HyWay 34 in Estes CO

As far as I know - if you're going *from* Grand Lake to Estes, then there aren't a lot of options.

34 from Granby to Estes will run you through Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). And you'll be going up and over. There might be some switchbacks that'll give you pause, but the road is paved.

You will have some tight turns with that setup. I towed my then 5th wheel over it but it was only a 26 footer. Where are you coming from, Grand lakes itself?
Dave

I seem to recall they say thats the highest paved highway in the US so you'll have a good pull up and a long descent. Also curves and exposure - with the accompanying great views. Probably won't have to worry about snow in August but check winds before heading out - also they can get some nasty storms up there in the afternoon so morning is best.

It's 10 miles above 10,000 feet with lots of switchbacks getting there. I would have the wife drive the CRV up over and save yourself a lot of white knuckle driving. There is not many places the pull over or passing zones so you're going to be holding up traffic.
I would do Estes Park as a day trip in the CRV as compared to Grandlake it's just a big tourist trap. I would go south to I 70 east to Denver and on your way.

Better for you to take 40 from Grand lake, over Berthoud Pass to I 70 then east. US 34 - over Trail Ridge Road at 12,000+ft is not really for you!

KO wrote:
Doing some trip planing. The Good Sam Trip planner routed me from Grand Lakes CO onto HyWay 34 on my way to Minnosota in Aug.

I have a 38 ft Class A with CAT 300 towing a Honda CR-V on dolly. Any problem with driving this road?

If you do a search here "US 34" or "Estes Park" or "Rocky Mountain National Park" you'll find a lot of threads on the subject.

US 34/Trail Ridge Rd is the highest continuous highway in the USA, topping out a over 12000 feet. From Grand Lake side headed eastbound, you'll have a long steady climb in the forest with a lot of switchbacks until you reach timberline, when you'll be approaching Fall River Pass, which is where the Alpine Visitor's Center is. From that point eastbound you'll be above timberline, frequently on a shelf road with no guard rails and drops of hundreds of feet. You'll be on the outside a goodly part of this, until you reach tree line again. It is certainly doable, but it's also not for the faint of heart.

There are alternatives. You could take US 34 down to Granby and take US 40 down to I-70. You'll have Berthoud Pass to go up and over, and some steep sections on I-70 as you drop down into Denver.

You could also drop down toward Grandby and go WEST on US 40 to the intersection with CO 125, take that north across Willow Creek Pass (a real easy pass) and go through Rand to Walden, where you'll pick up CO 14. Take CO 14 east toward Fort Collins, you'll have Cameron Pass to go up and over (about 10,400 but not difficult), and then will follow the Cache la Poudre River down the Poudre Canyon and join up with US 287 NW of Fort Collins. Personally, I prefer this route to the US 40/I-70 route, simply because it's less stressful and it quite a beautiful drive. Also should be no challenge to your rig.

Better yet, since you're heading to Minnesota...

Follow the suggestion to Walden, CO. But instead of going down CO 14 through Poudre Canyon, you could stay on CO 125 heading north toward Wyoming, and take CO 127 where it intersects with CO 125; it will become WY 230 when it crosses the state line, and you can take WY 230 in to Laramie and get on I-80. This way, you'll only have Willow Creek Pass to cross, and you'll barely notice it. A LOT less steep and a lot less of a hassle...plus some pretty country for your viewing pleasure.

Thom02099 lives in the area and knows it well. I lived in Estes Park 8 years.

I DO NOT recommend Hwy 34 thru RMNP for RV's of most any size. Even with mountain driving experience. Why? Lots of steep up and down, lots of unguareded dropoffs, lots of switchbacks with some blind, etc. And, trust me, lots of idiot drivers which are bad enough just driving a tv.

Thom02099 wrote:
Better yet, since you're heading to Minnesota...

Follow the suggestion to Walden, CO. But instead of going down CO 14 through Poudre Canyon, you could stay on CO 125 heading north toward Wyoming, and take CO 127 where it intersects with CO 125; it will become WY 230 when it crosses the state line, and you can take WY 230 in to Laramie and get on I-80. This way, you'll only have Willow Creek Pass to cross, and you'll barely notice it. A LOT less steep and a lot less of a hassle...plus some pretty country for your viewing pleasure.

I think this is the way I would do it.

If you choose to go down and end up on I70, avoid Sundays. Traffic will be terrible.

Thanks for the great info. As I said, this route was spit out from the Good Sam Trip Planning software on their web site. I thought this was routing thru Rocky Mountain National Park.

I have been to Grand Lakes before (better half wants to visit again). I was leaning towards going back to I-70 and then Denver and on my way. But the route from Thom02099 sounds better and I will probably do that route.