Know Where NOT to Drive Your Big Rig RV
Blind curves, steep grades, hairpin turns, and slippery when wet. These are the words many travelers driving or towing bigger rigs want to avoid seeing in front of their windshield. Having RV-safe GPS directions is essential when you have a big Class A coach or spacious fifth wheel in tow.
The Top 10 Dangerous Routes for RV Driving
Below we list some of the most dangerous routes for larger RVs or anyone towing a longer trailer. Not only are these routes dangerous for these rigs, but they are usually not recommended for travel for these type of vehicles or any vehicle during adverse conditions.
1. Teton Pass Highway, Wyoming
Running from Swan Valley, Idaho to Jackson, Wyoming, Highway 22, or the Teton Pass Highway, is a stunning way to get over the pass next to the famous Teton Range. However, this two-lane road is steep and twists over the pass and can be dangerous for larger rigs in less than perfect conditions. Even during nice weather you have to be cautious. The local moose population likes to cross this road during their travels. Ask me how I know this.
Teton Pass Highway – Photo via Shutterstock Standard License
2. Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway, California
There are several beautiful routes that snake over the Sierra Nevada Range in California. While many travelers are familiar with State Route 120 into Yosemite or Highway 50 near Lake Tahoe, not too many people know about Ebbetts Pass, or Highway 4.
There’s a good reason for this. This two-lane road offers stunning views and a lot less people, but also contains several steep hairpin curves. Any larger rigs or trailers could be in a world of hurt on this road.
Wikimedia Commons
Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
3. Las Vegas Strip, Nevada
From neon lights and rollercoasters to the Bellagio Fountain display, there are numerous attractions on the Las Vegas Strip. However, no matter how tempting it might be, don’t drive down the Strip in a larger RV or while towing a long trailer—especially after dark.
While not exactly dangerous, the Strip can be extremely frustrating for any driver. Even Las Vegas shuttle and bus drivers avoid this section of Las Vegas Boulevard. The number of cars, pedestrians who don’t stay on the sidewalk, and numerous traffic lights make this area of the city a major spot to avoid in your rig.
4. Million Dollar Highway/U.S. Route 550, Colorado
This white-knuckle drive from from the mountain towns of Silverton, Colorado to Ouray is scary for many drivers. It’s doubly treacherous for big rig drivers. Stretching over 25 miles, U.S. Route 550 twists and turns up to 11,000 feet.
The elevation also makes this area prone to unpredictable weather and the road’s three passes can receive snow even in the summer. The lack of guardrails and the possibility for rockslides make this route extra dangerous.
5. Tail of the Dragon, Tennessee
Just the name of this route on U.S. Route 129 in Tennessee is enough to make anyone excited or extra cautious. If you are in a big rig or towing a trailer, you will want to stay clear.
In fact, there are signs along this route that restricts vehicles longer than 30 feet in length. This route has over 300 curves in only 11 miles and the speed limit is 30 miles per hour. That doesn’t stop many motorcyclists from flocking to it—another reason to avoid driving it in an RV.
6. Sonora Pass, California
California’s Sierra Nevada Range makes the list again with its nerve-racking Sonora Pass/Highway 108 from Highway 395 to the small town of Sonora in the Sierra foothills. With a 26 percent grade and steep curves, any vehicles over 25 feet and trailers are not recommended.
Numerous signs at the beginning of the route will enumerate it. There are a few campgrounds at the beginning of the pass where you can unhook or park before attempting the route in a smaller vehicle.
Wikimedia Commons
Eric in SF, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
7. Highway 249, Texas (or any toll road)
This small stretch of highway heading into Houston is not dangerous to you or your vehicle, but it can be dangerous to your wallet. The highway is known to have one of the most expensive tolls in the country at over $1 per mile for just passenger vehicles.
Any toll route can be expensive or annoying for a larger, multi-axle rig, so the best thing to do is to use RV LIFE Trip Wizard and set the “avoid toll roads” for any planned trips in a toll-heavy area.
8. Highway 70, Kansas/Colorado
Most routes that are dangerous for big rigs tend to go over mountains. This route is about as flat as can be, but in certain weather can be dangerous for high profile vehicles. Stretching between Denver and Kansas, this route can get sustained winds up to 70 or 80 miles per hour. These winds can blow dust, knock over power lines, and tip over taller, lighter trucks and trailers.
9. Needles Highway, South Dakota
The Needles Highway is only 14 miles long, but RVs of any length are discouraged to even attempt it. However, if you have a smaller vehicle and are not towing, go for it! This beautiful drive within Custer State Park has narrow, windy roads and even narrower tunnels or “needles”. A 25 mile per hour speed is encouraged for any vehicle and the route does shut down in the winter.
Wikimedia Commons
Little Mountain 5, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
10. State Route 190, California
Along with ice and snow, high heat can also be dangerous for a larger rig. Death Valley was recently recorded as having the highest heat on record at a whopping 134.1 degrees F. Granted, this was in the middle of summer. So as long as you avoid State Route 190 through the valley from May through September, the rest of the year is a great time to take any RV to the lowest elevation in the nation.
Get RV-safe directions
If you need to avoid these routes, there is usually an easier alternative nearby. For example, for Ebbetts Pass below, there are several routes such as Highway 50 that will get you to the same area of the state without the scary mountain twists and turns. These alternates can easily be found by planning your route with RV LIFE Trip Wizard and the RV LIFE App.
It is a shame that many of these routes are actually some of the most beautiful in the country. So if you have a smaller toad or your tow vehicle can handle the road, unhook, park your bigger rig, and enjoy the spectacular scenery offered by these exhilarating routes.
See also: Don’t Let This Happen To You Using A Car GPS
Christina is a writer and designer who has written about camping, tiny houses, and alternative living since 2008. She recently traded in her teardrop trailer for a 13-foot fiberglass trailer from 1982.
We’ve traveled on 3 of these routes towing a large fifth wheel – #3, #4, and #8. I must admit my husband, an experienced trucker, was driving.
The main thing to remember on any road is to allow for conditions. If the wind is high, pull over. Look ahead – not just the road, but also weather conditions.
Oh, and one more route you didn’t include – accross the Golden Gate bridge into downtown San Francisco!
Hoosier Pass, Colorado nothing bigger than a F250 lol
We took our 32′ MH with tow across Golden Gate in October. I was concerned, but my husband was not. He was correct. It was a breeze. I think it was a Saturday morning. Traffic wasn’t bad at all. I’m glad we did it.
The road up Migus Mountain out of Jerome, AZ is closed to big RVs
Do NOT, under ANY circumstances try Rt 129 thru Tennesee and North Carolina. Google up the Tree Of Shame, and that is JUST for motorcycle parts and pieces. Every year some idiot goes up there with a semi, or a large truck, or a motorcycle and over estimates their abilities. Don’t. Google up WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS ROADS and see why. My FB and biz card pic is from the Tail Of The Dragon, on our Honda Valkyrie. The guy who took the pic was involved in a horrific crash up there- and he has lived and worked there his whole life. With the advent of GPS semi’s with inexperienced drivers would venture up, often causing crashes and deaths. Enjoy it in your car or on a bike– watch your speed AND the cops that (rightly) sit up there.
Ditto for the 70 between Denver and Kansas, it’s not that an RV can’t do it– but you do NOT want to do it in wind or stormy weather.
One not on here but DON’T DO IT is the mountain road into or out of Stowe, Vermont. They built the hiway for a REASON, people, and one was to bypass giant granite boulders and outcrops that make you have to do super abrupt turns and makes it look as if you are surely GOING TO HIT THAT ROCK, as many have. Also the mountain road past Mad River Glen, it’s just too dangerous, sports cars and motorcycles race up there, the road is narrow and extremely tight turns with more Vermont granite. We have had to help people who have crashed up there more than once.
Stay on YOUR side of the road, as the dead motorcyclist we found on Rt 9 on Tongue Mountain, Hague (Lake George, NY) would tell you. If he was still here to.
Don’t attempt the Apache Trail between Tortilla Flat and Roosevelt Lake in Arizona in a big rig. Windy gravel/ dirt roads, sometimes one lane. Beautiful in 4×4 though!!
I’ve ridden some of those roads, but on a motorcycle. Sonora Pass, Ebbertt’s Pass, SR 190 (Death Valley), US 550 (Million Dollar Highway), all very beautiful. I’ve also ridden The Stevio from Switzerland to Italy twice. And I did I-70 from Denver to Kansas pulling a fifth wheel thru an unbelievable hail storm – not fun.
Check out Highway two eastbound to Winthrop in Northern Washington state. Incredible vistas steep hills sharp curves. I have done it by car and motorcycle but would be hesitant to try it in my 38 foot motorhome
Another beautiful drive in your toad is Moki Dugway in Utah. We drove it in a Ford Ranger before we had an RV. Drove up from Mexican Hat, some very tight hair pin turns but a scenic drive. Glad we drove it and would love to do it again.
Good article, great content!
We were travelling south on the Pacific Coast Hwy and thought we’d go west from Leggett, CA to Fort Bragg, CA so we started along hwy #1. With our 1 ton dually and 40 foot 5th wheel trailer we were completely on the wrong side of the on many corners or the side of the RV would have hit the overhanging rocks. Thankfully there were many wide areas to turn around which we did after about 10 miles. I’ve driven from Florida to Alaska and have never been on a switchback road like this. It would be really great on a motorcyle or sportscar but towing any type of trailer.
RV Trip Wizard would benefit from having a mileage limiter on “avoid toll roads.” I stopped using this setting when it added over 100 miles to my route just to avoid a reasonable bridge toll.
Been there,done that and you are correct! In a 40ft Class A you need the WHOLE road on some of the switchbacks! Beautiful drive, but not worth the stress or risk.
Please add Wyoming Rt 212, Beartooth highway to your list. I would not even drive this road in a car again.
No kidding. September 2015, I was leaving Yellowstone in my 38-foot Class A. Road sign said “Vehicles over 40 feet prohibited”. So I tried it. Going up wasn’t so bad (other than the usual issue of a diesel going up a steep grade). Going down the other side into Montana took 6 hours. Thankfully, no one else was traveling the road, so I could use both lanes of the hairpin turns on the switchbacks down. Got to the gas station in Red Lodge and kissed the pavement that I made it down alive. $900 brake job when I got home, because there wasn’t much of the brake pads left.
Still have a photo of my GPS screen at the top showing the elevation, and the bumper sticker.
Don’t understand why the Beartooth wasn’t on the list!
Semis are always getting stuck in the Dragon. The signs don’t matter. Some people shouldn’t be allowed to drive. Leave it for the bikers. Lots of fun.
Is that the Beartooth highway out of Cook City to Red Lodge? If so you are SO CORRECT.
Absolutely avoid Montana state highway 38, the Skalkaho highway. It’s technically a state highway, but it’s more like a logging road, but with much more traffic. I’ve been driving it for 55 years and it still scares me at times, not the route itself, but the certainty of meeting some speeding idiot on one of the hundreds of blind corners. It’s only open Memorial Day through late October, and I’d never take my RV over it.
We have traversed Colorado 550 over Red Mountain pass several times. We have done it in a 36 foot diesel pusher towing a jeep. It looks dangerous, but it is mostly visual. The speed limit on the narrow sections is 25 mph. We drove down Teton Pass a couple of years ago. I would not like to drive in it in a DP, but it can be done with care. These are spectacular roads. People should be cautioned, but not discouraged.
Best to avoid Beartooth Highway between Montana and Wyoming with long rigs. Lots of hairpins and steep inclines/declines.
Should add Rt66 from the Colorado River thru Oatman, AZ to Kingman, AZ. Also the road to the sun in Glacier NP. I could go on and on. Research your route ahead of time.
Going to the Sun is not on this list because it does not allow vehicles over 22 feet long on it. There is no way the writer could include all dangerous roads. This is an overview, I’m sure.
Hwy 22/33 runs from Victor to Jackson… not Swan Valley to Jackson. It is closed to Tractor Trailers and RVs part of the year. There is a Hwy, Hwy 31 that runs from Swan Valley to Victor. Moose do tend to frequent that road… but it doesn’t have the number of curves and grade changes Hwy 22 has. Best (and safest) bet in a big rig is to travel Hwy 26/89 from Swan Valley to Alpine, then at Hoback head North on Hwy 191 to Jackson. Pretty drive along the lake and river, then a short hop into Jackson.
Not just west coast. Our Good Sam/Garmin GPS took us on a short cut off the northbound Interstate in Virginia toward Baltimore Maryland I assume to avoid WV on a narrow mountain road with blind turns, low trees and few places for us to pull over and let the drivers stuck behind us get past.
As a life long Kansasan I don’t think I-70 is anymore dangerous than any other highway west of the Mississippi. Just be aware of the weather, road conditions and don’t travel if the conditions aren’t right
Well, if you aren’t interested in seeing some of the most spectacular scenery in the country, STAY ON THE INTERSTATE AND STOP AT KOA.!
I would have to add highway 285 heading south out of Carlsbad, NM. Short stretch of highway, but a nightmare to drive because of oil tanker trucks entering the highway fro all points, and 2 lanes only in most areas. Death rate on this road is very high.
Someone should publish a book with all of these roads to avoid.
TxDot has been working on this roadway and have created several passing lanes. In much better shape now. My husband traveled it in 32 Ft. with F250 two times during Christmas 2021 holiday – mainly to avoid the high winds in Guadalupe Pass. If traveling, be sure and check the winds in Guadalupe Pass.
That’s what I was thinking.
Wow, that’s taking it to an extreme, LOL! They’re just being helpful to those who are interested and warning them of issues they could encounter. I wasn’t able to stomach the Million Dollar Hwy out of Ouray with the dropoffs and I’m from the mountains! Some people have never been anywhere like these places and don’t understand the need to research routes more. I thank the author for making me aware of some routes issues/limitations so we can unhook and take the toad up those routes.
You missed a few. Coming from Utah to Denver on the 70 is very steep and needs braking. They say chains are mandatory in snowy weather. Then there is 12 in Utah. We got off the 70 and used the 24 and headed south to Torrey. The woman at the gas station said O 12 is the fastest way to Bryce Canyon. Little did we know that with a trailer it would be hair pin all the way. Wish we stayed on the 24. What a scare we got. Everyone says the trucks use it all the time. Uh huh. Avoid if you are not experienced with this one. Live and learn. So if you want to see Utah 24 is beautiful and 12 without a trailer. Otherwise 24 to 62 is straight shot. The locals love to push the green horns. Then there is perkinsville road. OMG South of Williams in AZ. You will have to force your GPS to go there. Nice road until you hit dirt road. Then you end up like that picture on the link to this site. Talk about hair pins. Luckily for us we had the jeep and no trailer. This pass does take you into Jerome back way in and it is scenic but not for the faint of heart. But if you like adventure then this is for you. Otherwise great trip from Michigan to Colorado to Utah and AZ and to Mesa Verde and home. Happy trails.
You missed Beartooth pass (MT,WY). We drove it with a Jeep pulling a 13′ Scamp trailer. A bracing experience.
There is another route to stay away from with big rigs. Highway 16 in Virginia. Marion to Tazewell. It is called the Back of the Dragon. It is only 32 miles long but it has 438 curves and some are very sharp. My wife and I rode this, a few years ago on my motorcycle and there isn’t any way I would tow on this road.
Very good and important information, great reporting, and thank you.
I used to spend all of my summers as a kid up and can verify that Ebbett’s Pass is definitely not RV friendly. I don’t know if the signs are still posted, but there use to be signs above Mosquito Lake that warned about the switchbacks and limiting vehicle length.
And Hwy 4 is 1 lane up there. We’ve been stopped multiple times waiting for a big rig to be cleared from the highway just beyond Mosquito Lake. It looks like such an easy shortcut on paper!
Where do you park in these little towns when towing your big rig? We have always found that to be a problem so we end up driving through the towns. We don’t want to repeat the experience getting parking ticket/
Another is smugglers notch, vt. Used to be a rumrunners highway to Canada. Although tractor trailers are banned, some try and they average 3 a year that have to be rescued. It’s shut down in the winter.
Thanks to me following my GPS instead of researching the route, I have done the Million Dollar Highway in my 42 ft motorhome, towing a Jeep in a light snowstorm. I made it but I would definitely NOT recommend it.
Two more to avoid. Highway 89 from Flagstaff to Sedona and the Moki Dugway in southern Bear’s Ears National Monument.
Do not go to Shelter Cove in Northern California. We took our 40’ Monaco Dynasty and were unable to make some of the sharp turns without backing up and going at it again. We scraped the side of the motorhome and blew out one of the rear tires. Thank God for duel tires. The nearest tire store was three hours away but did come out the next day. My wife was so upset we left the campground as soon as possible and returned home to Arizona. She also insisted we get a smaller motorhome so we sold the beloved dynasty.
Two to avoid–
1- CA Rte 3 from Calahan to the Trinity River. Much of it is steep (7% or more) downhill, twisting and with no shoulder protecting from a several hundred foot drop-off. We drove it in our Subaru to get around I-5 which was closed because of the forest fire. It was truly terrifying.
2- Patterson Road from Livermore to the intersection with 1-580. We drove it in our 30 coach with toad, based on Google directions to bypass a back-up on I-680. Narrow (less than two lanes in places), blind curves and steep drop-off with no guardrails. Should have put up with the back-up. Can’t always trust Google.
Definitely agree with you on the Moki Dugway (UT 261)!!! We have been on it twice from Bluff, Utah to Natural Bridges National Monument, but in a passenger car both times. Awesome views, but tight switchbacks on a gravel road. When towing an RV from Bluff, Utah, to Natural Bridges National Monument, be sure to take US 191 north, then SR 95 west. (Souvenir shops sell T-shirts that say “I survived the Moki Dugway.)” This site says you can travel the Moki Dugway in any type of vehicle. Read up on it and see if you want to do this! https://www.utahscanyoncountry.com/The-Moki-Dugway-Scenic-Backway-Utah-Highway-261
Try driving any Large Metropolitan
Hwy, belt loop or bypass in rush hour.
The cars hate you, the trucks hate you and even the tour buses hate you. But once you master that you can drive Anywhere!
The most direct East-West route to Yellowstone NP is Rte 14 up and over Bighorn National Forest thru Greybull to Cody. Sure wish I’d been warned about NOT taking that one! Going up about wiped out the transmission and coming down the other side – Well, lets just say I’m extremely happy to be here. Very, very scary road.
I’ve done Rte. 14 over the Big Horns with a GMC Sierra 2500 HD gas truck pulling a 33 ft. Loredo 5th wheel. That was a miserable drive. Thought I was going blow my engine. Never again!
Downtown Gatlinburg! Never again in a RV. Park in Pigeon Forge and take your tow vehicle 🚗!
I’ve done Rte. 14 over the Big Horns with a GMC Sierra 2500 HD gas truck pulling a 33 ft. Loredo 5th wheel. That was a miserable drive. Thought I was going blow my engine. Never again!
Re; Rte 190 through Death Valley –
1> Correction – the highest temperature recorded there was hardly recently. It was in 1913 –
“According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the highest temperature ever recorded was 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) on 10 July 1913 in Furnace Creek”
2> But yes – it can get really hot there. But I agree that this route is one of the worst for big rig travel after we crossed it from Lone Pine, CA heading East. It was the worst – not because of the temperatures (we crossed in Oct. 2018) but because we found the road to be horrible to drive. Big sections up & down hill, ranging from over 5,000′ to below sea level @ -230′ – and then back up. Many switchbacks, few guardrails, few Turnouts and steep grades made this THE worst road ever driven in our Class A. Never again!
How was the route driving east out of Furnace Creek towards Las Vegas? I’ve been looking at planning a trip out there late Apr or early May. I’ll be coming from Las Vegas but am also looking for a way north out of there or should I just drive back to Vegas and head north from there?
Mike H.
I wanted to sign up for updates because I’ve been on several of these roads not knowing the dangers. Drove 70 from East Coast to Denver in a DP and fought the 45-50 mph winds. Needles was a blast in a Mini Cooper S but not even in a sedan. I try to do all the sightseeing from easy to get to locations. Seems like I hit the big city loops at lunch or rush hour and it is nerve racking. Been doing this for 20 yrs in a Lance pulling a 24ft car trailer but just moved to a 40 DP in 2019. Oatman is a interesting place to visit if you get a chance.
In the 90’s I was a new Tractor-Trailer driver and decided to take a shortcut jumping off I-70 East and making a straight shot to Pueblo, Co. avoiding Denver! I consulted my Trucker’s Atlas and did not see Monarch Pass because it was in the middle of the page in the crease! Talk about bad luck! This pass is 11,312 ft. Not recommended for big rigs of any kind! When I finally reached the small cafe at the summit, my 335hp Cummins diesel was barely running. Altitude! After a cup of coffee, white knuckles all the way down! Never took it again!
This reminded me of when my brother, Larry and his wife, Susan, left Massachusetts to go full timing and headed to Colona, CA to their first job at an RV Campground. They stopped by our place near Reno on their way. My husband and I are Goldwing rider diehards and have been all over the west coast, Mt and Idaho as well as many other roads toward the midwest. They were in a 40 ft. MH. My husband warned them “whatever you do, stay off off Hwy 49.” Well, they didn’t listen. When they called to say they had arrived and told us they took 49, I was shocked! I asked Susan “Well how did you like the views? She said, “I didn’t see much of them, I had my head in my arm pit most of the time!” We still laugh about that one!
The Kancamagus Highway Rt. 112 in New Hampshire is no bargain !
Cooked my brakes on that part of 49!
Agree with the comments about the Beartooth Hwy. It’s a beautiful road and fun in my F150, would be more fun in a Mustang convertible but no fun with a camper. I would also add you can’t drive anything longer than 21′ x 10″ tall going over the Going-to-the-Sun road through Glacier NP. I remember going over it with my parents in the 70’s with a 27′ Travco motor home. My mom kept looking up through the windshield to let my dad know how close he was coming to rock outcrops so they didn’t rip a hole in the fiberglass body.
More not on this list:
1) US-441 from Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg, TN goes right thru the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
Very scenic in an auto, DO NOT DRIVE with an RV.
2) Southern end of BlueGrass Parkway, many tunnels with low clearance.
3) US-64 from Cleveland, TN to Franklin, NC, very pretty and scenic along the Ocoee River in an auto, but white-knuckle trip for a 35 foot motorhome towing. Many switchbacks, where there are posted signs “Warning, Oncoming Traffic May Cross Center Lines”.
First RV trip (27′ Class C, not towing) included a planned detour around Las Vegas, but Garmin didn’t give me time to get off the exit and we ended up on the Strip, at night. Needed to make a left and get out but I was in middle lane with cop car on my right. I remembered a video about driving RV, “You are bigger than they are!”. After a few blocks of nudging into left turn lane, finally got in and out of Vegas!
A few years ago, we were heading to Bryce Canyon from Lake Powell, and our Rand McNally RV specific GPS sent us to the Burr Trail Rd. in our 40′ Class A. Started out as an old looking paved road and soon turned to very washboarded dirt road. Made it through a dip where our tow Jeep ended up in the back end of our motorhome and then it was kinda point of no return. Unhooked and scouted out the turn off to Burr Trail before taking it. Someone coming from that direction strongly discouraged it. So, we ended up staying on that road and going the back way into Capitol Reef NP. Took like 8 hrs due to the road conditions and had to go through several more dips. Do not recommend!
If Triple A says scenic route, avoid it. I wish there was a book or “app” of safe routes, but sometimes, you chose the best of the worst, just like Texas politics.
The road heading from east to west going to and into Brian Head, Ut is extremely scary. Did this about 7 years ago in my 37 foot motorhome with a tow car.
Old Priest Grade on CA 120 can be scary too. This is the original highway (since realigned). Try eastbound (uphill side of road) to test your driving skills; westbound will test your brakes.
CA 178 from Bakersfield to Isabella Lake–narrow canyon, and boulders over hang the road most of the way. Tight curves, fast drivers, and large trucks both directions. Have seen and heard of several big rigs hitting the sides of the canyon causing dents and awnings to fly off (our 38′ Newmar included). Take the back way–CA 178 from Ridgecrest, Mojave, etc.
From Ridgecrest go west on 178 to the CA14 intersection. Head south on 14 to California City Blvd then west to the Jct with CA 58. Head west on 58 through Tehachapi to Bakersfield. Save driving the 178 for your toad, nice drive.
Took 14A west, Tahoe pulling 16′ hybrid – did ok but will take 14 or 16 next time.
550 in Colorado isn’t bad, mostly know your rig and take your time on these more technical roads.
Probably the worst of them all is the Mogi Dugway in SE Utah. Check it out on YouTube. We went that way with 37-foot travel trailer because it wa the only way we could get to Arizona where we were at. We’ll not do that again.
Why……..nobody mentioned Moki Dugway, near Mexican Hat, UT…….or Jerome, AZ ??
As of a few years ago, the Dragon tail was only marked for no big vehicles by one state, and it crosses a border. I can never remember which state is which, but there’s a lot of video on the Dragon tail, and especially of vehicles that shouldn’t have been on it. Once you’re on it, there’s no place to turn around. Forward is the only choice. Great fun in my classic MG though!
Independence Pass out of Aspen, CO. The road gets so narrow in one stretch there is no yellow line in the middle.
Has anyone traveled Route 50 through West Va? We have a 35ft Class A Bluebird Wanderlodge and want to use Route 50 all the way from Maryland to Colorado Springs.
I’ve heard horror stories about trying to get out of Denver via Loveland Pass
I wouldn’t recommend Rt 50 between Mt. Storm and Gormania, unless they’ve gotten around to replacing the big chunk of it that had fallen off the side of the mountain when we drove it in 2020. Even if they have, east of Clarksburg, you will have to focus on driving and at least to me, it just isn’t fun, even in a passenger vehicle. Better to take I-81 north at Winchester and take I-68 west to Morgantown, then follow I-79 south to U.S. 50 at Bridgeport. Traffic is extremely heavy on I-81, but I-68 and I-79 are scenic and easy driving, unless the weather is bad.
This is why I drive a 19′ Class B van.
You might want to avoid the CO-12 “Highway of Legends” out of Walsenburg, Aguilar, and Trinidad, CO as well. Very steep hairpin turns and unforgiving for those towing larger bumper pulls, 5vers, and Class A, B, and C’s. We tried it and, it was a white knuckle experience all the way. Trust your RV GPS and, if you don’t have one….get one!
Trying to get to San Diego from Rochester New York at the end of November, in a 29’ class A, but not sure the safest route, because of snow, wind and mountains.
Any suggestions?
Getting on the list so I can monitor this site. I am about to retire from the Air Force and want to head out west with our 30ft TT. Being from SE Louisiana, I’m scared already.