I 25 thru Denver

They are traveling from the south going to Yellowstone and I believe they got their answer.

Are you trying to go north south through Denver or where is your ultimate destination?

Mountain Mama wrote:

Thom02099 wrote:

Mountain Mama wrote:
Is this the best route thru Denver or should we take the loop to the East?

Depends on the time of day and where you ultimately want to be. If you're passing through with no stops in the Metro area, and between 9am and 2pm during the week, then going straight through is not overly difficult. There are ALWAYS backups on the north end, headed northbound, where I-76/US 36/I-25 all meet, and then again in the stretch from 84th to 104th Ave, due to construction and volume slowing. This 2nd stretch is true both northbound and southbound.

Taking E-470 around doesn't necessarily save you time, particularly on the south end from I-25 around to the Parker exit and on to Aurora. Volume can beh heavy all the time there, though maybe not as much as going straight through on I-25. Again, time of day will make a difference, as well as weekend traffic.

If you take E-470 around, be prepared for a shock when you get the toll bill in the mail. It's about $25 all the way around for a passenger vehicle, and a lot more when pulling a trailer. No toll booths though (they were eliminated in favour of the license plate reader system), so you'll get a bill in the mail a few months after going through. It can be paid on line, is very simple to do...just not cheap!

Ok, that ansewrs my question! Didn't realize the loop on east side was toll! We can probably do mid day on I 25! We'll be coming from Raton north toward Yellowstone!!

Just a different thought as to how to approach Denver going to Yellowstone, jump off as soon as possible and explore some of Colorado, you have a number of opportunities to drive through some of the most beautiful areas in the SouthWest.

Great Sand Dunes NP
Buena Vista and the Arkansas River Valley – soon to be a NM
Leadville, Red Cliff, Minturn – possible ski Resorts – many
San Juan’s – Silverton - Ouray – Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Maroon Bells
Colorado River along I-70
Rifle
Dinosaur NM
Flaming Gorge
Wind River Valley

Then on up to Yellowstone – avoiding the headache of Denver traffic and the dull interstate drive, Just my way to avoid Denver traffic and enjoy the drive to Yellowstone NP.

But I just love to drive in the Rockies – any opportunity to see these sites is not to be avoided, as I always try to make the trip as good as the destination.

BOL,

Mountain Mama wrote:
Is this the best route thru Denver or should we take the loop to the East?

I completely agree w/ my fellow Coloradoan. I drive I-25 daily. Expect a slowdown just north of Denver, where Highway 36 splits off towards Boulder.

It'll be slow for 5-8 miles.

Once you get past 120th Avenue, it's clear sailing all the way to Wyoming.

Just north of Longmont's Highway 66, it'll go from three lanes to two - but you can motor right along. You'll pass about nine million RV dealers on the way north. :)


I love E-470 - but only when someone else is paying for the tolls.

I can only speak of our own experience. We have always taken I-25 right straight through and have never had any significant delays. The last time we were through there, we left Colorado Springs about 7:30 in the morning and went through both Denver and Cheyenne without delay. We spent that night in Casper, WY, arriving there mid afternoon. We were on the way to Glacier National Park on that trip in 2013.

I would add, from my experience in Denver (travelled there for work for 20 years), that the C470 (or the 225 if traffic is not rush hour), is always better than the 25 through town to the mousetrap. The 25 almost always has some kind of construction going on at one point or another, and, it's a tight road without a lot of forgiveness for an RV in trouble (in case you need to pull over). Just my input ;o)

We took 225 north through Aurora, then 70 west and 270 north back to 25. Worked out well.

You should be fine mid-day on I-25 through town. There can always be an accident or construction that messes something up, but get out in one of the left 2 lanes and keep on trucking !

I 25 Straight through...but timing is everything !! No 7am to 9 am and no 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm...

We just did this trip twice over the last several weeks. If you're coming from the west heading south, or south heading west - take the C470 around Denver. There's no charge and definitely faster. You'll still hit traffic but not as much as the I-25. A month ago we came up from the Springs going to NE Denver. We hit Denver at 5:00, and the drive took us well over an hour. Didn't go much over 10 mph - a nightmare.