Durango to Montrose

550 from Silverton to Ouray, is an awesome road for the scenery, BUT and that is one BIG BUT, it is NOT a road for the faint of heart. Yes, it can be done in an RV, as we have with ours, but not recommended for any who have NOT done many, many miles of mountain driving. The road is narrow, no guard rails, steep grades both up and down, plus curves from hell. Would I do it again, in a heartbeat, but we drive mountain roads almost daily, so have no problems with them.

Maw, Jim & Jake wrote:
Any info on the best route from Durango to Montrose driving our class A gas powered Grand Star MOHO pulling our 4000 pound toad is appreciated.
We went from Grand Junction to Durango via Moab as our Semi Truck GPS suggested (adding 100 miles to the trip) but wondered if there are more direct routes that would be alright and shorter. Our GPS suggests 160 to 145 to 62 to 550. Any steep climbs or descents there?
Thank you.
JMAT

Lizard Head Pass is one of the more gentile drives in the area -- Beautiful drive you should enjoy -- should be a little cooler than Utah -- lots of great little stops along the way -- When we stopped at Trout Lake I was ready to move in -- Dunton is a neat area and Telluride -- then Ralph Lourain's fences, before you get to Ridgway.

Beautiful area .

BOL,

Maw, Jim and Jake,
As has been said, the direct route from Durango to Montrose is what's known as the "Million dollar highway". Or, also known as the 550. Now, everyone's tolerances for certain situations, especially in mountain driving conditions will vary. Just what a person, (husband or wife etc.) will think is "scary" is all different in all of us. We have done that road, at least a dozen times in various motorhome towing operations and, also riding our Honda Goldwing.

It's an outstanding drive. One of the most scenic in all of Colorado. There are many out there but, this one it top ranked in scenery. Yep, no guard rails. But, who uses guard rails for driving anyway? All kidding aside, there's quite a bit of hills and grades but, without doubt, once you've done it, you'll want to come back. You'll use lots of low gear for both climbing and going down the other side.

It's amazing to me that others TELL people not to go on this road if they've never done it. You should make that decision for yourself. It's something one has to see for themselves. Now, once you've done it and, it does not appeal to you, then you can make an educated decision as to not travel it again.
Scott

The altitude may make your gas rig "a little weak", but the road is no better or worse than many mountain highways. UPS runs doubles over 550 every day, so the size of your rig shouldn't be a factor.

I agree with most of the above replys. However, as one who two months ago did the the Cortez to Tellurice to Montrose to Gunnison to Salida trip, let me add one thought.

At the top of the "passes" or other steep grades, you WILL put the RV tranny in low gear and proceed down the hill at about 10mph (my exhaust brake would not hold the coach). If you do not do this, and you depend on your RV brakes, you WILL toast them in a heartbeat. And, depending on the brake disk's condition, they will either cool off and be OK, or they can crack and need to be replaced.

Maw, Jim & Jake wrote:
Our GPS suggests 160 to 145 to 62 to 550. Any steep climbs or descents there?
Thank you.
JMAT

From Durango to Montrose we always go straight up 550 through Silverton and on to Ouray. However, we enjoy mountain driving like this. Some folks don't and that's why you'll hear 'don't do it'.

The other alternative is the way your GPS suggests: 160 west to 145 up through Telluride, then 62 to 550. (NOTE: 550 at this point will be very flat. It's the lower part between Ouray/Silverton/Durango that's exciting!)

Still, on your GPSs route before you come to Telluride, you will have a climb with gentle curves. It's a nice wide highway, just take your time. Have fun!

FIRE UP wrote:
/snip/It's amazing to me that others TELL people not to go on this road if they've never done it. You should make that decision for yourself. It's something one has to see for themselves. Now, once you've done it and, it does not appeal to you, then you can make an educated decision as to not travel it again.
Scott

Scott..I've told people where to go, but never where NOT to go...:B....that said, with all due respect, I must disagree with you here. That would be like telling someone who's afraid of flying to get on the plane and go. If you're still scared out of your wits, it's a little hard to simply get off. Heading up 550 to Ouray is not the time for experimenting. There's not too many places to simply make a U-Turn and say "Let's go a different way"...Google maps is everyone's friend. If you're unsure of a road, simply google it, move the little man down on the road and go....I've done it, many others have too, but I agree with The Texan..it ain't for the faint of heart....Dennis


Million Dollar Highway

Driving our brand new Oldsmobile over the Million Dollar Highway several years ago, I SMOKED our brakes! My husband said, "Someone's getting hot brakes - I can smell them." Well, guess what?! It was ours! (And I had thought I was casually pumping the brakes and not overusing them).

I will NEVER go over mountain passes like this one again - especially in an RV (even as a passenger)!

Last fall after leaving the east exit of Yellowstone (pretty creepy to us)we went to Cody, Wy. From there we were heading on over to Rapid City, SD. We both agreed to drive WAY out of the way and go north to Billings and get back onto I-90 rather than take the OMG 14A highway up over the Bighorn mountains! No regrets.

Just sayin'

Executive wrote:

FIRE UP wrote:
/snip/It's amazing to me that others TELL people not to go on this road if they've never done it. You should make that decision for yourself. It's something one has to see for themselves. Now, once you've done it and, it does not appeal to you, then you can make an educated decision as to not travel it again.
Scott

Scott..I've told people where to go, but never where NOT to go...:B....that said, with all due respect, I must disagree with you here. That would be like telling someone who's afraid of flying to get on the plane and go. If you're still scared out of your wits, it's a little hard to simply get off. Heading up 550 to Ouray is not the time for experimenting. There's not too many places to simply make a U-Turn and say "Let's go a different way"...Google maps is everyone's friend. If you're unsure of a road, simply google it, move the little man down on the road and go....I've done it, many others have too, but I agree with The Texan..it ain't for the faint of heart....Dennis


Million Dollar Highway

Dennis,
There's no problems with disagreements here. That's why we live in America, so we all can have opinions. I was not pointing at you or anyone in particular in that statement. It was a general statement and you and I have seen it many, many times on here. People simply make a statement to not go on a route like that because THEY did not like it. No one can predict what or how a person or couple will feel on this route in question. While some might not ever tackle it again, some might think it's a cake walk and continually use that route to get at their destinations.

You're certainly right about that route not having all that many "turn-a-bouts" just in case one changes their mind. In fact, there's almost none that I can remember but, my memories not what it used to be, not that it was ever that good in the first place. Anyway, a couple of more steep routes/grades are mentioned in this thread too that we've been on. The east exit out of Yellowstone and, the 14A out of Cody both are some serious steep climbs/grades.

We've been on both with a 34' Fleetwood Bounder with the V-10 and towing a 16' enclosed trailer with a 900lb. Goldwing and little trailer etc. and that, was some serious work for that V-10.

But, I guess driving these rigs in all kinds of predicaments is just not that big of a deal to me. I guess it effects others in a different manner.

By the way, I don't know if any of you remember the TV program "Dangerous Roads" or not but, they did an episode on that road, (the 550 or, Million Dollar Highway) with two fuel tanker drivers, a son and father team that do it almost daily with tandem fuel tankers. Much of the show was shot in the snow over those passes. Now that, just might bump up the heartbeat up a notch or two.
Scott

My cousin is the head of the road dept. for Ouray County and he can tell LOTS of stories of RVs trying to do Red Mtn with drivers who don't know how to drive such steep windy roads.

Go over Lizard Head and don't add to his arsenal. Red Mtn is not a fun drive, I don't care how beautiful. Go to Ouray, park the RV, and take the toad over it and you'll understand.

And IMO, Lizard Head's every bit as pretty.