Bend, Oregon to Pagosa Springs, Colorado
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Bend, Oregon to Pagosa Springs, Colorado
I am trying to decide whether to fly or drive to Pagosa Springs. My car is a hybrid that was designed to get great gas mileage, not power up mountain grades. Has anyone driven between Provo, Utah and Durango and/or Pagosa Springs? What route would you recommend? What are the uphill grades like? Thanks.
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I drove from Bend - almost due west - through Idaho and Montana and then down/south through Wyoming and a corner of Utah, to Grand Junction, Aspen, Denver, AF Academy/Colorado Springs, etc and don't remember any incredibly steep mountain passes. I would think with just you - your hybrid should have enough power to get over most grades - but suggest you double check with your dealer to see if your hybrid has any problems with high altitudes - thinner air, etc.
It's a long - but beautiful drive - even if it's probably a push v. air fare, including your accommodations for a couple days, etc. But then you save on a rental car when you are in Colorado.
Now - we also drove from Vail down to Telluride and on to Durango, etc - and went over the Colorado Divide - past Creste Butte ski area - in one place it was even a gravel road - and again, don't recall anything being that difficult to surmount. I think we even went through Pagosa Springs on the way from Durango to Colorado Springs, on Hiway 160 I believe it was.
However, again - you should probably ask your car dealer to be sure about how your hybrid handles the hills/mountains. There are a lot of slow moving trucks - and sometimes cars - going up the mountain passes - so don't feel too badly if you are chugging along and people are passing you.
Here is a Colorado map for general reference. http://tinyurl.com/cr64yp6
It's a long - but beautiful drive - even if it's probably a push v. air fare, including your accommodations for a couple days, etc. But then you save on a rental car when you are in Colorado.
Now - we also drove from Vail down to Telluride and on to Durango, etc - and went over the Colorado Divide - past Creste Butte ski area - in one place it was even a gravel road - and again, don't recall anything being that difficult to surmount. I think we even went through Pagosa Springs on the way from Durango to Colorado Springs, on Hiway 160 I believe it was.
However, again - you should probably ask your car dealer to be sure about how your hybrid handles the hills/mountains. There are a lot of slow moving trucks - and sometimes cars - going up the mountain passes - so don't feel too badly if you are chugging along and people are passing you.
Here is a Colorado map for general reference. http://tinyurl.com/cr64yp6
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you should probably ask your car dealer to be sure about how your hybrid handles the hills/mountains.
I doubt that the car dealer will give a negative answer. A better solution might be spend a day in the mountains from Bend, looking for the steepest roads possible to see how the car performs.
I doubt that the car dealer will give a negative answer. A better solution might be spend a day in the mountains from Bend, looking for the steepest roads possible to see how the car performs.
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Great suggestion, Michael. Otherwise, it would be much better to fly than to spend an entire road trip worried if the car can negotiate the mountains.
HTTY
PS Doing a Google search I found threads on this topic.
HTTY
PS Doing a Google search I found threads on this topic.
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Very good advice. Take a run up 242 is it - the one open in the summer - over McKenzie pass and see how it does. Actually - before that you might try something more gentle - on the way to Mt. Bachelor perhaps or up partway somewhere in the 3 sisters, or even up Newberry Crater lookout - or whateve it is called.
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