hwy 550 in New Mexico

not a good idea ... you have to go out of your way, from Santa Fe, to get to 550. US 84 from Santa Fe to Pagosa Springs and 160 west is the only way to go.

I like the casual driving on 550...4 lane to Durango and Shiprock. There are other, shorter routes to Durango, but once I had a tire issue on a 2 lane road and had to drive about 3 mi. really slow to find a place to pullout.

Check my sig. Goes that way every year. Mom lives in SF, I go up through Chama to Pagosa Springs, then 160 to Durango. You should go up through Silverton and then to Ouray. Just steep and slow, and the views are amazing. From just SF to Mesa Verde is very easy through Chama.

Through Cuba isn't bad, takes you up through Farmington and 550 is actually closer to Bernalillo than SF. This route is flatter and less scenic.

Bill

Late April shouldn't be a problem, as the highest point on either route would be under 8000'. This winter there has hardly been any snow on the ground along either highway, although with this crazy weather, who knows what can happen! We had 3 inches of snow once on Memorial Day weekend! Your biggest problem may be finding RV parks that are open that early in the season. Santa Fe to Mesa Verde is an easy one-day trip, and there are a couple of year-round RV parks near the National Park, so you should be okay. Most of the local RV parks (Pagosa-Durango-Cortez) open in early May. We like Santa Fe Skies RV Resort in Santa Fe, by the way, and I think they are open all year. Easy access off the loop highway, great views and a nice facility.

To get to US 550 from Santa Fe, you will either need to go south on I-25 almost to Albuquerque OR you can easily drive north on US 84 from Santa Fe to US 160 in Pagosa Springs, CO. No major passes on either route. 550 is a four-lane highway to just beyond the CO state line. Not much in the way of services until Durango, although Cuba, NM has accessible fueling stations. You would end up in Durango, about 35 miles east of Mesa Verde on either route. US 84 is a lot shorter from Santa Fe, in fact, it only makes sense to take this route. A perfectly good two-lane highway. Services are in Chama, NM on 84, as well as lots of fun things to do: fly-fishing and the Cumbres and Toltec railroad over Cumbres pass. Very scenic. Lots of RV parks in Chama, Pagosa and Durango. 84 has a short stretch of winding road with little in the way of shoulders, but if you keep your speed down, you will have NO problem. No major altitude gains, at least not all at once, on either route. Have driven all routes in a 38' DP with toad.