fanrgs
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Re: campground recommendation
We have also stayed at Firefighters campgound at the top of the Uintas. Nice, tree-shaded cg, but no hookups and they charge extra to dump because it is run by a Forest Service contractor. Cabela's in Sidney is a great place to stay and a day's drive east of there on I-80 is the Cabella's on the west side of Omaha. It is visible from I-80 and in an area with plenty of gas stations and restaurants.725Views0likes0CommentsRe: Scenic Routes/Places to See in WY, ID, MT, SD & E. CO
I loved driving US 14A, but I have a Ram diesel truck with an exhaust brake. People with gas engines tend to like it less! It is steep for much longer uphill and downhill grades than US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, which I have driven more times than I can remember in the past 50+ years. But 14A also has wider lanes, guard rails, and even some shoulders. And we also enjoy the Beartooth Highway (US 212) between Red Lodge and Cooke City (but only without the trailer!) and the Chief Joseph Highway between Cody and Cooke City.561Views0likes0CommentsRe: Rocky Mountain National Park to Cheyenne Mountain State Park
I live in a SW Denver suburb and, if at all possible, even I avoid I-25 when towing my fifth wheel. And the construction at Larkspur makes it doubly-avoidable. If I were coming from Estes Park, I would follow Thom's suggestion, but only to US 287 in Longmont. Turn onto 287 and follow it south all the way to I-70, then go west to C-470. Follow 470 all the way around the west side of the Denver area to Santa Fe Drive (US 85). At Sedalia, take CO 67/105 to Palmer Lake and Monument. Both state highways are good roads and much less busy or stressful when towing, although winding and a bit slow in spots. BUT (that's a big "but"), don't drive any of the recommended routes during morning or evening rush hour in the Denver or Colorado Springs areas! You will not enjoy the experience and could even ruin your whole Colorado "adventure." BTW, Cheyenne Mountain is our favorite place to stay in the Springs.900Views0likes0CommentsRe: Montrose or Glenwood Springs area
We just visited River Run at Granby last week. Brand new; lots of noisy construction still going on; absolutely no shade (and I know Granby gets warm because I spent 3 months there on a job); some paved, some gravel, pull-thru and back-in sites; rental Airstreams; a tiny home village; and right at the noisy intersection of US 40 and US 34. With the prices they are charging ($90+/night), I wouldn't stay there if they gave me a 50% discount. I would much rather stay at the USFS Stillwater campground on Lake Granby because River Run is still a significant drive to Lake Granby, Grand Lake, or Rocky Mountain NP! Now that rant is out of the way, I'll add a few positive comments. Having lived in Colorado 57 years and my wife and I having worked all over the state, we have a few favorite areas that we keep going back to with the fifth wheel. One of them is Ridgway State Park, as mentioned by others. But, yes, it does have a 14-day limit. However, we mainly stay there in the fall color season to photograph Mt. Sneffles and Telluride. In that general area of the San Juans, we also enjoy Ouray, Dolores, and Durango, where one of our sons went to college. We have stayed in a Glenwood Springs RV park for a club event, but would not stay there long term--too much train, as well as I-70, noise. We prefer to go south to the Gunnison-Crested Butte area--higher, usually cooler, and better fishing. The Gunnison River, Taylor River, and Blue Mesa Reservoir have some of the best trout fishing in Colorado. From there, you can easily visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and Lake City; take a boat trip through the Black Canyon on Morrow Point Reservoir; go whitewater rafting; rent an OHV and drive it over Cumberland, Pearl, or Schofield Pass; take a picnic lunch to ghost towns like Ruby, Irwin, Tincup, or Powderhorn; "track" abandoned narrow-gauge railroads to the Alpine Tunnel, over Marshall Pass, or up Ohio Creek; and visit the CPW's Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery. However, not being a golfer, I have no idea how the golf courses are there. We love the scenery in the Lake City area in fall, too, but not long term. It is no longer a Colorado town. Hinsdale County is "Little Texas" where nearly every shop, cafe, motel, RV park, and OHV-snowmobile rental/sales dealer is owned and operated by Texans. That may not be a disadvantage to you, but I know of no golf courses there either. You might want to add the Steamboat Springs area to your "research list" too. It has enough elevation to stay cool, enough population to support medical facilities, and a ski area to provide upscale amenities (restaurants, golf, hot springs pools and spas, gondola and hot air balloon rides, summer festivals, etc.). It also has whitewater rafting; hiking to scenic waterfalls; boat, canoe, and kayak rentals; and good fishing at Steamboat, Stagecoach, and Pearl Lake and Yampa River state parks.797Views0likes0CommentsRe: Big Horn Mountains (Sheridan/Buffalo WY)
mockturtle wrote: No, I would not recommend it for most RVs as it's 10% grade and hairpin curves. But if you get a chance to drive it in a toad or TV, it's worth the trip. We went down 14A with our trailer and I barely touched the brake pedal. That is what low gears and an automatic diesel exhaust brake were designed for.719Views0likes0CommentsRe: Colorado Fall Colors
Kebler Pass west of Crested Butte, Marshall Pass from Poncha Springs to Sargents (both gravel roads for TVs or toads only), Lake San Cristobal at Lake City, and CO 62 from Ridgway to Dallas Divide are our favorites. But, after the fall color we had in 2016, our new favorite for "late fall" color (1st weekend in October) is CO 17 over La Manga and Cumbres Passes between Antonito and Chama. If NM is still shut down by then, you can camp on top of Cumbres Pass (still in Colorado) at the USFS Trujillo Meadows campground. Or lose a little elevation by backtracking to one of my favorite USFS campgrounds in Colorado--Magote (NOT private Mogote Meadows!)--on CO 17, 16 miles west of Antonito. It has several miles of fly fishing access to the Conejos River.380Views0likes0CommentsRe: Big Horn Mountains (Sheridan/Buffalo WY)
Yes, we have a favorite--USFS Sibley Lake campground on US 14. Electric hookups and water, but no dump. Nice, long, well-spaced, back-in spaces under the pines, very clean pit toilets, nice lake with good trout fishing, hiking/snowmobile trails, cool nights. What more could you want? You can see a couple of my photos of our campsite on campgroundreviews.com.720Views0likes0Comments
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