North American Handmade Bicycles Show (NAHBS)2013 BOOKED!

[FairfaxPat]

Our mountains are worse than yours-if you are just staying in Denver you probably won't need it, but you might!- If you are going into the mountains, then 4 wheel drive is best to avoid getting stuck-Blizzards can come anytime in the high mountains-remember Denver is flat and it is 5000' above sea level itself! I lived at Lake Tahoe in the Sierras for about 8 Winters, and in the mountains 4 wheel drive is used by everyone-besides, it's a rental and cheap insurance against getting stuck...

 

[jonnyboy666]

well i won't be driving in denver, but i will be driving from denver to moab.

i'll be landing on thursday afternoon and the plan is to get to the hotel in denver via the hotel shuttle bus from the airport and then go back to the airport on sunday to pick up the rental car then head to moab, this saves me parking costs and the hassle finding the hotel not to mention 3 days rental.

then i'll drive to moab and i wasn't thinking of doing anything silly with the car regarding going off road etc.

i'll have to find out what the cars are then, 4wd or 2wd

 

[FairfaxPat]

In that part of the country, you bet they will have 4 wheel drives for rent. Moab is on the other side of the Rocky Mountains from Denver and you have to drive through them to get to Moab. About 50 miles West of Denver, Highway 70 goes through the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158'-the highest elevation our interstate highway system goes, and there is Lots of Snow up there. The trip distance from Denver to Moab is 360 miles, and in the summer time with no traffic obstructions it is about a 6 1/2 hour drive-This time of year, it depends on how much snow is falling at the time you are driving-the highway maintenance in the mountains is really good, except during and just after storms, then you could be delayed quite a bit, and your average speed would drop to 25 mph or less, as that is the speed limit when chains are required-However, with 4 wheel drive and snow tires, you won't have to chain up unless it gets really bad, but you will still have to and want to obey the 25 mph limit. A good stash of food goodies in the car in case of delays on the road is a good thing to have traveling in the mountains in Winter, also.

 

[jonnyboy666]

hmm . . . you've got me paranoid about the drive now for some reason i thought i was avoiding the higher altitudes, frankly i'm not used to driving in conditions much worse than heavy rain, where i am in the south of england it barely ever snows!

having looked at a few tourist info sites in Moab i can rent a car there if needed so maybe i could fly, Moab has an airport, or possibly take a train? seeing the Rockies from a train could be cool and there is a lot less hassle getting on a train than the faff of airports.

Pat, i have to say, thanks very much for the advice, it's very helpful

 

[FairfaxPat]

Great Lakes Airlines has flights from Denver to Moab.

 

[jonnyboy666]

i've just been looking at them, $100 each way which seems pretty good, non refundable though but i don't think that's an issue. have emailed them a couple of questions. looking like a good option

 

[FairfaxPat]

The round trip drive from Denver to Moab is 720 miles, at 20 mpg that's 36 gallons at $3.75=$135 at least for fuel-plus if you fly you gain most of a day for riding, and save part of the last day, too!

 

[highlandsflyer]

Crikey I missed the details regarding the dates!

I 4x4 is definitely a good plan.

Still better driving than flying in my view, you cannot beat a road trip!

 

[jonnyboy666]

i think flying is the way to go now, $190 return is a no brainer, it's similar to the cost of the fuel and i save another day of car hire because flying into Moab the car rental isn't available from the sunday but that isn't an issue.

also, less than 2 hour flight versus 6-8 hours in a car.