Durango Co to Tetons WY route

We drove our former 5th wheel (28' Cardinal) with our current Duramax diesel five years ago from Durango to Grand Tetons. Basically the same route Old Biscuit offered. I had some initial concern driving that route (Hwy 550 to Ouray), but knew that if I didn't do it I'd kick myself later. And we were glad we did. The scenery was fabulous. You don't have to drive any faster than you're comfortable with. Besides, there are plenty of turnouts and some tourist stops along the way.

North of there the other mountain driving is hit & miss. Some serious grades, but a lot more flat driving.

If you're not up to this route then try a flatter route, but I think you'll be glad you did.

From Durango you could head west to Cortez (Mesa Verde Nat'l Park) then north on 145/62 into Ridgway then a short 'flat' distance on 550 to Ouray to spend a night or two. From Ouray drive your truck down to Silverton. It's so beautiful and unique it would be a shame to miss it.

From Ouray take the 'flat' 550/50 north to Montrose (major shopping, if needed) and on to Grand Junction, CO and I-70. The steep part of 550 is only between Durango and Ouray. The rest of 550 is just fine so don't be concerned.

Then I-70 west to Green River, Utah and pick up Hwy 6/191 (easy route) taking you to Spanish Fork, Utah. Then take I-15 north to Idaho Falls, Idaho. To get to the Teton Nat'l Park then take Hwy 26 into Alpine, Wyoming then north on 89 into Jackson, Wyoming and continue into the national park. It's all a very easy drive with a RV.

When your're along Hwy 26 don't be tempted to take the short cut to Jackson via 31/22. You'll have a steep pass to drive. Stay on 26. It's all a beautiful drive.

Major groceries and fuel are just before entering the town of Jackson - a Smith's on the left and an Albertson's on the right a little farther.

Have a great trip!

floridacamper wrote:
I have a small TT 23ft with a Ford 150 with a transmission cooler & tow package. It pulls fairly easy but I didn't realize the elevation was so high. I'm wondering if it would be passable at the end of May. Wow I might have to rethink my route. Thank you for your time. Its a wake up call for sure.

H E R E Durango to Silverton to Ouray is a graphic representation of the elevations you'll be dealing with. You'll have 3 passes -- Coal Bank, Molas, and Red Mountain -- all of them between 10000 and 11000 feet (Red Mountain is actually 11075). It's a US highway, so it will be maintained. On any day in May however, there could be a goodly snowstorm that may close portions of it, particularly north of Red Mountain Pass.

Do a search here on "US 550" or "million dollar highway", or google either one, and then make a decision as to whether you want to do it. You will get a vast array of opinions on it's difficulty. Make an informed decision.

Take HWY 550 (N) out of Durango up to Montrose then HWY 50(N) to Grand Junction
I-70(W) to Route 139(N) to HWY 40 at Dinosaur CO.
Then HWY 40(W) to Vernal and then HWY 191(N) to HWY 189(N) in WY and on to Jackson

We just made this exact route in reverse: Jackson to Durango with one small variation (We stopped at Manila, Utah for our Flaming Gorge visit.)

This was our first time to tow over US 550 from Ouray, through Silverton, to Durango. We enjoyed it greatly. Wish we had not been so hesitant before. Our rig is a 34' fifth-wheel pulled by a Chevrolet Silverado diesel, Duramax/Allison. We never had a moment of concern about the highway or control of our rig. I highly recommend this route.

Our overnight stops between Colter Bay and Durango were Flaming Gorge/Manila KOA, Rifle Gap State Park, and Ridgeway State Park in the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk campground

I have a small TT 23ft with a Ford 150 with a transmission cooler & tow package. It pulls fairly easy but I didn't realize the elevation was so high. I'm wondering if it would be passable at the end of May. Wow I might have to rethink my route. Thank you for your time. Its a wake up call for sure.

Well.

Take HWY 550 (N) out of Durango up to Montrose then HWY 50(N) to Grand Junction
I-70(W) to Route 139(N) to HWY 40 at Dinosaur CO.
Then HWY 40(W) to Vernal and then HWY 191(N) to HWY 189(N) in WY and on to Jackson


Course 550 will take you to/thru Silverton and lots of high elevation passes and mountain 2 lane driving

HWY 139 is more mountain driving

Stop off at Dinosaur National Monument via Jensen UT off HWY 40....worth the stop

Then HWY 191 out of Vernal is more mountain driving but takes you thru Flaming Gorge/Dutch John

After that pretty easy drive----roughly 600 miles total

Full of great scenery and adventure


Too MUCH???

What are you towing and with what??

I've made that same trip both directions couple times towing my 34' 5th wheel.....but with diesel truck and LOTS of mountain driving plus I grew up and worked in that area (UT/CO/WY)