Truck camper safari through Colorado in april-may?

[windhorse]

Hello, I have a golden oldie 1996 Lance Legend 500 slide on camper on a 2003 Chevy Silverado that is currently in San Antonio, Texas, and am about to start driving north, boondocking along the way, to reach Minnesota in mid-June. To do that, I would very much like to travel up through Santa Fe and Taos to Alamosa in southern Colorado, then via Durango, Silverton, and visit Rocky Mountain National Park, but I am not sure if this route is a good idea, considering the weather in Colorado at this time of the year?

I don't mind cold weather, and the gas-powered furnace in the camper works very well, so that is not a problem, but I'm reluctant to risk overnighting in sub-zero night temperatures, fearing this may freeze and damage the water pipes in the camper, and am also concerned about the hazards of driving in snow and ice on steep mountain roads if that occurs. So my concern about the weather is not personal comfort but the viability of driving a truck camper in high mountain areas like Taos towards the end of April and in May?

I'd be very happy to hear from you if you have any advice or experiences to share related to making a truck camper trip in this part of the world at this time of year.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

All I can say is that you are wise to be wary of those things. They are both real potential issues. The water tubing & tanks probably won't freeze if the interior is heated and temps don't drop far below freezing. Ice & snow on the roads are unpredictable in the mountains, so it's a crap shoot. Truck campers make the vehicle really top-heavy, so be ultra-cautious.

Hopefully somebody with local knowledge of spring weather can advise further.

 

[LarsMac]

We drove that route in and old Dodge PU with a slide in some years back. It was wonderful/marvelous and AMAZING.
We did get stranded for a couple of days near Boreas pass when the weather turned, but we were prepared and waited for the thaw.

Patience is the key. The weather will be unpredictable, but generally fair, but can turn quickly.

Keep an eye on the weather pages

National Weather Service

and on the State Highway pages,

NMRoads - The official road advisory system for the State of New Mexico

Looking for current road and weather conditions? Visit the NMDOT's 511 Travel Info system for up-to-the-minute road conditions.

www.nmroads.com

COtrip Traveler Information

Reports regarding traffic incidents, winter road conditions, traffic cameras, active and planned construction, etc.

www.cotrip.org

and make you decisions day by day. Don't get in a hurry to make the next spot.
Springtime in the Rockies can be Amazing and beautiful, but it can also be deadly.

 

[CharlesinGA]

Be aware that reservations are required for RMNP.

Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

READ the alerts at the top of the page, they discuss the weather. Scroll down for info on the timed entry system.

Charles

 

[COCJ]

We live in Montrose on the West side of Colorado, north of Durango. Earlier this week temps got down into the mid 20's at night. Last few nights it hasn't got below freezing. Supposed to be getting progressively warmer through the next week. I think that you should be OK as long as you keep things warm at night and watch the weather. You probably don't want to try camping anywhere in the mountains north of Durango until you get at least to Montrose. Any travel through the mountains runs the risk of possible snow and ice until June. We have driven our truck camper through the mountains in snow and ice and you just need to be careful. Our truck is four wheel drive. Two wheel drive might be a little risky. We just got back from a road trip to Death Valley and had a couple of cold nights on the way back and no issues. I brought a couple gallons of RV anti-freeze with just in case but never used them. An indoor/outdoor thermometer might be a good idea for peace of mind.