Heading out West again for 2016

[Grizz-506]

Looking for some information or suggestions from someone that has pulled a 5er across the Million Dollar Highway (Rt 550) in Colorado. I have seen pictures of it but can't seem to find any information on the % of grade the hills are. I'm not to worried to much about the curves. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Little_Hand]

Our group was there October 2013, came from Ouray to Silverton on down to Durango out to Walsenburg. We were pulling two 5rs. Quite the ride. A must do if only one time. Slow and easy. Much to see but, keep eyes on road.

[laknox]

kzspree320 wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Grades aren't a big deal but it has some nasty hair-pin turns and shear drop-offs.

X2. We had planned on towing from Ouray to Durango with our fiver. Decided to go to Silverton in truck first to visit. On the way back I rounded a sharp curve and looked ahead. There was a semi pulling a trailer with an overside bulldozer on it. The bulldozer was wider than the trailer by about a foot on both sides. I was on the outside and there was a shear cliff. ****. I got well away from the curves and got all the way to the edge, stopped, folded in the drivers mirror and waited. The bulldozer crawled by within inches of my folded in mirror. Since the fifth wheel is wider than the truck, I don't know what would have happened. It was unnerving sitting there with the tires about an inch from the cliff and waiting. I'm glad the wife was there to roll down her window and look down to get me right to the edge. Needless to say, I decided not to tow that way. Chances of this happening might be extremely low, but I had enough of the million dollar highway for that day. A very memorable experience. Good luck. Keith

I'd be willing to bet that this guy was =supposed= to have had a pilot car. Were it me, and I were a CO resident, I'd've called the DOT and asked/complained about the situation.

Lyle

[kzspree320]

azdryheat wrote:
Grades aren't a big deal but it has some nasty hair-pin turns and shear drop-offs.

X2. We had planned on towing from Ouray to Durango with our fiver. Decided to go to Silverton in truck first to visit. On the way back I rounded a sharp curve and looked ahead. There was a semi pulling a trailer with an overside bulldozer on it. The bulldozer was wider than the trailer by about a foot on both sides. I was on the outside and there was a shear cliff. ****. I got well away from the curves and got all the way to the edge, stopped, folded in the drivers mirror and waited. The bulldozer crawled by within inches of my folded in mirror. Since the fifth wheel is wider than the truck, I don't know what would have happened. It was unnerving sitting there with the tires about an inch from the cliff and waiting. I'm glad the wife was there to roll down her window and look down to get me right to the edge. Needless to say, I decided not to tow that way. Chances of this happening might be extremely low, but I had enough of the million dollar highway for that day. A very memorable experience. Good luck. Keith

[laknox]

Two Hands wrote:
Get yourself a copy of the Mountain Directory (West). There is also one for the east. That will give you the percent for grades and tell you quite a bit about the route over the pass. I have driven the Million Dollar Highway in both directions several time while towing a tent trailer. Now I won't drive it in my motorhome or pulling a trailer/fifth wheel. It is beautiful, but not for the faint hearted.

I drove it in my Civic last year, and wished I'd downed a half a Xanax before doing so. 🙂 For the first time in my life, I was spooked by driving a mountain road, and I've driven a few in my life, including Beartooth Pass. I will say that the road is very wide, even if it =is= a 2-lane. You do have a fair amount of visibility around most of the curves, so you can cheat away from the edge a bit, and which I did. There are NO guardrails on most of it, which is part of what gave me the willies. I had driven it before, in '76, on the same trip that I did Beartooth, and I don't recall it bothering me then. I guess the intervening 40 years must've had something to do with it. There was a fair amount of traffic, including a number of RVs and, knowing what I know now, I'd do it, but I'd prep myself before doing so and I'd be prepared to stop as needed. Since I saw snow in Silverton in late July on that '76 trip, be prepared for that, too! 🙂

Lyle

[attuco]

I do it all the time living here in Colorado. Lots of curves and no guard rails. Just be calm and pull over on the pull outs to let the traffic pass

[JTrac]

We did it several years ago with a 40' motorhome we had at the time . We were not towing a car and while a bit unnerving at times we didn't have any problems. I had to take a few turns really wide but can't remember if I had to back up for any of the hair pins. Our exhaust brake got a real workout. I would not have wanted to have been towing our Acadia. Our friends were towing a fifth wheel with their dually and made it okay. This was from Durango to Ouray.

[wantabe351]

do a search on the web or utube under million dollar highway,but 2yrs ago we were in Durango,Co and then going to camp in Uray. So before going with our 5er we drove it with the Dually 3500, wow ive done many back road with our setup and after going to and from Uray we decided to stay longer in Durango then travel around Rt550, turns so sharp 90 plus degrees I thought my mirror would scrape the mountain side going around the bent when traffic came the other way....but you do need to drive it not towing for the cool memmories..

[haddy1]

UPS semis run it every day that weather permits.

[Grizz-506]

Thanks for the information.Not to worried about hairpin turns and and drop off's, mostly the grade. Took Rt 14 from north of Sheridan to Cody, WY last year. It got pretty harry around Shell.Lost my brakes due to over heating, lucky there just happened to be a pull-off there. I will pick up a copy of the Mountain Directory (West).
Thanks again for the info, Happy Trails.

[agesilaus]

We've been up and down it several times. The main complaint I've heard is from people in Class A's with those huge windows. If exposure to heights bothers you then this road may do it.

[Two_Hands]

Get yourself a copy of the Mountain Directory (West). There is also one for the east. That will give you the percent for grades and tell you quite a bit about the route over the pass. I have driven the Million Dollar Highway in both directions several time while towing a tent trailer. Now I won't drive it in my motorhome or pulling a trailer/fifth wheel. It is beautiful, but not for the faint hearted.

[azdryheat]

Grades aren't a big deal but it has some nasty hair-pin turns and shear drop-offs.