Driving Route 50

[genekiwi]

DW and I are planning a trip from Grand Junction to Colorado Springs on Route 50 over Monarch pass.

From reading other posts, yes, we will avoid route 550.


1. Around Grand Junction, how is James Robb State Park, Fruita section for about 5 days? Or would you recommend another one?

2. State Parks around Gunnison for 5 days

3 State Parks round Pueblo for 5 days.

Also I would appreciate any advice about towing across Route 50 and just how tricky it might be to get up and over Monarch Pass.

Be our first time towing in that kind of elevations. TV is a 2013 Silverado 1500 5.3 with 3.42 and 6 speed. Towing a 30 foot 6000 pound trailer. Rig has been weighed and is within all specks. I do expect this to be a slow ride up and hopefully, an equally slow ride down.

I used this rig on a 7000 mile trip last year including Hocking Hills, Ohio and through Tennessee and Kentucky hill areas.

Very pleased with the way the rig handled.

I would appreciate sound advice and not horror stories. DW might read this post.

Thanks all for any info

[genekiwi]

OK so we did Monarch after a bit of discussion.

We both enjoyed the ride.

Truck did a great job going up and coming down.

Heading over to Cheyenne State Park tomorrow for about a week and then on to NH.

[genekiwi]

lbrjet wrote:
We are filling our VT, NH and ME states right now. Got to Vermont just yesterday in Brattleboro. Next is up to Williamstown, over to Twin Mountain, then on to Bar Harbor and Eastport. Then back to Twin Mountain (were there 20 years ago and loved that area) and then over to South Hero. After that is Lake Placid. My first time ever in Vermont and Maine.

Bar Harbor is a nice town for shopping and looking around. Spend your time at Acadia National Park. Sunset at Cadillac Mountain is a real treat.

If you go through Wiscaussett, ME Look for Red's Eats. Small red shack just before the bridge. Best Lobster rolls around. ($16) but worth it.

In Thomaston, stop in at the prison store. Real nice selection of prisoner made items mainly made out of wood.

[lbrjet]

We are filling our VT, NH and ME states right now. Got to Vermont just yesterday in Brattleboro. Next is up to Williamstown, over to Twin Mountain, then on to Bar Harbor and Eastport. Then back to Twin Mountain (were there 20 years ago and loved that area) and then over to South Hero. After that is Lake Placid. My first time ever in Vermont and Maine.

[alageezer]

Been across US 50 in Colorado many times, just a couple days ago was the last time. The trip from eastern Kansas to Pueblo is rather hum drum, smell the cow pens going thru Dodge City. Going over Monarch, then across Nevada is a treat. Watch your fuel stops across Nevada. Monarch with a gas p/u is slow going, but doable. Watch your transmission temp. With a diesel p/u, easy. This year we were in a gas m/h towing a Jeep, just paid strict attention to speed.

[genekiwi]

NCWriter wrote:
The James Robb campground at Fruita is very good. Excellent facilities - we were there in September. You are close to the town and services, but have views of the must-see Colorado National Monument. Spectacular red rock scenery up there - don't miss it. We enjoyed several days there and visited a few of the wonderful wineries. It's like Napa Valley was in the 1970s - very welcoming at the vineyards for tastings.

We liked the campground at Black Canyon NP.

Agree about Ouray - great little town, 4J campground by the river within walking distance of town.

We are at James Robb now and you are correct, it is a gem.

Did some wineries today. Peaches just came.

Did ouray yesterday. Nice town.

Decided to try 550. About three miles was enough. Amazed at how many were towing a long the outside road. Not me.

Thanks for all the tips,everyone.

[genekiwi]

Lucked out at Cheyenne Mountain SP and got the last full hookup for my rig.

Also have a ressie at James Robb in fruita.

Thanks for the info

[Medico]

Crawford State Park is along route 92 north of Blue Mesa reservoir. This might be the closest to Gunnison. It is also very close to Gunnison Black Canyon.

[bucky]

Water Bug, we share your thoughts on RT 50. If anybody has driven the whole road, I'd love to hear about it.

[tsetsaf]

James Robb in Fruita is nice. It fills fast but there are a number of other choices in the area Campgrounds and rv parks around Fruita. Monitor is a steady climb and descent.

[2gypsies1]

Just a heads up...Grand Junction will be very hot in July.

[Water-Bug]

I've long fantacised about driving US-50 coast to coast. Was hoping that this thread was about doing just that. It is probably the closest that we can come to the real Route 66 experience, coast to coast with little to no limited access freways.

[genekiwi]

Thanks all for the great info.

We want to make some Colorad ressies in the next couple of days as it looks like we will be getting there sometime in July.

Want to be in NH by the middle of August.

[genekiwi]

tatest wrote:
At Monarch Pass, you need to work at keeping it a slow ride down, as it is easy on some of the straight sections to get up over the safe speeds for the curves.

With my C motorhome, 13,000 pounds and Ford V-10, I had no difficulty maintaining the (reduced) speed limit on the climb. I even had sufficient power reserve on the climb to accelerate back up to the car traffic speed after getting slowed down behind large trucks that were climbing at 15-30 mph.

US-50 is not like the Interstate. There is nobody climbing at 70-80 mph, everybody is down to 45-55, the curves demand that you don't get too far over the speed limit.

Thanks for the heads up.

By the way, you need to fill that map up a bit more and head up to VT, ME, and NH

[tatest]

At Monarch Pass, you need to work at keeping it a slow ride down, as it is easy on some of the straight sections to get up over the safe speeds for the curves.

With my C motorhome, 13,000 pounds and Ford V-10, I had no difficulty maintaining the (reduced) speed limit on the climb. I even had sufficient power reserve on the climb to accelerate back up to the car traffic speed after getting slowed down behind large trucks that were climbing at 15-30 mph.

US-50 is not like the Interstate. There is nobody climbing at 70-80 mph, everybody is down to 45-55, the curves demand that you don't get too far over the speed limit.