Very simple, do not try it. The switchbacks are so sharp that you may drop a wheel on your trailer and if you meet another trucker or local bus, it will be hairy. The bad section is not real long, but not worth the danger either. Last winter we went through GDL instead of the Devils Backbone, three years ago we did it on a Mexican bus, never again.
Bob & Betsy - USN Ret'd '78 & FL LEO Ret'd '03 FMCA #F203528 '05 HR Endeavor, 40PRQ w/400 Cummins - With -'05 GMC Sierra LT, CC Z-71, the pusher '07 Arctic Cat 500A & Wilderness Kayak, riding in the pusher - Our Current Location
IMHO, it is do-able! BUT do it early Sunday morning so there is less traffic, fewer large trucks and take your time. Also consider time of day in regards to the position of the Sun. There is a video on youtube. Believe it or not we have been on worse in Mexico with our 37" 5er. Good luck and stop for the Coconut Cream pie near the bottom.
Texan, not much worse than Hwy 54 out of Guadalajara and is not as bad as Son. Hwy 16. You were riding in the bus instead of driving your MH. I would be more nervous also. Take care,
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
It is doable if you enjoy living on the edge, so to speak. We have driven it twice in a car, and we wouldn't consider doing it in anything larger. Last summer we were delayed twice when accidents blocked the road. First a carnival truck got a wheel off the road and dropped over on its side against the cliff. Thank goodness it was on the inside. Cars could get by, but anything larger was blocked for HOURS!
Then a truck stalled on a bend and couldn't get going again. Once more, it was HOURS before traffic was flowing. Only 4X4 vehicles could get around by driving on some make-shift (and very precarious) props thrown together on the edge of the mountain.
Trucks need both lanes to round some of the bends. To make the grade, they have to maintain a certain speed. You don't see the trucks until you, too, are rounding the bend. With a less maneuverable vehicle, we would have been toast on two occasions.
We've done it 13 times towing either a 26.5 or a 27 foot travel trailer. We've had a few scares, but so far no problems or delays. I prefer getting on it very early - like 3AM when the traffic is light. The west side is the steepest, the brakes get a real workout. In 2007 I lost the truck brakes and had to rely on the trailer brakes and low gear going west.
There's a new section of toll road west from Durango - it must be about 50 miles long, but like most toll roads being built the last exit before the road ends isn't marked so one can easily wind up trying to turn a trailer around on a two lane road.
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