Marshal Phil DeGrave SASS #55202 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Which way would you go? I will be pulling a 7000lb toy hauler, will have the wife and my two boys/mutts. I'm looking for the better way to go as far as gas stations, nice places to stop to let the boys out to run, etc. Time is not an issue, ease of travel is. Thanks in advance for your stories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Check out the Driving Directions As you mouse over the different ones, the routes will highlight on the map. Personally, I'd do the Flagstaff/Albuquerque route. Looks like the prettier drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Being a retired professional trucker, Subdeacon Joe's route is about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hacker, SASS #55963 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 If you are doing this in the winter time or anytime when snow might be possible take i10 to i25north I70 is bad in the wintertime. I don't think you want to do the eisenhower tunnel route in the winter not with a trailer. I have done i10 from Tucson to i25 north to Monument CO with a 35 foot motorhome. An alternative further north is i40 to i25 think that is what SJ was suggesting. An advantage if you have time is that SASS HQ is relatively near Alb NM. And NRA Whittington center is near NM/CO boundary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Marvel Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Personally, I'd do the Flagstaff/Albuquerque route. Looks like the prettier drive. The added advantage is that this route follows much of Old Rt 66 - there is some awesome scenary yhs prof marvel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Hill, sass # 49256 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Ditto on what Apache hawk, Hacker and Professor marvel said. In the early 90's I lived in Ohio and did some Over the road driving. One winter we took the afore mentioned south route to san Jose to avoid I70. Now that I live in Colorado I fully understand why. Its very scenic in nice weather, and a real mess when it snows. It can also be quite a strain on a vehicle when towing a heavy load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackaroo, # 29989 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Marshal Phil, I would go with Subdeancon Joe's route to ALBQ ..then a few miles out of ABQ take the Turquoise Trail up through Madrid (where they filmed Wild Hogs,we were there when they were filming , just lucky I guess), through Cerrilos where they filmed Young Guns, very cowboy town, then up to Sante Fe. It has great shopping a little expensive, but the old town square is very nice. Then carry on up to Taos where you can visit a very good Pueblo,... via Las Vegas......New Mexico .. not NV, where they have the Roughriders museum, make sure you're not there on a Monday, it's closed. LV here has a wonderful spanish Piazza, I'd read up on some of the history to make your trip interesting. Then if you carry on towards Cimarron to the Jesse James hotel quite famous, still bullet holes in the ceilings you can see where a lot of famous lawmen & outlaws stayed, good stop for lunch. They have modernised the hotel a bit, but purely to keep the business viable, but the original hotel is still intact. On the way there you will go through Eagles Nest, where is there a great Vietnam Air Corps Memorial & Museum. The road is fine and you'll have no trouble with ya trailer. After Cimarron you'll head for the I25 up to Colorado Springs where you could visit Garden of The Gods. If you're game, and the roads are still good you could go up to Canon City the highest suspension bridge in the world, and also visit Buckskin Joes cowboy town, the kids will love the cowboy show & gunfight on every day. The bridge is over 1000ft above the river where the white water rafters are mere ants??? Then down the other side to Colorado Springs, then just I25 to Denver. We have done that trip twice, cause we didn't do all what we wanted the first time. Hope this helps, drive safe friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calico Mary Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Jackaroo, hate ta tell ya but Buckskin Joe's closed down a while back, a bunch of us shooters went there on their last day. Kinda sad, and right now Royal Gorge is in sad shape, the bridge is still there but most of the rest of the park burned to the ground last summer. But Garden of the Gods is a beautiful place, and there's plenty of other cool stuff to see and do in Colorado Springs. I definitely agree with the others though, come east into NM then head up I25 to Denver. I70 ain't a bad drive but hauling something up Vail and Loveland passes ain't easy any time of year, and not something you want to do in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. I. Tarpicker, SASS #998 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 DON'T attempt going through either Santa Fe or Taos with a trailer. There's a north/south bypass around Santa Fe from I-25, but I wouldn't attempt to go north toward Alamosa on that route this time of year. -- GIT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackaroo, # 29989 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Hi Calico, Oh dear that is sad, I didn't know as we were last there in 2006 & 2009 I guess it was the economic times & the fires of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calico Mary Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Buckskin Joe's closed in 2011 I think it was, some rich guy bought the whole town and moved it to his private property....always wondered if the ghosts went with it......then last year there was a huge fire outside of Canon City, thankfully it didn't reach the town but pretty much destroyed Royal Gorge Park....they're in the process of rebuilding it but I'm not sure how far they've gotten. It could have been worse, the bridge itself just got singed a little.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I recommend I-40 to I-25 in the winter for all the previously mentioned reasons. However, it too can be a snowy route. Flagstaff is a ski town. However, the country is open and the freeway melts off quickly after the highway department plows it after a storm. The route from Gallup to Grants, NM goes through some scenic, red rock country. I never tire of the views. Arizona has some nice attractions right of the freeway like Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest. The boys would like these. Albuquerque has museums like Explora, National Atomic Museum and Balloon Museum that would appeal to boys. Your route has lots of camping opportunities too. Williams and Flagstaff have campgrounds that serve Grand Canyon visitors. Some Forest Service ones are bargains. The campground Capt. Baylor stays at just west of ABQ is reasonable and nice. North of Santa Fe some casinos offer free camping (but the grounds are not child friendly). On I-25 near the Colorado border, NRA's Whittington Center, Sugarite State Park in New Mexico, and Trinidad State Park in Colorado offer nice campgrounds near the freeway. Fuel is available readily. Watch the fuel prices at Indian casinos. Some casinos far from population centers offer deep discounted fuel to lure truckers onto their premises. Without the truckers they would have too little business. Your boys might enjoy gorging themselves at a casino buffet too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Phil DeGrave SASS #55202 Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 To all, Thanks for the info,I'm probably not heading out that way till May-July. I have never driven anywhere in that area. I have heard there is a bitch of a hill going into Denver, where is it and what road is it on? I really wanted to go through Az, I have a couple friends we would like to visit on the way over. Is the 25 out of Alb a good road/drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Cheaten Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 To all, Thanks for the info,I'm probably not heading out that way till May-July. I have never driven anywhere in that area. I have heard there is a bitch of a hill going into Denver, where is it and what road is it on? I really wanted to go through Az, I have a couple friends we would like to visit on the way over. Is the 25 out of Alb a good road/drive? The hill is on I 70 it's a 7% grade a littel over Three miles long. Then we have the climb up to the tunnels, And what go's up must go down also. he he. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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