I70 west out of Denver

Thom02099 wrote:

russ1102 wrote:
Give me some input on I70 west out of Denver. I'm towing a 5 ton 5th wheel with a Ford diesel.

To give you some specifics about the drive, in very general terms:

Going WB out of Denver, you'll do a climb from Golden/470 area up to Evergreen Parkway; it's about 6-7 miles up, but not overly difficult.

Levels off for a bit (level being a relative term in our mountains!)with some ups/downs and curves. No biggie.

Next up is Floyd Hill. Bit of a climb and a rather long descent to where Hwy 6 joins up with I-70. Flattens out again, a bit curvy to Idaho Springs but again no biggie.

Idaho Springs to Georgetown. Beautiful drive, no difficulties at all...again that leveling thang!

Georgetown to the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel. Climb begins west of Georgetown, reaching the tunnels at ~11000 feet -- this is the highest point crossing the Rockies, unless you take Loveland Pass instead of the tunnels (tops out around 12000). Descent from the tunnels to Silverthorne is about 11 miles to get down...it's long but there's runaway truck ramps and multiple lanes in both directions.

Silverthorne/Frisco/Dillon area. Incredibly beautiful. Definitely worth stopping there if you have the time. From Frisco west to Vail Pass...again those curves and some ups/downs, but nothing major. Climb up the east side of Vail Pass not overly difficult, nor is the descent into Vail. Vail Pass tops out at 10600, that's the last high point heading WB.

Through Vail/Avon/Edwards area, beautiful country, no difficulties driving at all, just your typical mountain curves. Again relatively flat, not a lot of ups and downs. At this point, you're primarily in downhill mode from Vail all the way to the Glenwood Springs area and on into Grand Junction. Glenwood Canyon is particularly breathtaking in it's beauty, so if you get a chance to stop and savor some of the sights, it's highly recommended.

Glenwood to GJ just continues on down hill and is an easy drive.

Hope you enjoy your trip to Colorado!