San Diego to Denver best route

If your ultimate destination is Denver and you want to avoid elevation then Utah is not the state you want to be in when going to Denver. Figure out a way to get to I-25 in New Mexico and then head north to Denver. Only pass you'll hit is Raton Pass which is much easier than any pass you'll hit going over the Continental Divide in CO. Or run up to I-80 in Wyoming and come from the north end.

Thanks AJ. Sorry I wasn't clear it my original post. I was looking for the best route between going though AZ or NV then through Utah vs. getting to New Mexico and going straight up to Colorado. So far it sounds like New Mexico is going to our best bet.

I-40 out of Barstow CA to Albuquerque NM then I-25 to Denver

I-8 to Casa Grande I-10 to Deming cut north to I-25 then to Denver

Both are around 1300 miles (300 miles further than I-15 thru UT)

OutlawCJ wrote:
Hello! Husband and I are driving our 39ft Class A to Denver via San Diego in late September. While we have researched some routes we are looking for real advice on the best route to get into Colorado. Any suggestions on which is best? San Diego through Nevada or Arizona then through Utah or through New Mexico and up to Colorado? We have 4 days of travel time scheduled and want to avoid rough roads and higher elevations. Thank you!

If I had 4 days I'd just do the easy route 15 to 70 - but would likely go through Zion - Bryce - Capital Reef and a number of state parks on a diagonal to I-70.

Don't miss Rt128 and possibly Maroon Bells on the drive to Denver.

Great time to be in the area, late September will likely let you catch the Aspen in Golden display in the Mountains.

BOL,

Old-Biscuit wrote:
...I-8 to Casa Grande I-10 to Deming cut north to I-25 then to Denver

Both are around 1300 miles (300 miles further than I-15 thru UT)

Good low altitude route and you can cut a few more hills out by staying on 1-10 to US 70 in Las Cruces then over to US54 in Alamagordo and up to NM 3 at Duran then up to I-25. There is some construction on US 54 and 3 runs along the Pecos River for 15 or so miles with a reduced speed, but they are good two lane roads without any significant grades. The 70/54/3 route misses the 7500ft of Glorieta pass, although eventually you have to climb up to Raton at 7835ft. NM 3 goes past Villenuava State Park if you are a trout fisherman.

If you are trying to avoid high elevations for health reasons, then by all means stick to the south in NM and take I-25 north.

However late September in CO means aspens. If you have four days, might I recommend: I-5 to I-17 to US 89 to US 160. You'll go through Durango and Pagosa Springs (scenic drive) then your only major climb is Wolf Creek Pass which is a good climb but not technically challenging. Continue on US 160 to Del Norte and take the CO 112 cutoff to US 285. It's an easy grade over Poncha Pass then continuing north on US 285 to Denver. Trout Creek Pass and Kenosha Pass are no big deal. You'll see lots of aspen and great scenery along this route. Less than 1200 miles this way which means 300 miles per day. If you can get to Durango by the second night (800 miles) you'll have two days to really enjoy the scenery through CO. Many thousands of RV's travel over this route every year.

Best route goes through Silverton (CO) but I read that they are doing construction between there and Ouray.

'best' is very much in the eye of beholder, or in this case the driver. Best scenery? best traffic? flattest? most boring?

By one one criteria, I40 to I25 is the best. By another I15 to I70. Or you could leave 15 and go through Bryce, Escalante and Capitol Reef.

What about I-8W to 85N at Gila Bend to I-10W to Loop 303 to I-17N to I-40W at Flagstaff? Possibly a bit shorter than other routes and an easy drive overall.

The NM route to I-25 sounds fine but in late September there could be snow in the high country so watch the forecast.

What the high points? Denver itself is 5000 ft.. My guess is that I25 to the south is also about that, with Raton Pass on the stateline being somewhat higher.

Then there's the high country between Flagstaff and Gallup, roughly the continental divide. What's that, about 7000? The Rio Grand crossing at the junction of I40 and I25 is probably the lowest point after leaving California.