Hello everyone, I’ll be driving from Denver with two children and will be leaving tues the 19th. My question is, there are three routes to get to tride. A friend says there is lots of construction going on, so it may take longer. We want to stop mid-ways, since we have a 9 yr old and 18 mo. old. , get to mtn. Village about lunchtime on Wednesday. Any suggestions on which route to take or a cool town to stay in? Thanks for your help! :cheers
My personal experience - if you wanna just get there, take I-70 to Grand Junction and cut south. It’s about 4.5 hours to GJ, so there’d be some decent places to grab a hotel. it’s then roughly 3 hours onto Telluride.
The scenic route is south on Hwy 285 and Hwy 50, and takes about 30 minutes longer in total. A good stopping place on that route is in Gunnison. To me, the scenery is worth the extra 30 minutes. And, you can also stop the car and kick the kids out if necessary, on the interstate that would be problematic.
I’m not sure of where the construction is - last year it was in two places - past Fairplay, and past Gunnison before Montrose. We didn’t have any traffic problems coming or going, but we also left on Saturday and drove back on Monday.
I’d suggest taking 285 south to highway 50, stopping in Gunnison.
Then continue on 50 to Montrose, highway 550 to Ridgway, and 62 to 145 into Telluride.
Highway 285 is a nice scenic route and it’s a lot easier on the gas mileage than taking 70.
:thumbsup
Depending on where you’re starting in Denver you can always zip down to Colorado Springs, skirt the west side of Fort Carson to Canon City, then pick up Highway 50 to Montrose. If you don’t hit any construction or slow drivers it’s as fast as any of the other routes, but it’s a little shorter mileage wise. To me any of the routes not on I-70 are worth it for the sheer beauty. Salida or Gunnison are good stops. Enjoy the drive :wave
On the way home last year we cut east in Delta on Hwy 133 and went through Redstone and into Carbondale. That section of drive is drop-dead gorgeous. The end of that road spits you out just south of Glenwood Springs, which would be a good stopping point if you’re coming from Denver then heading on. Also did 285 to 50 last year, another gorgeous route.
Thanks for everyone’s help! I will definitely be taking the scenic route. Honestly, I’m more worried about the plane ride with the kids than the drive. :lol can’t wait to breathe that mountain air! Haven’t been to telluride since 2001! (and my kids have never been to Colorado )
You can also drive straight down I-25 to Pueblo and then catch Hwy. 50 West to Montrose. Take some time (if you have it) to get off the Interstate to visit Pueblo’s beautiful Riverwalk and historic Union Avenue areas, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and Buell Children’s Museum, Rosemount Historic Museum, etc., etc. Pueblo is also home to the finest in Mexican and Tex-Mex food North of the border. Pueblo to Telluride clocks in at 290 miles.
Enjoy your drive!
you can also turn south at Glenwood Springs on I-70 and go down to Carbondale, the over McClure Pass and down to Montrose that way. It is beautiful, and you get to go past the town of Marble, which is pretty cool.
I’m with Cindy Lou, McClure Pass from Carbondale to Montrose is a spectacular way to introduce your kids to Colorado, a great warm-up to Telluride! it’s not a bad idea to stay the night in Glenwood Springs on Tues night, let the kids splash about & roll through the high mountains on Wenesday! FESTIVAAAL!
I believe McClure Pass is the quickest, but not by a whole lot … compared to 285 → 50. Just took McClure back and forth to Denver last week and there was zero construction … except between Delta and Olathe.
Alternatively, you can always drop south off of I-70 @ Breck (CO 9), or just before Copper Mountain (CO 91) … or even furthur up the interstate between Vail & BC (CO 24) … all of which will funnel into 285.
There’s actually quite a bit of construction immediately to the south of Telluride … they’re resurfacing the entire highway from society turn all the way to the top of Lizard Head Pass. Who knows where they’ll be by the time bluegrass rolls around, but there are currently short (5-10 minute) waits.
Here’s a great site for checking up on construction & whatever for the whole state:
So many choices! I think I’ll take the montrose way there, and a different way back since we won’t be in a hurry. (pueblo sounds fun) Thanks for the info and links. :medal Reading here has given me all the info I need. Can’t wait to meet some of y’all! :cheers
Beacuse of the kids, and only because of the kids, I’m going to chime in here.
If you take I-70 to Grand Junction you have more “pit stops” available. Most of I-70 runs along the Colorado River and gives the kids something to “spy” along the way.
Along with watching for the Amtrak train, that runs riverside, our new Festi-kids can be looking for the railroad track that comes and goes from view, watch the river for rafters, watch for wildlife, and the such, and you can watch the road. :drive There’s also that “awesome” tunnel (kid speak for Eisenhower Tunnel) at Loveland Pass.
Just before Grand Junction you’ll drive through Rifle Pass, which narrows on each side towards the road. I still get a kick out of that pass and find myself looking up for the good guys protecting the road (still a kid at heart).
Should something go awry, you’ll get help way faster on the highway and any rental car company will have faster access to you and yours should the ride flake out on the trip.
Just my two cents. 
Whichever route you pick, we’ll be waiting for y’all on the other end! :flower
Teach those youngin’s to yelp FESTIVVVAAALLL!!! with the windows down and the wind blowing through their hair & all will be well! :thumbsup
Auntie Hope :festivarian2 :green
I-70 to GJ is also a bit of an easier drive with less s-turns vs. the other routes and I’ll often take it if its late at night or a bit tired.
If you do go this way, it’ll save you 15 minutes to bypass GJ proper and exit I-70 at the Clifton exit (I believe it starts out as an I-70 bypass), and follow the signs to CO 141 south … which runs into CO 50 south.
can anyone tell me about Engineers Pass or Black Bear Pass? i know its a 4wd road but how rough is it. can a 4wd ford exlorer make it ok? sounds like a beautiful drive and i believe it connect tride and the million dollar highway. am i right?
You’d never find me in a vehicle coming over Black Bear pass … ever … probably has some of THE most technical stretches (i.e. ‘the stairs’) which requires expert experience. Don’t take my word for it, ask someone who has done it.
Both Imogene and Ophir passes are a lot less hairy & just as scenic to get you over from the other side.
I remember going over the Black Bear back in the '60’s with my friend’s Dad in and old green and white Jeep station wagon. The switchbacks were so tight we would go up in a low forward gear until we reached a switchback, go up the next stretch in reverse because there wasn’t room to make the turn, go up the next in forward, then reverse and so on. To me that was a REAL four wheel drive road :drive
Imogene (and Ophir) pass open … Black Bear still closed (may open sometime next week)
Mild weather conditions paired with light snowpack have resulted in the earliest opening of Imogene Pass in recent history.
San Miguel County equipment operators reached the top of the pass from the Telluride side by early last week, around June 4. “It was pretty easy,” said Mike Kimbel, District Road Supervisor for eastern San Miguel County. “Drifts that are normally 20-25 feet were only 10-15 feet in the deepest sections.”
Ouray County Equipment Operator Dave Leonardi, laboring upward from the more challenging north-facing terrain on the other side, finished his job by Thursday, June 7, and reported that the first travelers of the season made the full trip over the pass later that day.
Imogene Pass, at 13,114 feet, is the second highest mountain pass in Colorado that you can drive over. It is uncommon for the popular route to open before July.
“It’s the earliest that I can remember it ever being open,” said Ouray-based Switzerland of America 4WD tour operator Brandy Ross. “People are very excited. A lot of people change their itinerary as soon as they find out that Imogene Pass is open. We get called at least five times a day to see what trails are open, and Imogene is always the first one they ask about.”
Ross noted that although the premature opening of Imogene Pass has not necessarily impacted the volume of her business, the early accessibility of high country roads in general this year has been a definite bonus.
“There’s been a lot more to do in the early season,” she said. “We had a phenomenal Memorial Day weekend, and the week after that was also great.”
Black Bear Pass is the only major high country route in the region that is not yet open. Currently, it is plowed to the top only on the San Juan County side. A crew from San Miguel County brought its bulldozer over Red Mountain Pass and on up to the top of Black Bear earlier this week, to take a top-down approach to snow removal on the Telluride side.
Black Bear Pass should be open by next week, San Miguel County Road Supervisor Mike Horner said.
Remarkably, in San Juan County, crews had opened the roads to the tops of Ophir Pass and Cinnamon Pass by mid-April. “We had everything open that we open by the 15th of May,” said Mike Maxfield, a San Juan County equipment operator.
In Ouray County, Leonardi has been plowing roads in the high country for a quarter century, and says he’s never seen such mild conditions.
“This is by far the least amount of snow I’ve seen,” he said, noting that he was able to drive his pick-up all the way into lower Yankee Boy Basin in early May without even using a plow. “That’s the first time that’s happened,” he said.
Other routes in Ouray County, including Corkscrew Pass and Red Mountain Town, were equally easy to open up. In all, it only took Leonardi and his crew a month to open up all of the major 4WD routes in the county. “It usually takes six to eight weeks,” he said. “This is one exceptionally odd year.”
Read more: Watch Newspapers - Imogene Pass Is Open
Yep that’s the route I chose this time round. :medal
thanks for all the info on the mountain passes FOM. sounds fun and interesting. might try Ophire pass (easier), just not sure if a Ford Explorer (rental) can do Imogene pass.
If you’re used to this sort of thing, it’s mostly just one really hairy section on Black Bear … which is filmed here:
… of course the interesting part starts at about 4:20 … if the passenger had gotten out earlier, you would’ve seen a better perspective on the “stairs”.
Strange how I have almost zero fear on a snowboard on pretty much anything which has even the remotest possible line, yet I just don’t like being in ^^^ those spots in a vehicle!
Have a good trip, regardless of which way you go!