Grand Junction to Las Vegas trip (Fruita, Mead: trip , move, weather)

[JustmovedtoColorado]

Hi there~!!!
I am new to CO (obviously by my name..LOL) and my husband wants to drive to Las Vegas, I know it's not but 6-7 hours away but I am originally from MI and the mountains, although beautiful really bothers me ( I have anxiety issues). I guess just the majesty of it, anyway is the trip from I-70 to I-15 just as mountainous or flat or both...help~!!!!!!! I have looked it up on Google images but can't really find anything. Thanks

[CosmicWizard]

I'm also a realtive newcomer to Grand Junction. I've been living here for 16 months. In 2004 when I was still living in Virginia Beach, I flew into Las Vegas, rented a car, and drove over to Grand Junction, and back again a few days later. It's a really easy trip ... interstate highway all the way. There are no major mountain passes along I70, though the route is constantly going up and down long hills. Heading west, when you get closer to I15, there is a mountain pass, but it's nothing compared to the Colorado Mountain passes. To my sense of beauty anyway, the scenery along the way is very appealing. I was never bored. On I15, somewhere south of Cedar City there's a long winding descent from the high desert into the valley in which Las Vegas is located. But again, it's pretty tame compared to a typical Colorado mountain pass. I think you'll enjoy the drive. If I remember correctly the drive is about 500 miles each way. Just set the cruise control on 80 and go!

blessings.....Franco

[jazzlover]

Grand Junction to Las Vegas involves very little mountain driving. I-70 west to Salina is all desert, save the moderate climb over the San Rafael Swell. No big deal. I-15 south gains some elevation around Cedar City, Utah but that's about it. Most of the time those roads are dry.

All of that said, one of the most miserable drives I ever had was from Las Vegas to Grand Junction one year on the Sunday of a Thanksgiving weekend. A freak winter storm hit (freaky enough that it spit snow as we were leaving Las Vegas). Up near Cedar City, there was 4" of snow ON THE ROAD and it was snowing over an inch an hour. We were in snow most of the way. The worst part was from Green River, Utah to Fruita, Colorado where it had rained, then snowed, then frozen into black ice. All told that day, it took us 15 1/2 hours to get from Vegas to Grand Junction, but that was definitely an abnormal storm.

As an aside, and I have no climatological explanation for this (climatology is one of my hobbies), I seem to have an uncanny ability to hit bad storms, no matter where I have lived, when driving on Thanksgiving weekend. It's the one time of year that I seem to be a "storm magnet."

[JustmovedtoColorado]

Thanks a bunch for the info~!! We were planning on the end of March for the Monster Jam finals (lol husband and priorities) so the weather should be ok. Thanks again

[CosmicWizard]

Jazzlover ( aka the storm magnet ) wrote:

I seem to have an uncanny ability to hit bad storms, no matter where I have lived, when driving on Thanksgiving weekend. It's the one time of year that I seem to be a "storm magnet."

I hope you won't be on the roads between Grand Junction and Prescott, AZ this Thanksgiving. I'd hate to get caught in a bad storm.

blessings...Franco

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by JustmovedtoColorado

Thanks a bunch for the info~!! We were planning on the end of March for the Monster Jam finals (lol husband and priorities) so the weather should be ok. Thanks again

Going to Vegas would likely be OK in March, BUT NEVER BET ON GOOD DRIVING CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS IN MARCH IN THE ROCKIES. March is one of the snowiest months of the year in the high country. Some of my worst winter drives have been in March and April.

(One of my funny "winter" driving stories was driving over Monarch Pass years back with 4-6" of wet snow on the road [with the chain law in effect] and contending with umpteen jacknifed cars and pickups towing boats to Blue Mesa Reservoir. Why the boats? IT WAS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!)

[JustmovedtoColorado]

Oh great!! Where is Monarch Pass? LOL funny about the boats. Also, what about the Hoover Dam, we wouldn't have to cross that right? Isn't that 30 miles away

[CosmicWizard]

JustmovedtoColorado wrote:

what about the Hoover Dam, we wouldn't have to cross that right?

I've got some good news and some bad news. First the bad news. A big storm caused some major damage to the road across Hoover Dam a few years ago and closed the road. And now for the good news. Due to the lower water levels in Lead Mead becasue of the drought, the swim across Hoover Dam is much shorter now, but there is more mud to contend with. Just kidding. LOL

blessings....Franco

[JustmovedtoColorado]

LOL Franco~!!.....Where is Monarch Pass tho?

[CosmicWizard]

I've never driven across Monarch Pass so the best I can do is to give you a link to the wikipedia entry on Monarch Pass. I'm guessing that Jazzlover can tell you more about it along with some spine chilling stories.


blessings...Franco