing, Hedley, then Dalhart where you'll intercept US87 toward Clayton, NM.
Again, watch your speed going thru Hedley, they have a very active "Smokey Bear" that hides in the bush.
2nd alternative is to stay on I-40 west to US385 to Vega then north on US385 toward Dalhart, this is 24 miles further than the FM1061 route.
3rd alternative is to head north on US287 out of Amarillo toward Dumas. Turn left on TX 354, just north of Masterson, toward Channing, this exit is 12 miles south of Dumas and is exactly the same mileage as going thru Dumas.
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