Travel/Routing Advice

[hdgoldie]

I received so many great suggestions here when we planned our first trip west. I'm hoping y'all can help me out once more. Since I'm a little bored today I started tentatively planning our trip for next summer. I know many of the resorts I want to visit do often book a year in advance. I'm good on the first part of the trip but I have a quandary on the return leg. I want Rick to see and drive Hwy. 550 in CO but not while driving the coach. I want to park the coach and use the Jeep to do the exploring and then continue the trip without the coach traveling 550. We will be returning from the Oregon coast (I hope) and my first thought was to head to Breckinridge for a week and then work our way south to Ouray and stay there before heading further south and home. I'm not sure I like my options with that plan.

The only parks I'm seeing in Ouray are Centennial RV Park and the Ouray KOA. Neither seem to be that attractive and, staying there, my trip planning software (RV Trip Wizard) routes us south on 550 when we leave - just what I didn't want to do. So my next thought was to skip Breckinridge and head south to the Durango area. There appears to be a couple of nice resorts in that area - Alpine Rose RV and Bayfield Riverside RV - and we could do the route from south to north (that's actually the way I rode it a few times on my bike...and that's why I don't want to take the coach north to south...I had to dodge too many coaches doing just that- in my lane). Has anyone made that drive avoiding 550? It looks like we could take 191 south to Monticello and then 491 into Cortez and 160 over to Durango. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And please let me know if I am underestimating the campground in Ouray or overestimating the ones in Durango - or any alternate routes you'd recommend.

Thanks in advance!

[Rollin101]

Originally Posted by hdgoldie

I received so many great suggestions here when we planned our first trip west. I'm hoping y'all can help me out once more. Since I'm a little bored today I started tentatively planning our trip for next summer. I know many of the resorts I want to visit do often book a year in advance. I'm good on the first part of the trip but I have a quandary on the return leg. I want Rick to see and drive Hwy. 550 in CO but not while driving the coach. I want to park the coach and use the Jeep to do the exploring and then continue the trip without the coach traveling 550. We will be returning from the Oregon coast (I hope) and my first thought was to head to Breckinridge for a week and then work our way south to Ouray and stay there before heading further south and home. I'm not sure I like my options with that plan.

The only parks I'm seeing in Ouray are Centennial RV Park and the Ouray KOA. Neither seem to be that attractive and, staying there, my trip planning software (RV Trip Wizard) routes us south on 550 when we leave - just what I didn't want to do. So my next thought was to skip Breckinridge and head south to the Durango area. There appears to be a couple of nice resorts in that area - Alpine Rose RV and Bayfield Riverside RV - and we could do the route from south to north (that's actually the way I rode it a few times on my bike...and that's why I don't want to take the coach north to south...I had to dodge too many coaches doing just that- in my lane). Has anyone made that drive avoiding 550? It looks like we could take 191 south to Monticello and then 491 into Cortez and 160 over to Durango. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And please let me know if I am underestimating the campground in Ouray or overestimating the ones in Durango - or any alternate routes you'd recommend.

Thanks in advance!

Linda, the park we stay at in Ouray is Ouray rv park and cabins. It’s right at the edge of town. The KOA is 2-3 miles North of town and Centennial is about 15-20 miles North, closer to Montrose. Definitely need to make reservations early.
Going from Ouray South I would go back North 5 miles to Ridgeway and take highway 62 West to 145 then take it over Lizard pass to Dolores and down to Cortez. Beautiful drive and much less stressful that 550 over Red Mountain pass.

[bigchick]

we just stayed a week at riverview in bayfield. we thought it was absolutely great. while there we also 'toured' alpen rose and - another i think the name was riverview rv park in durango. both of those were quite acceptable. but we ended up making return reservations for next year at riverview in bayfield. we have also stayed at lightner creek just outside of durango and it was ok but not to the same standards as the other ones i have mentioned.

[Matt D]

Linda, there isn’t really any graceful manner to accomplish your goals, without a certain amount of backtracking, unless you elect to not stay in one of your desired stops.

With that being said, here is what I’d suggest..

Enter Colorado from the west on I-70 E., drive east until west of Grand Junction, then drop down on 191 to 491. You will pass through Moab, so plan accordingly. Continue east on 491 until arriving in Mancos (just east of Cortez.) stay at Mesa Verde RV Resort and see Mesa Verde. Then press on to Durango and stay at Alpen Rose RV Park. Take the train, or your toad up 550 to Silverton and goof around.

You could actually make a big loop back around via Telluride and return to Durango. That is a serious drive..

Next, you could either back track to Cortez and find your way through Telluride to Ouray via Ralph Lauren’s ranch. We like to stay and the Ouray RV Park & Cabins.

From here you can easily go northeast to Breckenridge via 550 - 50 - 285 -24 - 9 into Breck from the south.

Tips and suggestions:

**There is absolutely no way to park a coach in the village of Telluride. However, you can park in Long Term at the airport and use the toad to get to town. They don’t charge much at the airport when they know you’re only staying for a few hours.**

**DO NOT miss Mesa Verde. It’s just one of the most amazing things you’re ever likely to see.**

I hope this helps,

-Matt

[DebbieMH]

Originally Posted by Rollin101

Linda, the park we stay at in Ouray is Ouray rv park and cabins. It’s right at the edge of town. The KOA is 2-3 miles North of town and Centennial is about 15-20 miles North, closer to Montrose. Definitely need to make reservations early.
Going from Ouray South I would go back North 5 miles to Ridgeway and take highway 62 West to 145 then take it over Lizard pass to Dolores and down to Cortez. Beautiful drive and much less stressful that 550 over Red Mountain pass.

Linda,
I agree with Rollin101 .... you do want to do Ouray. It is beautiful ... you also want to take the toad to Silverton via 550 .... breathtakingly beautiful. We also stayed 2 weeks at Ouray RV Park and Cabins. Get the premium sites along the river. Still a bit tight, but doable. Nice little resturant on site and great trail along the river to walk your dogs. Back tracking a bit to Ridgeway is not a bad drive and you will really enjoy the scenery all along Lizard Pass. When we were there, we went to Gunnison for several days and then went over Monarch Pass toward Colorado Springs ... again beautiful. I also liked Durango - did that back in 2016 ... but, I will say, I really liked Ouray a bit better.

[hdgoldie]

Wow...it's a lot to see! I'm definitely not bored any longer. Here's my tentative plan - using 70 from the west, head for Tiger Run in Breckinridge first, backtrack for an overnight in Grand Junction and then take 50 down to 550 to Ouray RV Park & Cabins (I think we can do Telluride as a day trip in the Jeep although I'm still trying to figure out the Ralph Lauren's ranch part), head back to Ridgeway and take 62 to 145 to 160 to Mesa Verde RV Resort. Next a short jaunt to Durango staying at either Alpen Rose or the Bayfield Riverside (just can't decide which - they both sound great). Afterwards we could take 550 south to 25 to 40 in Albuquerque and then east again. If memory serves - and it frequently doesn't any more - 550 south of Durango was a reasonable drive, even for a coach.

If anyone sees any issues in that route, please yell loud and long! Rick really puts a lot of trust in my route planning and I don't want to give him any reason to change his mind. I think we could swing 5 nights in Breckinridge, Ouray and Durango with 3 in Mesa Verde. Am I cutting it too short? Rick doesn't want to be gone over 4 months and I'm already a little over that. I can look at less time in other areas if necessary. Most of them are repeat visits and this will be new territory.

Thank you for your help!

[Rollin101]

Originally Posted by hdgoldie

Wow...it's a lot to see! I'm definitely not bored any longer. Here's my tentative plan - using 70 from the west, head for Tiger Run in Breckinridge first, backtrack for an overnight in Grand Junction and then take 50 down to 550 to Ouray RV Park & Cabins (I think we can do Telluride as a day trip in the Jeep although I'm still trying to figure out the Ralph Lauren's ranch part), head back to Ridgeway and take 62 to 145 to 160 to Mesa Verde RV Resort. Next a short jaunt to Durango staying at either Alpen Rose or the Bayfield Riverside (just can't decide which - they both sound great). Afterwards we could take 550 south to 25 to 40 in Albuquerque and then east again. If memory serves - and it frequently doesn't any more - 550 south of Durango was a reasonable drive, even for a coach.

If anyone sees any issues in that route, please yell loud and long! Rick really puts a lot of trust in my route planning and I don't want to give him any reason to change his mind. I think we could swing 5 nights in Breckinridge, Ouray and Durango with 3 in Mesa Verde. Am I cutting it too short? Rick doesn't want to be gone over 4 months and I'm already a little over that. I can look at less time in other areas if necessary. Most of them are repeat visits and this will be new territory.

Thank you for your help!

Yes you can do Telluride as a day trip no problem. Highway 62 going out of Ridgeway toward Telluride goes by Ralph Lauren ranch on your left going up the mountain. The Mesa Verde rv resort is nice. Also there’s a great little family owned restaurant in Marcos just South off 160 a couple blocks.
Linda, depending on what you want to do you could spend a month in Ouray alone, but 5 days would give you time to see a good bit of the scenery.
True grit was filmed on Owl Creek pass, take road about 5 miles North of Ridgeway to get to Owl creek pass. Also Dennis Weaver was from Ridgeway Co and there is a memorial to him there.
The True Grit cafe in Ridgeway where John Wayne ate while filming True Grit.

[royals1212]

I would say 3 days at Mesa Verde is to long. That is a very doable day trip from Durango which is what we did. We are currently on a 2 month Colorado trip. Our itinerary, Pagosa Springs (Wolf Creek), Durango (KOA), Ouray (KOA), Gunnison (KOA), Carbondale (KOA), Steamboat Springs (KOA), Breckenridge (Tiger Run). I am not a huge fan of KOAs but they have been adequate.

[Matt D]

Based upon what you’ve said, I’d skip the overnight in Grand Junction, unless you have a pressing reason to go there.

Following either I-70 to Grand Junction, then down to Ouray is only 274 easy highway miles, quite do-able for you both. Major pass is Vail pass, which is hit or miss on road construction.

Following my preferred “avoid Interstates when possible” routing from Breck to Salida, then over to Montrose and down is only 238 miles, but time is a few minutes longer than I-70. Arguably, I find the Salida route to be slightly more technical, and interesting.

Spending 5 days in Breck is good as I’ve never spent enough time there. I would suggest 2 days in Ouray, skip the overnight in Grand Junction, day trip Mesa Verde from Durango, and use Durango as a longer stop. You can absolutely stop in Telluride as you’re driving to Durango, which also saves another day. I could see this portion of your trip being quite possible in 12 days, and 14 would give you a little flex.

I’m somewhat biased towards a longer stay in Durango because there is so much to see and do there. Add to the fact that you can access Silverton as easily from Durango, as you can from Ouray.

While Ouray is super cool, there isn’t a whole lot to do in the town itself, beyond being a great launch pad for 550, or some serious wheeling trails.

With time constraints, I typically try to avoid unnecessary stops with the MH, as each Setup/Packup evolution burns at least 1/2 a day, best case scenario. Reducing the number of stops should reward you with more days in your highlighted stops.

The Ralph Lauren Ranch is just viewable from 62 and another County Road. They do not offer tours or anything other than an interesting note as you drive through some of the most beautiful land America has to offer.

I hope this helps sell the idea to Rick.

-Matt

[DebbieMH]

If some of your earlier stops are "repeats" as you said, then I'd shorten those and stay longer in Colorado. Remember, you get your best rates at staying a week instead of say, 5 days. But, not only that, if you have bad weather in any of your must do Colorado stops, it could keep you from seeing all you want to see. Stay longer, and enjoy relaxing. Yes, Silverton is doable from Durango, again in the toad. We did the train from Durango to Silverton back in 2016 and splurged for the Premium car - well worth it! However, the scenery from Ouray to Silverton is beyond belief ... not to be missed. Take some of the Jeep tours in Ouray to some of the mines. Also, might want to hit Creede ... great silver mines there to explore. Last chance mine is fantastic ... ok, I regress ... sorry. You could easily spend the entire 4 months in Colorado and not see/do it all. We stayed in Palisade, Co ... little east of Grand Junction and loved it. The Colorado National Monument is well worth spending a day driving. Again, very, very interesting rock formations and drive, entirely different than the areas around Durango or Ouray. If you go in late August/September, Palisades peaches are being picked, soooo sweet!

[Matt D]

Palisade peaches.. YUM!

[TXTiger]

Leaving Bosie ID end of Sept heading to Moab UT and Dorango CO. Thaking 191 to Moab then 491 and 160 to Dorrango. Alpine Rose was full so booked a place recommended by them, United RV. Was told the train shuts down after Labor Day so will miss that. Will continue on to Santa Fe after that.

[Rollin101]

Originally Posted by TXTiger

Leaving Bosie ID end of Sept heading to Moab UT and Dorango CO. Thaking 191 to Moab then 491 and 160 to Dorrango. Alpine Rose was full so booked a place recommended by them, United RV. Was told the train shuts down after Labor Day so will miss that. Will continue on to Santa Fe after that.

The Durango to Silverton train runs until at least Oct. 26th.

[hdgoldie]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Based upon what you’ve said, I’d skip the overnight in Grand Junction, unless you have a pressing reason to go there.



Following either I-70 to Grand Junction, then down to Ouray is only 274 easy highway miles, quite do-able for you both. Major pass is Vail pass, which is hit or miss on road construction.



Following my preferred “avoid Interstates when possible” routing from Breck to Salida, then over to Montrose and down is only 238 miles, but time is a few minutes longer than I-70. Arguably, I find the Salida route to be slightly more technical, and interesting.



Spending 5 days in Breck is good as I’ve never spent enough time there. I would suggest 2 days in Ouray, skip the overnight in Grand Junction, day trip Mesa Verde from Durango, and use Durango as a longer stop. You can absolutely stop in Telluride as you’re driving to Durango, which also saves another day. I could see this portion of your trip being quite possible in 12 days, and 14 would give you a little flex.



I’m somewhat biased towards a longer stay in Durango because there is so much to see and do there. Add to the fact that you can access Silverton as easily from Durango, as you can from Ouray.

The overnight in Grand Junction was simply because I was afraid the 274 mountain miles would be too long a day. We typically keep our travel to 250-300 miles per day but I didn't want to push it with an unfamiliar area. With the assurance that's its an easy day drive I can drop that. I put the three nights - two full days - at Mesa Verde because of weather concerns. Thought I'd hedge my bet in case we got rain the first day. I've been there and a full day in the park left me awfully tired riding back to Cortez where our group was staying - and I was a lot younger then. I hadn't thought of day tripping out of Durango. Alpen Rose has a dog walker! That may be the deciding factor in where we stay. I hate leaving the "kids" closed up in the coach all day - but some days it's just unavoidable.

Thanks for all the great suggestions about where to go and what to see. I've added them to my list!