the hike to hanging lake is a straight uphill hike, just be aware.
peak to peak highway is a tourist/cop infested mess.
I live not 20 miles from it and I NEVER go on it. it's not that exciting. I bet i haven't been on it in over 20 years. I don't miss it.
Sulpher hot springs is a cute little town. Kremmling really isn't. I like Wolcott a lot. (it's a pretty tiny little town). Granby/Winter Park is nice, pretty touristy but nice.
According to The USDA Forest Service page, it is open . They have rebuilt the section towards the top with better railings & added a fancy deck at the lake.
As to water in July & August - I've been there in Late July last summer & in 1996 and both times there was plenty of water. This has been a fairly dry year, so there may be less, but you would get a better answer from someone in the area since I've only visited twice...
With your rig (noted from your profile) you will have some real issues with Trail Ridge Road. There are switchbacks and narrow spots going up but some blind hairpin curves on the west side. And, depending on when you do it, LOTS of traffic and elk jams (people stopping in the middle of the road to get out and look at elk some 200 yards away). And people taking their half out of the middle.
When we lived in Estes Park and came southwest, we used Peak to Peak Hwy many times.
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MPond wrote: One of the legs of our trip this summer will take us from Estes Park, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO. Looking at Google maps, there are 3 routes that are each estimated between 4 & 4.5 hours:
Option 1: Go East out of Estes Park, back the way we came in, and go through Boulder & Golden on our way back to I-70, and then directly to Glenwood Springs.
Option 2: Take Trail Ridge Road through RMNP and head Southwest on US-34 to Granby. The take US-40 South (and a little East) toward I-70 near Georgetown, and I-70 all the way to Glenwood Springs.
Option 3: Take Trail Ridge Road through RMNP and head Southwest on US-34 to Granby. The take US-40 West through Kremmling, and all the way to I-70 near Eagle, CO.
If we take Option 1 (mostly I-70), we'd take our time and stop at some of the towns along the way such as Georgetown, Vail, etc... and make a day of it.
My guess is that Options 2 & 3 would be a bit slower going, but probably more scenic. Is there anything in particular along those routes that we should be checking out?
I'm on the fence, and looking for any suggestions that might push me one way or the other.
Having done all three -- we enjoyed all -- but the favorite was Number three. Take a little time in Grand Lake neat little town near the lake and the kids might enjoy walking in town -- a little hokey but our grand daughter's loved it. When you drive through Kremmling take a look at stopping at Stagecoach Lake State Park -- just a little bit of Heaven in the middle of some beautiful country. (the lake and the old ski resort is just eye candy) Winter Park is also an interesting stop
Many of the roads in this area are a little tight but I can't remember any that were an issue -- we just bounced around the area for a few days and just loved the wildness of the area.
This summer will be a lot different that what you saw last summer -- a lot less snow in the high country so you will likely see everything pushed in fast forward by about three weeks -- lot less water this year and a lot warmer in the high country already.
Once again no wrong choices on the drives in Colorado, JMHO.
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Busskipper
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A good description - though brief - is the Mountain Directory West, page 56. Yes, there are hairpin turns on the west side down from Milner pass - you will be needing both lanes in some cases with your rig.
LoneCowboy wrote: peak to peak highway is a tourist/cop infested mess.
I live not 20 miles from it and I NEVER go on it. it's not that exciting. I bet i haven't been on it in over 20 years. I don't miss it.
I don't know the problem with the Peak to Peak highway. There are some jams right around Blackhawk, but overall I don't think it would be any slower than going over Trail Ridge Road. Plus, the east side of the divide hasn't been hit nearly as hard by the pine beetle as the west side. The area around Grand Lake is bad, but when we went took CO 134 from Toponas to Kremmling last year, we thought the segment around Gore Pass may be the worst we had seen anywhere. To me, the biggest downside of the Peak to Peak option is having to go through the Eisenhower Tunnel and over Vail Pass on I-70 -- two big climbs and drops in a short distance. But the views of the Indian Peaks area are far more spectacular from P2P than around Granby IMHO.
If you do end up going over Trail Ridge, I would still opt for the route over CO 134 through Toponas. No use dropping all the way down to Georgetown.
Rockiesview wrote: Hanging Lake and trail have been closed for some mtce., don't know if it is open now or not.
Hanging Lake Trail was re-opened last year. If it's a weekend, get there early, as once the parking lot fills they close the exit. Another thing to do in Glenwood is rent bikes (if you don't have them) and ride up Glenwood Canyon. Rafting season this year will be short with the puny winter we had.
I still don't know which way I want to go, but I know I don't want to go through Boulder. I may just play it by ear. I'll see Trail Ridge Road in the Jeep a few days before we leave Estes Park, so that'll give me a chance to see what it's like. And we may also explore the Peak-to-Peak route in the Jeep as well - I've found some interesting Jeep trails near there.
Once I've seen then in person I'll be in a better position to decide.
2003 Country Coach Intrigue, Cummins ISL 400
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Other rig: 2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Duramax Dually / Next Level 38CK Fifth-wheel Toy Hauler w/ quads, sand rail, etc...
Lauren wrote: With your rig (noted from your profile) you will have some real issues with Trail Ridge Road. There are switchbacks and narrow spots going up but some blind hairpin curves on the west side. And, depending on when you do it, LOTS of traffic and elk jams (people stopping in the middle of the road to get out and look at elk some 200 yards away). And people taking their half out of the middle.
When we lived in Estes Park and came southwest, we used Peak to Peak Hwy many times.
How does Trail Ridge Road compare to 550 between Ouray & Durango? Or 89-A from Flagstaff into Sedona?
Busskipper wrote: ...This summer will be a lot different that what you saw last summer -- a lot less snow in the high country so you will likely see everything pushed in fast forward by about three weeks -- lot less water this year and a lot warmer in the high country already...
We planned our trip for July/August in the year in order to see different scenery that we did last year in June. We'd heard about less snow and an abundance of wildflowers in the San Juan Mountains.
Do you think we're going to be too late now because of the dry winter?
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