Driving from Crested Butte to Santa Fe which route? (Alamosa: camp, maintenance)

[katefrisco]

Should I take 285 which seems to look shorter or 25? When I do google maps it shows that 285 is about 2 hours shorter. I would like real life feedback. Thank you!

[DOUBLE H]

U.S 285 is much shorter, IMO. Once you get up to Tres Piedras, you can make good time. Monte Vista, a nice town, is a good place to stop for gas and a bite to eat. North of Monte Vista that section of the highway is known as the "gun barrel road", as it over 40 miles of absolute straight road. TIP: Take a look at the time and miles saved by taking state rd.114, which goes northwest out of Saguache and cuts off a lot of miles. It goes over North Cochetopa Pass, elevation 10,149 feet,which is not that difficult a climb. There are spots you need to pay closer attention, but once you get over the pass, you can run wide open to U.S.50 although there is a 5 mile stretch where the road is 35 m.p.h., and Gunnison is eight miles or so west of there.

Nothing wrong with 285, Poncha Pass is an easy climb and hooking up to U.S.50, just north of Poncha Springs, is a fairly easy drive. But you go straight north and then straight west. Monarch Pass,11,312 ft. is no cakewalk, but it's no Red Mountain Pass either. The traffic on U.S.50 is fairly light as you have basic local and ranch traffic, and Cochetopa Pass is half the amount of traffic. If time is that much more important, 114 is how I would go because you cut off that many more miles. 50 is a nice drive though. Both roads are two lane, and the state road people do a good job on road maintenance with work yards in both Saguache and Gunnison. Good luck on your trip.

[katefrisco]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I was wondering about the mountain passes etc.
I am chomping at the bit. We leave for Crested Butte on Friday for about a week. I have been packed since last week.

[DOUBLE H]

There likely will be a few more posters that weigh in on it, two of them being 80's keys and Jazzlover. Jazzlover knows the roads in Colorado even better than I do. 80s keys and myself discussed this route on another Colorado thread some time back. One thing to consider is going up on the 114 cutoff and coming back to Santa Fe through 285 heading back home! Coming back, there is a good restaurant or two in Antonito. They get their end of tourism through the Cumbres Toltec Train ride from Antonito to Chama. A MUST SEE!

A quick note on Monarch; it's a steady climb but not super difficult. Great views on the top (Continental Divide crosses there). On the west side of the pass it's a 7% grade, gear down to 30 to 35 where the sign posts suggest. Once you get to Gunnison it's pretty much 55 to 60.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

There likely will be a few more posters that weigh in on it, two of them being 80's keys and Jazzlover. Jazzlover knows the roads in Colorado even better than I do. 80s keys and myself discussed this route on another Colorado thread some time back. One thing to consider is going up on the 114 cutoff and coming back to Santa Fe through 285 heading back home! Coming back, there is a good restaurant or two in Antonito. They get their end of tourism through the Cumbres Toltec Train ride from Antonito to Chama. A MUST SEE!

A quick note on Monarch; it's a steady climb but not super difficult. Great views on the top (Continental Divide crosses there). On the west side of the pass it's a 7% grade, gear down to 30 to 35 where the sign posts suggest. Once you get to Gunnison it's pretty much 55 to 60.

I would go via CO 114 over Cochetopa Pass to Saguache, then south on US285. Nice drive--with tourism business half-dead this summer, there was virtually no traffic on 114 when I drove it on business a couple of weeks ago.

If you want some great New Mexican food along the way in Colorado, the El Charro in Alamosa and the Dutch Mill in Antonito are hard to beat. Both look like dives from the outside, but both have really good chow.

I would second taking a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR. A very historic and scenic ride--the best in Colorado (and New Mexico) in my opinion.

After that drive, though, Santa Fe may seem like a real anti-climax. A bunch of tourist, yuppie, bull**** after you've seen some of the "real" Colorado and New Mexico.

[katefrisco]

I used to go to camp back in the late 70's early 80's up at Ute Park, New Mexico (between Cimarron and Eagle's Nest). Afterwards we would go through Taos and Santa Fe on the way home. So much has changed it does make me a little sad.

[DOUBLE H]

Thanks to Jazzlover on the suggestion for eats at the El Charro in Alamosa, I didn't mean to slight the town either. I've eaten at both the El Charro AND the Dutch Mill in Antonito. They're both excellent! And tourism IS down as well, no doubt about it.

[katefrisco]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

Thanks to Jazzlover on the suggestion for eats at the El Charro in Alamosa, I didn't mean to slight the town either. I've eaten at both the El Charro AND the Dutch Mill in Antonito. They're both excellent! And tourism IS down as well, no doubt about it.

I am trying to do my patriotic duty and spend my $ in the good ole US of

[Aliciac]

I would say 285 as it is a better view of a drive.

**from Albuquerque perspective**