is the drive from SF to denver brutal?

[vash]

i have done it before, but i was much younger.. i cannot remember many details, except this super hot Utah chick that worked at a hot wings restaurant. yahoo, says i am looking at an 18 hour trip, 1200+ miles each way.

parents are in australia spending our inheritence for the holidays, so us kids are planning on meeting at my sisters. i am the only one that can cook, so i have to go. flying for Christmas is not festive in my opinion...maybe a nice leisurely drive with my wife...

is the drive hideous?

[LakeCleElum]

Straight and boring from Reno to Grand Junction. Maybe take Hwy 50 across Nev. instead of 80. More interesting. Not a bad drive at all, light traffic and no big cities to contend with. A lot better than driving down I-95 on the east coast. Have fun.

[TechnoViking]

I've done Denver to LA a couple times. If you're coming out during "the holidays" the tricky part is Vail pass in a blizzard. We went off the road once on spring break and almost didn't make it.

I-80 through Salt Lake could also be hairy. Just keep an eye on the forecast and choose your route accordingly. You got chains? Sometimes the weather is bearable, but the highway patrol mandates all cars have chains or you have to wait out the storm.

[slakjaw]

Thousand Oaks to Omaha in a 1964 Jag XKE. That was a fun trip! We went north over Donner pass and it was a nice, scenic drive.

[Don Plumley]

Last year did the SF-SLC run in January. The weather in eastern Nevada was dicey - blowing snow, frozen lanes, watched a few big rigs in the ditch.

I've driven from Denver to SF in Spring - that was a fantastic drive, dropped down south so I could go through Nevada on US50 instead of I80.

Honestly, I wouldn't do it in the winter. You run the risk of getting stuck at Tahoe, SLC, Vail, etc.

[stevepaa]

driving from Cal to SLC and Denver in winter conditions is dicy. There can be losts of black ice on the road. Did it at night and I was lucky I did not really know what all the bumps in the road were.

[motion]

P-U-S-S-Y !!!! I do the 2800 mile round trip between Morro Bay and Montana every month. Nothing like a good road trip

[cantdrv55]

Two words: Audio books. Make sure you have a couple because from Reno to Elko is like driving on the moon. !-80 from past Reno to Utah or Hwy 50 from Reno to Ely, no diff. I love the drive though.

[911boost]

I've done it a couple of times, last time was in December in a rear wheel drive Budget Rental box truck. I would plan on going I-80 straight across from Cheyenne. I hit some snow in Western Wyoming, and then again in Western Utah.

I HATE I-76/70. HATE it, so for me, avoiding it was the way to go.

Just be careful around Tahoe.

Bill

[Heel n Toe]

Holy crap... take the train, dude... that would be a beautimous run.

Amtrak - Routes - West

[tcar]

You won't be required to use chains if you drive your Turbo Forester with winter tires.

I'd do it in a heartbeat, I drive on Vail pass a lot; you may have to slow to 40-50 mph, but it's only a few miles.

[teenerted1]

winter driving can be fun if you are prepared and know what you are doing.
drive from seattle to Santa Fe, NM every thanksgiving. some years the weather is beautiful some times it is stomy all the way. get a subbie and dont worry about it. i havent used chains since college almost 20 years ago. and only when the jetta got stuck in a snow bank.

i never drive across long streches of nevada if i can avoid it. too boring for my tastes. but the two lane hwy streches thru utah/colorado/nm red rock area is my favorite. even in a snow storm

[svandamme]

only thing that could make a drive like that brutal, is if the Fuzz is around to much

[TechnoViking]

Originally Posted by teenerted1

i havent used chains since college almost 20 years ago. and only when the jetta got stuck in a snow bank.

If the Colorado "chain law" goes into effect, you will be putting on chains or you will be spending the night where you are. It's good to have them no matter what car you drive.

Edit: The "chain law" is already law. What I mean is, the authorities decide when it is in effect. YOU (or I for that matter) may feel perfectly comfortable driving whatever car we have over a certain pass, but the law dictates when you put the chains on, at times. At least in Colorado.

[teenerted1]

Originally Posted by Martin Smith

If the Colorado "chain law" goes into effect, you will be putting on chains or you will be spending the night where you are. It's good to have them no matter what car you drive.

Edit: The "chain law" is already law. What I mean is, the authorities decide when it is in effect. YOU (or I for that matter) may feel perfectly comfortable driving whatever car we have over a certain pass, but the law dictates when you put the chains on, at times. At least in Colorado.

the same set i had when i owned my jetta is sitting next to the spare. may not fit the subbie but they are in there just in case of said "chainlaw" spent 5yrs in fort collins in college, only time i needed chains in colorado was to get out of parking space under 24" of snow. CSU was cancelled that day, we had to get out of town to go skiing. i25/70 were vacant cept for plows and other skiiers with the same idea.

havent needed them in 20yrs...have driven by many LEO's on the side of the road sitting there helping the helpless in the ditch. one time in eastern washington semis and cars were chaining up in the middle of the interstate on a hill. subie just kept on trucking. correct speed good tires and skills are all it takes. i'll wait for you at the top of the hill but i'm not stopping halfway up.

said "chain law" varies. some states say that 4wd/chains required, and only need one or the other. subie qualifies there. if subie needs chains i am not going that route. subie has 6" ground clearance, if i am plowing i aint going.

[911boost]

I used the chains on my Tahoe a couple of times. Once in Fort Collins when we got 36 inches of snow (2003) and I had employees stuck at client locations. I need to check and see if they fit the tires I have on my Excursion, as there is the stong possibility of needed them in a month when I am near Chimmney Rock elk hunting.

The 6 inches of ground clearance you mention on the Subie is the problem (I have had more than one AWD subie in my lifetime).

Donner Pass has the potential to be very very bad, they get serious snow up there.

[Burnin' oil]

I've driven 80 in the winter many times. Have fun. If you take 50 in the winter, have more fun. Remember, the faster you drive, the less time you're on the road so the less chance for problems. And, fortunately, every time I have spun out on 80 in the snow, it's been into a snow bank that I could easily get out of.

[vash]

i have chains for my 4x4 tacoma...damn. i really didnt think about the winter aspect. i was just worried i was going to be bored.

[speeder]

Does chain law apply in CO. if you have 4WD?

[911boost]

In Colorado the chain laws only affect "commercial" vehicles.