Driving to IRG

[s4son]

For all you road warriors out there. Which is the best route over the Rockies, Interstate 70 or Interstate 80? This part of the drive is the only thing that has me concerned. I have very limited experience driving in the mountains and none pulling a trailer. What do you guys (and gals) think?

Scott F.

[Joanne]

For all you road warriors out there. Which is the best route over the Rockies, Interstate 70 or Interstate 80? This part of the drive is the only thing that has me concerned. I have very limited experience driving in the mountains and none pulling a trailer. What do you guys (and gals) think?

Scott F.

Scott,

I don't know if it's the best for an inexperienced trailer hauler, but I-70 between Utah and Denver is one of my favorite roads in the US. (Highway 1 up the California coast is my other favorite). Beautiful!!

Joanne

[grant whipp]

Hey, Scott!

Either way, the highways are good! It's a bit of a pull coming out of Denver and up to the Eisenhower Tunnel at 10,000'+ elevation, and if your heart & lungs can take that, I-70 is the prettier drive!

You've go to get to I-80 sooner or later, so it's your choice whether you do it when you leave KC, or wait 'til you get to Utah. Enjoy your trip and drive safely ... it's going to be a beautiful trip!

CHEERS!

Grant

[TENNJIM]

Agree that I-70 is the prettiest. I-80 through Wyoming and Utah is okay for trailer pulling, a lot of up-and-down but not too curvey, can be windy. When I went to Minden last year, there was a lot of construction on I-80. So, construction might be a bigger concern than pulling the trailer if you can check it out somehow through the States' DOT's.

Jim B / Utah

[mfkaplan]

Last summer I drove I80 from Indiana to Sacramento, stopping for the ITG. I had no trouble pulling my trailer with my PT Cruiser over the mountains. There was a lot to see as far as new scenery. Maybe not as exciting as I70, but pretty neat anyway. There was some construction, but there was construction on most of the interstates I traveled. The trip took me from California to Georgia and back. The worst part of I80 seemed to be just over on the California border. You have to take that part of the route anyway. The trip is a bit quicker on I80 I believe. That's something to think about If its a long trip.

[asianflava]

Don't know if it is still going on but there was construction on I-70 when we drove thru last Spring. The construction was going on at Glenwood Canyon. That is where the East bound lanes travel on top of the West bound lanes. It could be the other way around because both directions were on one level when we were there. It looked like they were resurfacing the lower deck.

[Nitetimes]

..... That is where the East bound lanes travel on top of the West bound lanes. It could be the other way around because both directions were on one level when we were there. It looked like they were resurfacing the lower deck.

Where exactly is that? Sounds like something I'd like to see!!

[Gage]

If my memory serves me right. It was on the East side of the Eisenhower Tunnel. It was under construction in June when we went back to Minden. One lane both directions. Wasn't to bad.

[asianflava]

..... That is where the East bound lanes travel on top of the West bound lanes. It could be the other way around because both directions were on one level when we were there. It looked like they were resurfacing the lower deck.

Where exactly is that? Sounds like something I'd like to see!!

It is something to see. I saw a Discovery Channel program about all the challenges they had when they did it. There was no way to get all those lanes of traffic thru the canyon because there is a river in the middle and a train track on the other side.

It's about 2 hours from Grand Junction, halfway between Grand Junction and the Eisenhower Tunnel. On the West side of the tunnel.

The traffic wasn't too bad thru the construction but I can see one accident really tying things up since it is only one lane in each direction.

Found some pics on the web:

[Gage]

Yep, my memory stinks. When we went back to Minden, we were up on the west bound side. Even then, it's quite a site.

[sdtripper2]

Here are some Videos of the 1-70 Drive as well as some
explanations of 2008 road construction plans in Colorado.


Youtube Drive I-70 - Glenwood Canyon, Colorado at 2X

Youtube Time Lapse Scenic Drive - I-70 in Western Colorado

Youtube Colorado Road Trip - Rocky Mountain High (With John Denver singing)

Scheduled projects of I-70 in Colorado for 2008 seem limited to some on-ramps near down town Denver
I-70 & SH58 in the City of Denver: Projects of on-ramps near down town Feb-Dec 2008

All Colorado Major Road Construction plans for 2008

[madjack]

Scott, I80 is a MUCH milder drive thru the mountains, than I70 is and if you've never been either way, the scenery, is OK as well(just not as dramatic as I70)...if you take I70, you will still havvta head north when you hit Utah, to catch I80 across to California....
madjack

p.s. another option is I70 to Denver, then US40, across Berthoud Pass and on to Salt Lake City, catching I80 along the way.....MJ

[Nitetimes]

Well upon further review of MS S&T it looks like I can run thru that canyon on the return trip and that will enable me to add Pikes Peak to the 'stops' list while by-passing Denver at the same time and still allow me to hit Merrimac Caverns and only add a few hundred miles to the trip.
I don't think there's much on 40 thru NM, TX and OK that I'll be missing.
Besides, Pikes Peak is pretty cool!

[Bill P]

Scott, I drove a big rig for a few years and I agree that I-70 is the more scenic of the two routes. That being said, as a driver, if I had a choice, I always chose I-80 because it has more gradual grades and, as someone mentioned, it tends to be up-down rather than up-down and twisty. Also, there is a whole lotta nothing along the way.

If you've never driven I-70 before; you'll be cheating yourself out of some of the most beautiful stretches of Interstate you'll ever see. Glenwood Canyon is, in my opinion, a national treasure. You'll have to go North eventually and you'll have to figure out which route you like best to go to SLC. I plan to take US 6 North just past Green River Utah to pick-up I-15 north at Provo (140 miles 3.5 hours). Staying on I-70 all the way to I-15 will add 5 hours and 275+ miles to your drive.

I plan on driving I-70 to IRG. I have August off so I may run South after IRG and check out as many Utah National Parks as I can fit in and then probably back to KC via I40.

Bill P

[s4son]

Thanks for all the responses. I think we will do I-80 to CA and then I-70 back. We want to haul butt west and then take our time coming home so we'll allow extra time on I-70. I wish it was next week, I have cabin fever so bad I can taste it.

Scott F.