Summer Road Trip! NC to CO

So planning has begun on a trip my brother and I are taking this summer. Heading out to CO to climb some hills and spend some time on the river. We decided to drive, looks like it'll be about 24hrs of driving each direction. We decided to drive because if we flew we'd end up spending a day on either end driving to the airport and then getting there, so driving will only add two days to the trip, and it'll save us a boatload between airfare and a rental car.

I've got the technical aspects of our outdoor stuff taken care of, but that still leaves me with two big questions; route on the way there and back, and truck stuff.

Routing is my biggest question right now; having never been through this part of the country in a car I'm curious as to some good resources for planning. Looking for things like camping spots about halfway between here and there. I think we've got the basics of where we'll be backpacking, and rafting. But just curious if you guys have a place to find more info on where we'll be driving through, besides spending a lot of time on google. We won't have a ton of time on driving days to do sight seeing, but if something is close then we'd love to see it. Right now it looks like we'll be taking 40W to Nashville, then 24W up to 57N to hit 64W. Then 70W across to Colorado Springs and wherever we have to hit 24 again to head over towards buena vista.

Truck stuff: mechanically speaking, I'm not worried about the truck, I'll be taking some tools and I already carry a portable air source/jumper cables/and first aid kit. I was planning on bringing several gallons of just in case gas and some backup water. As far as actual modifications to the truck to make the trip better I was planning on taking out my back seats and putting in something like the dog platform, but without seats I figure I can get some more space. This will allow me to fit my 45qt pelican inside for easy access and security. Also thought about doing the 400w anytime mod, and adding a household outlet to the platform so it'll be easy to get to without me having to cut anything on my less than one year old truck. Any other suggestions to make this trip more comfortable are definitely welcome.

That is all pretty rambly, sorry. Just looking for tips from any of yall who have done a road trip like this before.

 

Weather radio. Severe weather in the plains and flash flooding inthe mountains.

 

Good call, I didn't even think about a weather radio.

 

Yeah. In many cases, especially in CO, you can get NOAA weather radio signal and not cell phone coverage. Not a bad idea to have both.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/Maps/PHP/CO.php

You can get an Oregon Scientific handheld for abour $35. Good unit.

 

You didn't mention if you'll go above treeline, but if you do watch out for afternoon thunderstorms. Lightning is a big deal, especially if you're summiting a peak, so be careful.

 

For sure.

I've chased tornadoes, been in a hurricane, and want nothing to do with lightning. Ever. People are way too complacent when it coes to lightning.

 

All good info,keep it coming!

We're planning on getting to buena vista and doing about four to five days of hiking in the area, haven't figured out if we'll do any backpacking, but planned on several day hikes, hoping to knock off a couple 14ers. I have a lot of backcountry experience on the east coast, but we have no experience out west, so this will be learning for us. Very excited for sure.

I appreciate all of the tips yall have.

 

The wife and I were just talking about taking the same trip this summer (NC to CO w/ a few stops in between). We went to Denver last Aug and had a blast. If you get a chance, I recommend taking a horse back ride through the Rockies.

I'm sure you have most of the camping basics covered, but just in case, don't forget the toilet paper and a nice LED headlamp.

 

Oh, and locals pronounce buena vista as bewna vista (bewny for short). Of course with that NC accent I don't think they'll mistake you for local.

Have fun, it's a gorgeous area.

 

I live half hour south of BV. I call it BV because I have a hard time saying Byoona. But it's more than just tradition. It's actually in the 19th century town charter that the town's name is pronounced that way and not as spanish speakers would pronounce it.

Lots of great hikes, and plenty of 14ers right close by. Wait until July or later if you want to be able to get anywhere in the high country without snow. Looking like we'll just have an average snow year this winter, but even still, June is spring. In spring there is still snow up above 11,000 feet.

On lightning and high elevation: go up early and get back down early. People who know start their 14er days at oh dark 30. Be on your way up as the sun is rising, be back down at least back into tree cover by 9 am. It can happen any time, but by and large you are safe if you aren't up there past about 10 am. As the day warms up, clouds start to build. It can be totally clear at 9, a cute tiny little cloud shows up above the summit at 9:15, by 10 you're running for your life in a huge electric storm, freezing because of the cold rain and sleet. And bring more than a dumb little single 12 oz bottle of water from the grocery store! Have more than a quart each and have some damned calories with you.

It's a classic thing; you finish your 14er, back down to your car and the tourists are showing up to start. Each wearing the baggy shorts and "I love Colorado" t-shirt tourist uniform and carrying a single bottle of water. Off they go! Say hi to the Search and Rescue guys for me!

Good luck, and enjoy your visit.

EDIT: Mt Princeton Hot Springs. Just sayin'

 

Leaving here July 5 or 6, so we won't be out there until the 7th at the earliest. Good advice on the early starts, I'll remember that; and I typically overpack on water, so no worries there, we have those people out east too(granted our terrain is not nearly the level of yours, but we still laugh at them here too).

Looks like there are plentiful spots to camp close to a lot of the trailheads, east slopes of Princeton included. Not looking for a lot as far as campsites, a somewhat level spot for two tents and we're happy. Do you have any experience with any of that? Are those spots overcrowded? I'm getting my info from 14ers.com currently, have any experience with the accuracy of directions to trailheads and such from them?

edit: Hotsprings have been added to the to do list, thanks!

 

For camping do you need amenities or boondock? If you can squat over a hole you just dug, and bring all your own water/food, there's almost no end to the places you can camp especially if you have 4wd. Any time you see a sign that says "National Forest Access" you can pretty much guarantee that you'll find at-large camping.

If you need to be in a campground, you might have some company around that time. At least you're jumping over the 4th of July holiday. But the campgrounds can get a little crowded.

For hikes put the Alpine Tunnel on your list. On this list it's "Tunnel Lake":

http://www.buenavistacolorado.org/hiking-buena-vista-colorado

There's decent at-large camping up there where the hike starts.

Haven't used 14ers.com so I can't speak to it, but should be fine. Check in with The Trailhead (store) http://www.thetrailheadco.com for beta if you have any questions.

Only 14er I've climbed around here is Princeton, and I would recommend a different one unless you're into 4-wheeling most of the way up and then summiting after about a 2500 foot climb. It's not crazy 4-wheeling, I did it with a stock Chevy Silverado years ago. Had its moments, but nothing crazy. For more of a "real" climbing a 14er experience do Yale or Harvard.

 

We'll be doing the squat over a hole method of camping, so that's awesome to hear that we don't need to stress about a lot of preplanning on campsites. Awesome information, and I'll definitely add the alpine tunnel to our list of must sees, and I'll check out the trailhead. Any other must see spots around that area of CO? We've got 4-5 days to kill exploring before we start out on a raft, so we don't necessarily have to stay close to BV.

Awesome info Tom, I really appreciate it.

 

That's a tough one. Generally, I don't recommend that people who have less than like 10 days to shuttle around too much. You can spend all your time driving from place to place. But I would say,

- go over Cottonwood Pass (just west of BV) and check out Crested Butte and the surroundings. Finding at-large camping over there is a bit more challenging, but it's amazing beautiful.

I'm going to PM you some other stuff.

 

The altitude will knock you on our ass. I've been Spring skiing for a number of years. I went out one year I couldn't breathe, I got sick to my stomach, had headaches. Recommend that stay in a low area like Denver for a couple days to get used to it, and the go higher. Altitude sickness is no joke.

 

Have made several camping trips to Co/NM over the years from Memphis. Will leave Co camping advice to the locals. Would suggest you consider I-40 from Nashville all the way to Amarillo then angle up to I-25 at Raton. To maximize your time in the mountains do long driving days and motel to get there and back. Motel will get you on the road much earlier in the morning. Hit a mom and pop motel with a half empty parking lot at 7-8pm. Try to avoid larger cities at rush hour. Solo I was driving 750-1000 a day thru the Midwest.

 

You can't aclimate in a couple days. Staying hydrated is the best strategy other than being fit. And then give yourself a break whenever you get short of breath.

Some people get really affected by the thin air, others not so much. Fitness can be part of it, but I've had athletes come visit who were miserable a couple times.

 

I'll look into that route, any reason to stay on 40 that long and then head north over what I'd posted?(I'm honestly asking, the route I posted is more or less what all the mapping sites are telling me) We'll have two driving days on either end of the trip, looking at about 1600miles one way, so we're hoping to half that and find a spot to pitch a tent somewhere in the middle.

 

Drove it on I-70 once, lots of wind and traffic, and you have to deal with either Denver or Colorado Springs. Memphis to Amarillo is about 720 miles, and it puts you thru Little Rock just after rush hour, and Oklahoma City mid-day. My trips usually were southern Co, ie Salida, BV, Alamosa, Durango, Silverton. Monarch Pass between Salida and Gunnison has several Forest Service campgrounds. Would still recommend a cheap motel rather than camping for back-to-back 800 mile days.

 

I've done it several times from GA. In fact we leave next month for the Grand Canyon instead of CO. From where I live it is about the same to drive I-40 across AL, MS, AR, OK, TX NM, then turn north into CO as to take I-70 through KS. I'd think from NC the northern route would be better. I've gone about 1/2 way and set up a quick camp and stayed in a cheap hotel. I've also done it 3 times non stop, just swapping out drivers and sleeping in the passenger seat.

If you're driving through Colorado Springs you have to drive to the top of Pikes Peak and see the Garden of the Gods.

The weather in the mountains can be cold even in summer. I've seen snowfall in June and July with high mountain passes closed temporarily to clear snow so bring warm clothes. It can also be 90 degrees. There are plenty of campgrounds after you reach CO.

If you are in good physical condition acclimating to the altitude is a lot easier. If you are near western NC get in some hikes in the SMNP at 6000-7000' before you go and you'll not even notice the difference at 9000-10,000'. You might be a little light headed on Pikes Peak at 14,000'

I've been through Buena Vista, but never spent any time there. The drive between Durango and Ouray is a must see. There are tons of off road trails that you could drive on if your truck is 4X4. Plenty places to rent Jeeps too. It'd be hard to visit Colorado and not see Rocky Mt. National Park.