steep grades on I-70
- Thread starter tooty2d
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It is a long climb to the Vail Pass and Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 but it's an interstate and trucks, cars, and RVs do it every day. It's also one of the prettiest mountain drives anywhere. Just take your time, gear down if necessary to keep engine temps in control, and enjoy it.
topdownman
Well-known member
FYI, when I crossed the Vail pass last year in my gasser, we unhooked the toad and my wife drove it behind the RV. Took some of the strain away.
Utclmjmpr
Well-known member
Its more "normal" than clever.>>>Dan
Hfx_Cdn
Well-known member
We took I 80 (I 84 around Salt Lake City) 2 years ago on our way back, as it has a lot lower summits.
Ed
Ed
ruthandken CDN
Well-known member
When we went on our Caravan last year thru Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, we checked the mountain guide before we set off everyday. If we thought the grades were too steep we unhooked and I followed in the car. With a caravan you only go 75 to 150 miles on a trip so it was no biggie, but I like to think it helped not to tax our engine. As our rig is gas it can struggle on the steeper grades, not so bad coming down as we have the grade brake but going up some of those mountains can be a hum dinger!!!!
Ruth
Ruth
Marsha/CA
Moderator Emeritus
A couple of years ago we took I 70 eastbound. Not only is it steep; but it is very rough as it gets tons of semi-truck traffic. I believe Eisenhower pass/tunnel is over 11,000+ feet in elevation. We have a diesel pusher and it did fine. As Ned says, it's a very beautiful route.
Marsha~
Marsha~
Larry N.
Well-known member
To slightly elaborate on the above posts, from the west side of the Denver area to Vail, there are a number of places where you'll find 5% and 6% grades, often for many miles at a crack. From Denver east and from Vail west the road is much more normal. Most of that area is above 6,000 feet, and much of it is above 9,000 feet. The Eisenhower tunnel is, indeed, a little over 11,000 feet, and Vail Pass peaks at over 10,000 feet. Note that with non-turbocharged engines (most gassers), you'll lose quite a bit of power at these higher altitudes.
The I-80 route mentioned above is, if feasible for you, less in both altitude and in steep grades. On either of the routes you'll want to carefully check weather and road conditions before using the respective routes (especially this time of year and later), since snow, rock slides, winds, and other things can make road conditions bad, or even close some road sections, at most any time of year. Both Colorado (I-70) and Wyoming (I-80) have very good web sites for checking road conditions, and there are even telephone numbers for that (*511 from a cell phone in Colorado -- not sure about Wyoming). There are also other numbers (available on the web site) for calling from out of state.
The I-80 route mentioned above is, if feasible for you, less in both altitude and in steep grades. On either of the routes you'll want to carefully check weather and road conditions before using the respective routes (especially this time of year and later), since snow, rock slides, winds, and other things can make road conditions bad, or even close some road sections, at most any time of year. Both Colorado (I-70) and Wyoming (I-80) have very good web sites for checking road conditions, and there are even telephone numbers for that (*511 from a cell phone in Colorado -- not sure about Wyoming). There are also other numbers (available on the web site) for calling from out of state.
geodrake
Moderator Emeritus
IMO steep grades are not a major problem if handled correctly. We drive a gas MH and are unable to climb comfortably at typical hiway speed. I do not like to subject the engine to high RPMs and stress. I usually pull into the truck lane and begin downshifting untill I find a gear that will allow me to climb and keep the RPMs in a range with which I am comfortable. That usually puts me right in sync with the trucks doing the same.
I drove from Denver to Fruita Colorado on I 70 today. Fruita is near the Utah border. I'm driving a new gasoline powered Winnebago (Ford V10) and pulling a two door jeep wrangler. I didn't find the grades to be a big deal if handled patiently. The steepest uphill grades at about 6% were done at about 35 miles an hour in synch with the slowest of the big rigs and 3,500 to 4,000 RPM. I did the steepest downhills 6%-7% grades in first gear with the tow haul feature on. A few taps on the brakes kept me below 5,000 rpm. Again I was travelling in synch with the heaviest truck traffic so I didn't feel like I was holding anybody up. It wasn't a big deal with dry roads.
We are staying at the Colorado State Park in Fruita. We will be heading to Moab tomorrow and probably staying at Big Bend or Goose Island. Any suggestions on which of those are preferable would be appreciated.
We are staying at the Colorado State Park in Fruita. We will be heading to Moab tomorrow and probably staying at Big Bend or Goose Island. Any suggestions on which of those are preferable would be appreciated.
Dan T said:
Goose Island is the closest one to town. It fills up quickly in the morning during the busy season...which is pretty much any time the weather is good. Big Bend can also fill early depending on what's happening in Moab. If you're getting off I-70 and taking the river road in, and Big Bend has a lot of people when you get there, I'd stop there, because if Big Bend is close to full, then Goose Island will be full. If there's space in both, we prefer Goose Island. You can watch the Canyonlands By Night light show from your campsite.
If you're ever stopping near Fruita again, there's a nice boondocking spot at Rabbit Valley, the last exit in Colorado before the Colorado-Utah border, on the south side of the interstate.
Enjoy Moab.
Wendy
