Colorado Mountain Towing

[gjc-99]

We are planning our first TM trip to Colorado later this month: Mesa Verde-Durango-Silverton-Gunnison. I am interested in information you might have on the mountain towing (steep grades, narrow tunnels, etc.) on US 550 Durango to Montrose and US 50 Montrose to Pueblo. Also special things to see, avoid, or other suggestions you may have regarding this route.
Thanks

My first memory of the trip on 550 is as a 7yr old.. I thought the trip was lovely, however my mom spent the dirve pretty much in the floorboard of the car (her first major mountain pass) lol. A few years ago I was pulling a popup from durango north and met a lady driving in the complete middle of the very narrow road, she was on the outside of the road and we had to come to a complete stop, as we met her I looked at her and she was in complete terror, white knuckles, gripping the steering wheel and all.. since she was going about 15 and maybe 6 inches from my vehicle I could see her very well . I have driven this pass many times pulling a popup and wouldn't hesitate to go there with my TM, just drive slow and allow time for stopping and taking lots of pictures! It's one of the most beautiful highway drives in Colorado, Silverton is lovely, Ouray is a great little place and there is a forest service campground overlooking the town that is cool. Telluride is a great town if you like artsy places and is in that general area. there are lots of great FS campgrounds with lovely scenery etc.. Plus the weather is great if you're tired of the heat and humidity we here in MO have been having lately..


Leesa and and sometimes my dh Robert
dks Sawyer 11 and Courtney 19
two maltese Katie and Topanga
2004 Ford Explorer
2006 3023 TM

SW Missouri physically but my heart's in Colorado

My information is dated (1975!) but a ride on the narrow gauge steam railway in Durango is not to be missed. While the pizzaria is probably long gone, I had one of the best pizzas of my life in Durango - it had a rye crust and they set it on the table on top of a rack with a candle below to keep it hot. Alas, the name of the pizzaria escapes me!

Could that have been Farquahrts-Pizza Mia? My sister and brother-in-law live right outside of Durango up in the Wildcat Canyon area. My brother-in-law, Ron Atkinson, volunteers a lot with the Durango-Silverton Rail Road, especially during Railfest and when Thomas the Train is in town. As camp2canoe says, the ride to Silverton is a must! What we do is buy one round trip ticket and share it with somebody else. We ride the train to Silverton. They drive to Silverton, meet us for lunch and we drive back while they ride the train back and we pick them up at the station. It makes for a pretty long day if you ride the train both ways. Scenery is spectacular!

[wbmiller3]

Just went through some of this area early this summer. We drove the stretch of 550 from Montrose to Ouray and it was a fine road. Didn't continue on to Durango, however. 50 from Montrose to Gunnison is OK but there is a big hill at the west end of Blue Mesa lake as the road drops down into the canyon.

The only serious pass we experienced in this area was on 149 east of Lake City. Made it over fine but it is a bit steep and winding.

Beautiful area, cool temps compared to Houston. Have a great trip!

PS we rated "Canyons of the Ancients National Monument" (near Mesa Verde) a don't-miss. The ruins aren't as spectacular as Mesa Verde but we were the only folks around and it was fun to hike around the ruins without rangers hovering over you.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by gjc-99

We are planning our first TM trip to Colorado later this month: Mesa Verde-Durango-Silverton-Gunnison. I am interested in information you might have on the mountain towing (steep grades, narrow tunnels, etc.) on US 550 Durango to Montrose and US 50 Montrose to Pueblo. Also special things to see, avoid, or other suggestions you may have regarding this route.
Thanks

I did both highways just this spring on a camping trip to Ridgway SP (about 15 miles S of Montrose). Canon City to Montrose both ways with trailer in tow; Ridgway -Durango-Ridgway with just the truck.

US 550 from Durango to Ouray (part of the San Juan Skyway) has 3 high passes (Coal Bank: elevation 10640; Molas Divide:10910; and Red Mountain Pass 11008). There are steep grades (6% to 8%) and narrow, often very narrow stretches on each side of each of these passes. Red Mountain pass has many hairpin turns on both sides, particularly the north side. Between Red Mountain Pass and Ouray is a roughly 6 mile stretch of extremely narrow road with 1000 foot cliffs above the pavement and, in places, a 500 ft sheer drop below the road to the canyon below. The shoulder is only about 3 inches wide in many places and there are several places going north where the rock wall leans out over the pavement. The speed limit is 25 mph and, in quite a few places, that's actually a bit high. There is one short tunnel in this stretch but it's relatively wide compared to the road on each side. Because of its reputation as a thrilling automotive theme park, I found there are a lot of people driving it who shouldn't be...they're completely clueless about mountain roads and are downright dangerous to share this road with. Compounding the problem are occasional semitrucks and folks driving oversized motorhomes and pulling 5th wheels.

So while it is possible to tow your trailer over this road, I suspect you'll not enjoy the experience at at all. Even I, a guy who regularly tows my TM over all kinds of Colorado mountain roads, would not willingly tow my trailer over this stretch...mainly because there are simply too many dangerous, clueless drivers simultaneously gawking and hogging the center line.

By contrast, US50 between Montrose and Canon City is pretty mild (with the exception of Monarch Pass). There are a couple of miles of 5% grades on each side of two summits between Montrose and Blue Mesa Res. that will work your vehicle a bit. And then about 20 miles east of Gunnison is Monarch Pass...elevation 11312 with almost 10 miles of 6% grades and a lot of curves on both sides. Then it's just miles of somewhat curvy but gentle descent down the Arkansas canyon until you get about 10 miles west of Canon City...you'll then have about a 1 mile 6% climb and a few miles later a 5 mile 5% descent into Canon City. After that, some gently rolling terrain all the way into Pueblo. With the exception of a couple of short stretches in a canyon on the west side of Blue Mesa and again just east of Salida, US50 is a wide road with good shoulders.

Both Silverton and Ouray are very touristy. A day's expedition on the Durango and Silverton NGRR is worthwhile. If you're going to stop in Ouray, a side trip (without trailer) into the box canyon is kinda neat.

The Forest Service's Amphitheater Campround above Ouray is stunning in beauty but there are only about 2 sites that might, repeat might hold even a small TM. And the interior roads are extremely narrow and steep. This is a tent or small popup campground only.

The campgrounds (there are 3) at Ridgway State Park (about halfway between Ouray and Montrose) are, however, quite good. One even has full hookups and excellent spacing between sites.

[wbmiller3]

Forgot to mention, my son caught some nice trout at the day-use area in Ridgeway state park. Beautiful spot, too.

[gjc-99]

Thanks for the information! Ray, your info on 550 is especially appreciated -- sounds like more fun than I really want this time. I will probably alter my route.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by gjc-99

Thanks for the information! Ray, your info on 550 is especially appreciated -- sounds like more fun than I really want this time. I will probably alter my route.

Very good decision. US550 is an awesome road when done on a powerful motorcycle or in a sports car. And it's not too bad with regular vehicles. But I think it very unwise to try tow anything over it.

As an alternate route from the Mesa Verde/Cortez area, I'd recommend Colo Hwy 145 from Cortez to Placerville (with a possible side trip into Telluride), then east on Colo Hwy 62 over the Dallas Divide to Ridgway (where you join US 550). Read this description on MileByMile.com. Both Colo 145 and 62 are fairly lightly traveled and are far more "towing friendly" than US 550 between Durango and Ouray. That's not to say they're flat...CO 145 does cross Lizard Head Pass (10222) but the grade on both sides is fairly mild (mostly 5%, sometimes 6%). Until you get near the stretch between Lizard Head Pass and Telluride, the scenery isn't as dramatic as the long stretch between Coal Bank Pass and Ouray but is still quite pleasant...and IMO, more "real West" (I've had to wait a few times for cowboys to move a herd of cattle across this highway). Nonetheless the stretch between Lizard Head and Telluride, even Placerville is really quite stunning. And the views just east of the Dallas Divide on CO 62 of the north wall of the San Juans (including Mt Sneffels (a 14er)) are just killer. Here's a fairly famous photo taken from near this highway:
http://www.rockymtnrefl.com/DallasDivide2004.html

There are also several USFS campgrounds along CO145...Matterhorn and Sunshine are both highly rated. Matterhorn even has a few full hookup sites (amazing for a rural USFS campground!) and is on the national reservation system via reserverusa.com or reserveamerica.com.

If this is your first trip to the mountains please don't be afraid of the heights. Unless you are prone to driving off roads and wrecking your car you should have little trouble driving the mountains. It is a matter of confidence. However I do know of a lady who drove her car up the Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction to Fruita, and upon reaching the visitor's center, refused to go any further and had to have someone drive the car the rest of the way. Probably best to not look down the canyons while you are driving but pull off at a pull-out and enjoy the scenery where you can grasp the railing.
Too many places to visit and roads to travel for me to give any advice which way to go. Just give yourself plenty of time and enjoy.

Bob
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