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I'm pretty sure there are a couple of 5% grades on I-77 - one in WV between Charleston & Beckley around mile marker 70, and the other in southern Virginia near the NC state line. I at times have put my car in neutral the entire 7 mile descent near Fancy Gap, VA when travelling southbound, and even starting at 65 MPH, my speed will increase to 75-80 easily if I'm not tapping the brakes throughout.
I would say CO. I have driven pretty much all the interstates across the country and CO (along with some other areas of the rockies up north) is the only place I have seen serious grades. I laugh at how people can't drive in the "mountains" here out east when driving through PA, MD, WV, KY etc. Getting passed on the right by big trucks etc because they can't go 65mph up a 4% hill. People in the east would get eaten alive driving like that in CO where people drive fast and there are real truck runaway ramps.
Have you ever been to any of the higher peaks here? Sorry, but a gain of almost 6,000 feet from base to summit is a mountain. I guess I just live next to snow capped hills here in VA. I've drove through Colorado when I lived in Vegas and me and my friend, who lived in Missouri and was not biased, thought the interstates in VA, southern WV, NC, and TN were just as bad. Amazingly, I didn't get eaten alive when I was driving out west and did most of the passing myself.
Santa Rosa is at 4,600 ft
Clines Corners is 7,200 ft
Pretty steady grade, you definitely feel it, car feels it too.
We drove the other direction. Gassed up in Albuquerque and got all the way to Clinton, OK on one tank. I guess it is pretty much downhill all the way.
On I17, Camp Verde is at around 3150 feet. Going south, you climb to over 6000 feet in just a few miles to get over the Mingus. This is a 6% grade. Going north, you climb steadily to around 7000 feet in Flagstaff. On the descent from Flagstaff there are signs warning of a 6% grade.
On I 40 in Arizona, about 10 miles east of Ash Fork there are signs warning of a 6% grade.
Does anyone happen to know? I've been searching online to try to find out but I've yet to come up with a conclusive answer.
I'm guessing I-84 in Oregon coming down/up Emigrant Hill...but I'm not sure. I think that one is at around 7% or so...which seems lower than what I'd assume the maximum would be, but IDK.
Anyone know the answer?
The best source for this information IMO is the Rand McNally Trucker's Atlas. That resource lists all of the steep grades.
Personally, I do NOT think that the steepest grades would be on interstate highways. More than likely, it is on secondary routes, but I might be wrong.
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