Traveling from Estes Park to Glenwood Springs

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Snowtan

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Apr 17, 2018
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Hi - I'm new on this forum as well as a new RV owner.  We are planning a 5 week trip to Colorado in July 2018 in our 32 foot Coachmen Class C.  We will be towing a car as well.  My question has to do with the trip we have routed from Estes Park to Glenwood Springs.  We will be traveling along Trail Ridge Road south and our GPS has us routed over a road called Trough RD (CR 1).  The map shows it is unpaved.  I've seen some people indicated that it is passable in a car, but would an RV be able to make the trip?

Any help you could offer would help

Thanks
Nancy
 
I  have seen people using a class C off road. It is not something I would ever do. It would shake the RV way too much and if you broke down or got stuck and needed a tow you would be in a bad position. I stick to big wide heavily traveled roads when driving an RV.

https://www.visitgrandcounty.com/explore/scenic-byways-and-drives/trough-road/
 
I'd stay off those unpaved roads in the Rockies with anything less capable than a Jeep, unless you know specifically where it's going and what it's like. Some of them have some rather tight, narrow switchbacks plus, as Tom says, they can be mighty rough on your rig. Some of them can, with little warning, become 4 wheel drive only part way through, too. Even some of the paved roads are not much fun in an RV. Trail Ridge Road (U.S. 34) is basically an east/west road and, though it's basically a nice road, has some places where you'll be white knuckling while driving that class C -- a couple of spots I'm white knuckled in my F-150.

For Glenwood Springs from Estes if you use Trail Ridge, I'd either take U.S. 40 East (it goes south from Granby) to I-70 then west or U.S. 40 West  from Granby through Kremmling to Colorado 134 West to Colorado 131 South to I-70, then west. However if it were me in my Ventana (38 foot DP), I'd take U.S. 36 East from Estes to Boulder (avoiding Trail Ridge in my RV), then Colorado 93 south to I-70, then west to Glenwood Springs.

However, though I know that U.S. 40 south from Granby is decent road, with only the Berthoud pass  having tight switchbacks and steep climbs and descent, I've never been on Colorado 134 or 131, so perhaps someone who has traveled that section can pipe up.

Addendum: Looking at Tom's link, I see "partially paved and hard-packed-dirt mountain drive that has amazing views and breathtaking hairpin turns" as part of the description. I'd avoid it.
 
Take US 34 through Rocky Mountain National Park to Granby  (US 34 will not open through RMNP any earlier than Memorial Day weekend)

Take US 40 from Granby, through Kremmling

North of Granby, turn west on CO 134 (Gore Pass Road)

From junction of CO 134 and CO 131, go south to Wolcott.

At Wolcott, take US 6 west all the way to Gypsum

At Gypsum, get on I-70 to Glenwood Springs.

Be prepared for some traffic madness at Glenwood Springs as they have the main bridge over I-70 being rebuilt currently.

Cheers,

Dan K.
 
I've taken Dankearney's route and it is the best way if you want some good scenery.
 
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