Rebecca_Duncan

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.

Tomsd

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

Michael

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.

happytrailstoyou

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.

Tomsd

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.