Newhampshire to yellowstone

[FarmerBob]

Wife and I are thinking about taking a trip from NH to Yellowstone in Sept. We have a 28' 1988 ford tioga arrow. Do you think the hill climbing will be too much for the old girl? We have never been there so don't know really what the drive is like. We will then go down to Laramie. ( son is graduating) Then back to NH. Should be a 5k mi trip.
What advise would you give me. Thank you

[AJR]

It is the Yellowstone part of the trip that is hilly.

If your motor is fuel injected you should have minimal problems. I did that trip with a carbureted V8 around 1980 and the motor gasped for air at the higher elevations. The family had fun anyhow. That is all that matters.

[StukInTexas]

You could have been more adventuresome and taken Hwy 20 in Washington State heading east, now that road is really crazy, would not want to take that in an RV though (not even sure they allow RV's on it).

Here is a shot of HWY 20 after snow, I would not want to get caught on that road during a snow storm!

HWY 20 after a Snow Storm

Worst "main" roads I've ever driven in the US has to be that HWY 20 for the NW (if I recall), for NM it was probably between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo, and for Colorado it was the road to Telluride because there was construction and it was too narrow. For Arizona, perhaps just southwest of Prescott, the road through the mountains there.

Of course none of those are as bad as those 14k'r roads like the drive up Mt. Evans right outside of Denver, Colorado (but this isn't a main road)...

The roads in Wyoming and Montana are kiddie rides compared to all these, but add a little snow to any of these routes and they quickly become death traps.

[Roy_Lynne]

I drove from Brattleboro to Washington State and the mountains didn't get me as much as traffic in Minneapolis, and Chicago did. My return trip I took Hwy 2 and it was wonderful.

[FarmerBob]

Thank you for the advice. I do plan on doing a complete fluid change, belts, Rear tires ( front are new) and brakes.Check hoses, they are not very old. I was really just worried about extended long hill climbs. I have driven to Laramie, WY before and don't remember any hills. Not many turns either. Hwy 80 all the way.

[StukInTexas]

I agree with the above, but I would add if you are worried about mountain driving, then it also depends what route(s) you take to get there and where you drive while in the park.

I've been to Yellowstone a few times, and much of the main route is actually pretty flat if you stay on the main road and come into the South entrance, but there are a few places with some switchbacks and incline/declines. If you start in Jackson and head into the park from there, you will initially be driving on all prairie, as you go deeper into the park, you will cross some hills or non-steep inclines, but nothing major that I recall. If you head into or out the Northern / Desert entrance of the park, there is definitely some more mountainous driving with more switchbacks, but it doesn't last very long (maybe 5 miles of switchbacks). I haven't driven every route though. If you've ever been to Portland, it's kind of similar to those inclines/declines between the coast and Portland, but it's nothing like those crazy 10,000+ feet drives in Colorado. None of the drives there are even as bad as the Mt. Washington drive in NH, that one has more incline / switchbacks than most of Yellowstone. Much of the Yellowstone roads are in the prairie or forest and the inclines are slow and it simply more like driving in hills than mountains.

I find much of Montana and Wyoming the same way, most of the main roads are pretty flat even though you are surrounded by mountains, though there are exceptions. It might be a tough drive getting to Jackson from your route, but I came from Salt Lake City, so don't know that route as well. From the SLC route, I recall one maybe two mtn passes that I crossed. Once you get near the park itself, the drive is mostly tame.

It's not nearly as bad as somewhere like Arizona or Colorado, even New Mexico has more switchbacks on some of their semi-major roads.

[tatest]

I agree, it depends on mechanical condition, not age. The chassis was designed for trips like this, taken at a leisurely pace. At 25 years with only occasional use, you need to be sure of condition of tires, wheels, brakes, cooling system (especially hoses, including heater hoses), engine, transmission and axle fliuids, wheel bearings, drive belts, fan clutch. If you want to stay cool as you move west (Midwest and Great Plains get very hot) make sure airconditioning is in top condition.

A rare long trip on an old vehicle requires that you do the preventive maintenance you've deferred, which might include replace of old, unworn, tires. My summer trip breakdowns have involved replacing tires, cooling hoses, fan belts, including right after a dealer servicing and so-called inspection. Tires, it was "these are good for one more trip, I'll replace them this fall."

Only other advice is to make sure you understand basics of mountain driving, controlling speed to minimize braking. Most of the routes in and out of Yellowstone involve mountain highways, you can't get there using only the Interstates.

[campigloo]

I think it depends on the overall mechanical condition of the thing. If you are comfortable with its reliability I don't see why not. It should have a big enough engine, most motorhomes I've seen were adequately powered, but I suppose it depends on just what engine & tranny you have. You can expect some pretty steep grades throughout your trip. If you can handle the 6-8% grades near your home, you stand a pretty good chance of handling them out west. The difference is in the West some of those same grades may be 15 or more miles long with 20mph cutbacks. Check out the mechanics, especially the brakes and if you have confidence in the machine, GO FER IT! Have a great trip!