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Old 05-17-2014, 11:40 AM   #1
ed cobos
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new mexico, colorado, south dakota

it's getting close to our "endless summer"we will be traveling for two months. and we are so ready! we're towing a 24 ft. tt. and we plan to travel through arizona to new mexico, but it is after santa fe that i have some questions. i assume the 285 is fine, but from antonito,co we are going on state hiway 17 direction west - anything thing i should know about this road? after our stay we would like to go 17 N or 285 up to salida then 50 to pueblo,co. any issues here?
and on our way up to south dakota - how is the 85?
finally going back west - is the 70 through colorado recommended or the 80 thorough wyoming? for scenic driving, places to camp and easy driving, we are in no rush and i would appreciate any easy rolling side roads you would recommend.
thanks for any response
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Old 05-17-2014, 06:37 PM   #2
jrp
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the 84/285 north from Santa Fe is a good road to Colorado. I use it at least twice a year. If you're coming up I-25 I do recommend the truck bypass exit (599) around Santa Fe, downtown Santa Fe is not very RV friendly.

the 17 west from Antonito, assuming you're going to Chama, climbs up to a 10,000 ft pass., goes across a high plateau, and drops down the other side into Chama. its a good road and no issues during the summer, just a bit of a climb.

the 285 to Salida goes over a small pass (Poncha pass) before dropping down into Salida (don't miss the right turn onto 50 east). the 50 from Salida to Pueblo follows the Arkansas River, so it does lots of twisting & turning and has lots of tourist & rafting traffic all summer.

Heading up to SD, I've never used the 85 so can't comment. After working your way thru or around Denver, I do like the 385 from Sidney Neb north to Hot Springs SD, where you can use the 79 direct to Rapid City or stay on 385 into the Black Hills.
As far as heading west, assuming you're doing that after SD, its a long way back south to I-70, even though it may be more scenic, its so busy during the summer you get little chance to enjoy that scenery. I'd just go I-80 which is not scenic at all, but will get you to somewhere more scenic faster. Depending on your destination out west, I'd also consider the northern I-90 west from SD, which goes through some very scenic areas and has much less traffic than I-80 and I-70.
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Old 05-17-2014, 06:43 PM   #3
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Believe it or not I lived in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming over the past 10 years and have never traveled 17 or 285. I pretty much stuck with 25 since I was living/traveling between Las Cruces, Colorado Springs, and Cheyenne. As for 70 or 80, not really sure what you consider scenery, not really much difference between the two. You will be driving across plains with the mountains out the windshield. 80 tends to get more wind, if it was me, I'd go 70.
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Old 05-17-2014, 06:49 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by jrp View Post
the 84/285 north from Santa Fe is a good road to Colorado. I use it at least twice a year. If you're coming up I-25 I do recommend the truck bypass exit (599) around Santa Fe, downtown Santa Fe is not very RV friendly.

the 17 west from Antonito, assuming you're going to Chama, climbs up to a 10,000 ft pass., goes across a high plateau, and drops down the other side into Chama. its a good road and no issues during the summer, just a bit of a climb.

the 285 to Salida goes over a small pass (Poncha pass) before dropping down into Salida (don't miss the right turn onto 50 east). the 50 from Salida to Pueblo follows the Arkansas River, so it does lots of twisting & turning and has lots of tourist & rafting traffic all summer.

Heading up to SD, I've never used the 85 so can't comment. After working your way thru or around Denver, I do like the 385 from Sidney Neb north to Hot Springs SD, where you can use the 79 direct to Rapid City or stay on 385 into the Black Hills.
As far as heading west, assuming you're doing that after SD, its a long way back south to I-70, even though it may be more scenic, its so busy during the summer you get little chance to enjoy that scenery. I'd just go I-80 which is not scenic at all, but will get you to somewhere more scenic faster. Depending on your destination out west, I'd also consider the northern I-90 west from SD, which goes through some very scenic areas and has much less traffic than I-80 and I-70.
I-90 across to 14 and 16 into Yellowstone is a nice drive, definitely more scenic than 80. I've taken 80 all the way to California, don't remember getting to anything scenic quickly
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Old 05-17-2014, 08:04 PM   #5
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ed cobos, Howdy;

Haven't explored much of the scenic areas you intend to visit,
nor the roads you have mentioned. I have gone from Denver to
Utah using I-70, lots of ups and downs, long and steep, I-80 I've
also traveled, still lots of ups and downs just nowhere near as
steep nor as long. Yep, Wyoming is windy, but survivable. Been
up and down I-25 a few times, follow advise about Santa Fe.
Good luck, have a blast.

hankaye
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Old 05-18-2014, 04:45 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hankaye View Post
ed cobos, Howdy;

Haven't explored much of the scenic areas you intend to visit,
nor the roads you have mentioned. I have gone from Denver to
Utah using I-70, lots of ups and downs, long and steep, I-80 I've
also traveled, still lots of ups and downs just nowhere near as
steep nor as long. Yep, Wyoming is windy, but survivable. Been
up and down I-25 a few times, follow advise about Santa Fe.
Good luck, have a blast.

hankaye
Lived in Wyoming for 4 years, yes 80 is survivable (usually) during summer months, the winds aren't as bad as during the winter. If you go that route, just have spare time in case the winds do come up. I've seen too many tractor trailers and an occasional RV on their sides in Wyoming. If the winds pick up, I would find a place to stop and spend a day or two (or three) until they die down. Last fall I was out there with 75 mph wind gusts, glad I didn't have the RV with me, just pulling the car trailer, that was bad enough. 80 definitely has fewer/smaller ups and downs than 70. The lay of the land typically causes the winds to be much less about 20 miles south of the Colorado Wyoming border.
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Old 05-18-2014, 08:12 AM   #7
ed cobos
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Thanks!

Wow great info - thanks. What we did was leave the road back open from South Dakota and we'll explore. Hate winds more than ups and downs, but as we travel we can live and learn. Scenery for us is everything and anything beautiful from desert to plains, mountains to oceans and lakes and rivers.
Thanks again
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