Cardinal RV Club

I guess this is the best place to post this. I am wondering if anyone can help me decide which route to take across the Rockies. I am going from Salt Lake City to Denver and can't decide if it's easier to pull Shamu across I-80 or I-70. Shamu is the big 40 ft bunkhouse version and I'm loaded for full-time so I'm looking for the route that is easiest on the engine and on the brakes. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Bob

I've never taken I-70 but can say I-80 is not bad, no real scary grades.

We've taken I-70 a couple of times. The first when we were full-timing we had a motor home and were pulling a car. The last time was with our Cardinal. Both times not a problem, our Bird weights in at 13,100 pounds and with the Allison does a great job. There is a long grade coming into Denver that you need to look at, but if you take it at 55-60 mph works fine.

I was just checking our trip map and I see that in 2003 we also took I-80 through Wyoming. To be honest I don't even remember going through the Rockies on that trip, so I-70 would have more grades, but it's a beautiful road. We love Glenwood Springs.

I80 is the route without the grades and curves, and the route the truckers (and the railroad) prefer. I've been across a couple of times, Denver to Salt Lake City. It's tall country either way, a max of 8084' on I80, so keep an eye on the weather, it can brew up fast. One time I thought I was in a submarine, with heavy rain, semi's and a strong wind out of the north for a couple of hundred miles in Wyoming.

Just went on the I80 route last September picked up my 39' in Cheyenne then on to Denver other then construction not a bad drive at all.

I-80 is definitely the easiest but the adventure is I-70. On I-70 you'll be touching 11,000' and if you take the hazardous material truck route around the Eisenhower Tunnel you'll be at nearly 12,000' and it's a beautiful trip.

Rob

Rob & Cathy wrote:I-80 is definitely the easiest but the adventure is I-70. On I-70 you'll be touching 11,000' and if you take the hazardous material truck route around the Eisenhower Tunnel you'll be at nearly 12,000' and it's a beautiful trip.

Rob

Rob, read the post. He was looking for the easy route, 12,000 ft is not easy. I know I've been over that altitude several times with camper in tow, but always with an exhaust brake or similar and usually on much scarier narrow roads. How many times have you had your rig up that high? Shamu is full-time heavy and that weighs in heavily (pun intended), when you are long & heavy it pays well many times to choose the easy route (then why do I end up on 2 lanes that high? I love the Rockies!).

campswithcritters wrote:Rob, read the post. He was looking for the easy route, 12,000 ft is not easy.

Hi Bruce, I believe I did say that I-80 was the easiest.

campswithcritterss wrote:How many times have you had your rig up that high?

The last time I drove a truck and trailer over that route was in the mid '70s. The last time I was up there was 3 or 4 years ago while working in Silverthorn.

I don't assume to judge someone's experience or comfort level driving under any conditions. I'll leave that up to the individual.

Rob

Sorry Rob didn't mean to ruffle feathers. Easy is easy.

campswithcritters wrote:Sorry Rob didn't mean to ruffle feathers. Easy is easy.

Rob

Rob & Cathy wrote:I-80 is definitely the easiest but the adventure is I-70. On I-70 you'll be touching 11,000' and if you take the hazardous material truck route around the Eisenhower Tunnel you'll be at nearly 12,000' and it's a beautiful trip.

Rob

Hey, it is not 12000 feet, it is only 11,990. I took my wife to the top for a look in the fall of 2007. Second gear and torque converter looked up on the exhaust brake and I "might" tow my trailer down this one. But we just had the TV that day. I think the entrance to the tunnel is behind the sign. You zig zag straight down to where you can see the trucks on I70.

Chris

snoking wrote:[Hey, it is not 12000 feet, it is only 11,990. I took my wife to the top for a look in the fall of 2007. Second gear and torque converter looked up on the exhaust brake and I "might" tow my trailer down this one. But we just had the TV that day. I think the entrance to the tunnel is behind the sign. You zig zag straight down to where you can see the trucks on I70.

LOL, dang-it missed it by 10'.

I believe that sign, and by your description, you're at the top of the bypass route highway 6 for hazardous materials around the Eisenhower Tunnel. If I remember correctly I-70 has a max elevation of just over 11,000' and doesn't have any of twist and turns that highway 6 has.

Rob

But I did make it over Wolf Creek pass in the Rockies 10,863 feet the first trip out with the new trailer in the snow and mud Thank goodness when we got to the Durango Rally Roy had a beer with a whisky chaser all ready for me. well maybe not that caused the sitting on the remote

You just have to love hair pin turns--when you look out the side and you can see your rig without using your mirrors. I've stretching it a bit but have any of you come out of Zion, gone through the tunnel and than head up to Bryce Canyon, (I think it's highway 9) with all those turns?