Route question: Las Cruces, NM to Brantley Lake State Park

PawPaw_n_Gram wrote:
The grade from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft will kill any fuel savings you might expect with a shorter route. It will also not save any time because you will be running at 25-30 mph max and slower on some sections.

Don't get me wrong, I love the drive, but I know it is going to cost me more fuel and time rather than going up to US-70 and the Ruidoso Bypass to Roswell and down to Artesia and points south.

I think I get 6 mpg going up that hill with the 5er. 4 if I triple tow the quad trailer. Going next Friday

I called NMDOT about the tunnel work. The pull out for the White Sands view is closed so the contractor can use it for his equipment. Flagmen will be there 8pm to 5 am Sunday through Thursday. They are leaving it open during the day.

The grade from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft will kill any fuel savings you might expect with a shorter route. It will also not save any time because you will be running at 25-30 mph max and slower on some sections.

Don't get me wrong, I love the drive, but I know it is going to cost me more fuel and time rather than going up to US-70 and the Ruidoso Bypass to Roswell and down to Artesia and points south.

If you go option 1 the climb over Guadalupe Pass is about 4-5 miles of grades up to 8%.

The good news is that you will be going through Cornudas 50 miles east of El Paso. The Cornudas burger at May's cafe is worth a stop.

From Las Cruces I would second RE Todd's suggested route. When you get on Montana/180 there is a Wal Mart that has pumps that are easy to get into if you need fuel. Take a right at the first stop light at Tierra del Este.

You should buy a package of bird seed before you get there. There are a couple of coveys of desert quail that wander through the campground. If you through out some bird seed they will get within 20 feet of you.

Choice one for sure! Do not go through Cloudcroft!

RE_Todd wrote:
There are total road closures at the tunnel from late evening to early morning for most of this month I believe. I want to say 8PM to 3AM.

And according to the news 20 minutes after I posted this, 8PM to 5AM, Sun through Thursday until October

There are total road closures at the tunnel from late evening to early morning for most of this month I believe. I want to say 8PM to 3AM.
The route through the Guadalupe's is flat and boring until you get to the Guadalupe's. If you decide to go that way, take I25 south to NM 404. Head east on NM 404 to the traffic circle, head south on NM 213 to El Paso. Take the freeway on ramp onto the US 54 west, then take the TX 375 headed east. Exit at Montana Ave, US 180, US 62 east and head towards Guadalupe and Carlsbad. This avoids downtown EP and all of the construction on the I10 on the west side of EP.
The 4 lane option is the 70 east out of Las Cruces, through Ruidos, to Roswell. Take the south relief route to bypass Roswell and head south on the 285.

That's 16 miles of 6% on 82 west of Cloudcroft. There's a tunnel, but it's marked 17'0" vertical clearance. East of Cloudcroft the descent is much longer and more gradual with only a few short sections of 5 - 6% east of Cloudcroft. We're in a 5th wheel and not a Class A, but I always take 62/180 around to Carlsbad. (Las Cruces native.)

Rob

Good roads either way. The climb from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft is 6-7% grade. Others mentioned the DOT website. It is nmroads.com. Option one is through the Guadalupe Mountains. Option 2 is through the Sacramento mountains.

US-82 will actually take you over the mountain and through Cloudcroft (but not near Guadalupe National Park). In another recent post there was mention of construction near the tunnel on US-82, so I would check the New Mexico DOT website when you are about to travel. We have done the US-82 route a number of times and it is mostly good two lane.