Steep Grades Colorado Springs to Moab
Hey all, Visiting a friend in Colorado Springs then headed to Moab area. Looking for route suggestions that avoid switchbacks, steep grades, and bad roads. We leave in 3 weeks. It's not that my ...
Forum Discussion
There are no switchbacks or bad roads using I-70. It's a 4-6 lane freeway all the way from Denver to Green River, Utah. Yes, it has two 6% grades, one on the downhill from the Eisenhower Tunnel to Silverthorne and both uphill and downhill on Vail Pass.
If those grades are too tough for you, then, yes, you will need to avoid all east-west roads through Colorado. But, if you use I-25 to go from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque, then northwest to Moab, you still have to cross Raton Pass. Raton is just as steep as Vail Pass, but lower in elevation by 2,500 feet and slightly shorter in distance. So, in my book, you will add hundreds of miles of driving to avoid a few extra minutes of 6% grades.
If those grades are too tough for you, then, yes, you will need to avoid all east-west roads through Colorado. But, if you use I-25 to go from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque, then northwest to Moab, you still have to cross Raton Pass. Raton is just as steep as Vail Pass, but lower in elevation by 2,500 feet and slightly shorter in distance. So, in my book, you will add hundreds of miles of driving to avoid a few extra minutes of 6% grades.
