4-Week August Family Trip
I am finishing the planning of our trip for this August; here is the latest itinerary. I understand the driving and heat and tight timeline, so please only share your thoughts on the route and our st...
Forum Discussion
mekkerl wrote:
This is the exact re-affirmation I needed! I'll have to review the Powell vs. Vegas idea with the wife and kids. Vegas changes up the trip a little, which will be nice I'm sure.
I'm not sold on the Silverton/Durango Train, as its a long haul, and since we are strapped in the truck so much, not sure being strapped in the train all day will bode too well.
Gunnison will definitely be a quick visit as we drive by.
The train trip takes a couple of hours each way and goes through scenery that is otherwise inaccessible except on foot. You get to explore Silverton, an old mining town, before you head back. It's totally worth it, and it's an old steam locomotive and you can ride in an open car if you want. Great experience.
US 550 is a good highway--it's built to federal standards. There IS a lot of up and down and twisty, but nothing extreme at all. The views are to die for (or from, if you wish to end it all and just leap into the canyon). As far as US 50 goes, it was the primary east-west federal highway from San Francisco to (I think?) Ocean Shores, Maryland back before the interstate system was built, so it was built to handle a lot of traffic and there are maximum allowable grades.
