Mountain Project Logo

Durango to Ouray (and winter driving advice in general)?

Original Post
John Reeve · · Durango, formely from TX · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 15

Heyo... I'm new to Durango and driving the the mountains.  Sorry in advance for some dumb questions, but I'd rather feel dumb then cause problems for my fellow drivers.

I was wanting to go up to Ouray this weekend to climb some ice, but the weather got me not wanting to go up over Molas pass.  I went out skiing at Purg instead and noticed Molas is closed because of avalanche issues.

I've never been out to Ouray via 145, through Ames and Ridgeway... is that generally open / easier to drive when it's snowing?  

Does 550 get dried out throughout the winter?  Is it still better to take 145 even if the weather's been good for a couple of days?  Is there a better or more reliable place to check road conditions?

For reference, I'm driving a RWD tacoma with a topper and all-season tires... so far it's been okay for getting out to Purgatory fro DGO.  If I want to reliably get between DGO and Ouray this season, do I absolutely need chains/ snow tires / studded tires / 4WD?  Should I just carpool with smarter people?

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,516

Just consult this:
Current CO road conditions

All of this talk of 4 X 4s is nice, but what is essential is studded snow tires. You can blow by Jeeps in a front wheel drive car with those. For the full on package, you need select 4-wheel drive with a locking differential. 

Stiles · · the Mountains · Joined May 2003 · Points: 845

Youre gonna want 4x4 to be an ice climber round those parts.  Lizard Head Pass/Molas Pass/Red Mtn Pass when its snowing is terrain you should avoid

Highlander · · Ouray, CO · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 256

Lizard Head is more mellow. Red is not bad unless its been snowing, it does dry out when the Sun comes out with icy patches and  some snow packed areas. I drive it regularly and most of the time never have to engage 4WD. If your going to be driving over those passes regularly winter tires and 4WD are nice to have. At a bare minimum you should have really good M&S tires and carrying chains. There is usually at least one fatality every Winter on RMP.

Shepido · · CO · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 50
Highlander wrote: Lizard Head is more mellow. Red is not bad unless its been snowing, it does dry out when the Sun comes out with icy patches and  some snow packed areas. I drive it regularly and most of the time never have to engage 4WD. If your going to be driving over those passes regularly winter tires and 4WD are nice to have. At a bare minimum you should have really good M&S tires and carrying chains. There is usually at least one fatality every Winter on RMP.

This is good advice. 

In general 4WD or AWD + snow tires will really help out of you plan to live in the area for any length of time, and plan on being an ice climber.

Go as slow as you need to, to be safe, and plan around good weather if you can. I've been in heavy snow on RMP totally white knuckled at 8mph around some of the hairpin sections. 
Christian George · · Home-yes, Town- no · Joined Jul 2019 · Points: 0

Lizard head takes longer but is much safer.
The stretch of 550 just south of Ouray is the part that I worry about most.
The thousand foot drop with no guard rail, frequent rockfall, and occasionally missing sections of road are no joke.
My van got hit by a basketball sized rock right behind the drivers front wheel, left a huge dent.
I’ve gone around the corner and the southbound lane was gone a few years ago.

There is an orange Jeep down in that canyon, hung up in the trees. You can see it when you are hiking to PEMA.

Put a couple of bags of sand or gravel in the back of the bed of your pickup. The added weight helps a lot with traction.

Be gentle on the pedals, downshift when going downhill.

Always carry a winter sleeping bag and some emergency gear.

Stiles · · the Mountains · Joined May 2003 · Points: 845

If your vehicle/tires suck and you drive 8mph, youre screwing everyone else on the road who is prepared.

"That Guy"

John Reeve · · Durango, formely from TX · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 15
Stiles wrote: If your vehicle/tires suck and you drive 8mph, youre screwing everyone else on the road who is prepared.

"That Guy"

I think that is reasonable feedback.

I sure as heck don't like being the first guy in a parade.
John Reeve · · Durango, formely from TX · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 15

Okay, I will be picking up some snow tires and chains for the rear wheels (my trucks manual explictly says no front chains).  

I have a pretty heavy work-truck topper with a bunch of crap in the side-boxes, so I kinda combine the "carry some heavy crap in the back" and "carry a place to sleep".

I've been trying to make it slide in places that seem safe just so I can get a handle on how it works.

So far, I've been feeling safe, but I think if I try to plan around weather.

I think in the long run I'll try and trade it in for something with 4wd.

Or maybe put more effort into finding a girlfriend out here who can drive me.

MyFeetHurt · · Glenwood, CO · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 10
Stiles wrote: If your vehicle/tires suck and you drive 8mph, youre screwing everyone else on the road who is prepared.

"That Guy"

I hardly call a 4WD Tacoma with studded snow tires ill prepared. 8mph was passing speed that day. 

Andrew Rational · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2018 · Points: 10

A manual Tacoma 4wd with decent, even stock, tires will get you through just about anything, anywhere. I grew up driving in extremely icy and snowy conditions, and still do, in a new Tacoma (6 manual)
 an 08 Subaru Impreza (4 auto, with sport shift), and a 93 Ford F-150 (5 manual). Keep your foot off of the brake, slow down preemptively, and accelerate very, very lightly. Downshifting, smoothly and easily, is better than braking. Slower is better. 
If you can, go spin some cookies in a greasy, snowy, icy parking lot, or deserted backroad, in your vehicle to get a feel for it. Don’t use 4wd until you are actually stuck. Can’t make forward progress. If you get stuck in 4wd, you don’t have any other options (yes, in a  manual Tacoma, you actually do, I admit. Read the manual about the “clutch start cancel” blew my mind) but actually driving in 4wd is dumb. It might help you steer a bit, maybe, but it won’t help you stop... and once you are stuck and already in 4wd, yer fucked.

Keith Reed · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 261

Whatever you do turn off that cruise control when it’s a bit slippery. 

Mark Pilate · · MN · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 25

Once winter starts, I don’t brake till spring. 

Kevinmurray · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 0

Yeah 4wd also means four holes deeper faster.

Vaughn · · Colorado · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 55
Andrew Rational wrote: A manual Tacoma 4wd with decent, even stock, tires will get you through just about anything, anywhere. I grew up driving in extremely icy and snowy conditions, and still do, in a new Tacoma (6 manual)
 an 08 Subaru Impreza (4 auto, with sport shift), and a 93 Ford F-150 (5 manual). Keep your foot off of the brake, slow down preemptively, and accelerate very, very lightly. Downshifting, smoothly and easily, is better than braking. Slower is better. 
If you can, go spin some cookies in a greasy, snowy, icy parking lot, or deserted backroad, in your vehicle to get a feel for it. Don’t use 4wd until you are actually stuck. Can’t make forward progress. If you get stuck in 4wd, you don’t have any other options (yes, in a  manual Tacoma, you actually do, I admit. Read the manual about the “clutch start cancel” blew my mind) but actually driving in 4wd is dumb. It might help you steer a bit, maybe, but it won’t help you stop... and once you are stuck and already in 4wd, yer fucked.

OP's tacoma is RWD. 

Second, downshifting is not better than braking in the snow. Braking applies stopping power to all four wheels whereas downshifting only the rear drive wheels. Additionally you can modulate the brakes much more precisely than engine braking. Also most modern vehicles have some kind of ABS which would not work when downshifting.

Third, I disagree that driving in 4WD is dumb. 4WD will help reduce the chance of accidentally oversteering when roads are slippery. Just don't drive in 4WD if the roads aren't slippery.

Sorry man, I don't like to be that guy picking apart a post and I don't mean to attack you but I think you are spreading misinformation.

To the OP: I would recommend fully studded winter tires in that area if you are serious about getting to Ouray and back. Even better is to ditch that RWD Tacoma and get something with 4WD/AWD. RWD trucks are for Texas.
John Reeve · · Durango, formely from TX · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 15

So I got myself some studded winter tires and will be conservative about where I go and in what conditions.  I've been trying out various things on the glacier that is my apartment complex parking lot, and next time I'm leaving purgatory there will be a large, snow-covered iced up lot with open areas where I will work on my driving skills.

I'm compiling a list of stuff that I'll want in my next vehicle (4wd, manual trans), so when I drive off the road in Ouray and die, I'll be able to find something less deadly in my next life.  

Eric and Lucie · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2004 · Points: 140
Vaughn wrote:

Second, downshifting is not better than braking in the snow. Braking applies stopping power to all four wheels whereas downshifting only the rear drive wheels. Additionally you can modulate the brakes much more precisely than engine braking. Also most modern vehicles have some kind of ABS which would not work when downshifting.

Third, I disagree that driving in 4WD is dumb. 4WD will help reduce the chance of accidentally oversteering when roads are slippery. Just don't drive in 4WD if the roads aren't slippery.

Downshifting IS better than braking on slippery ground because, if you have a manual trans and do it correctly, the inertia of your spinning engine will keep you wheels spinning at approximately the correct rate at all times, i.e. it's pretty hard to actually slide.  Not so with brakes, even though ABS helps some.  Good drivers hardly ever touch their brakes on slippery ground.

Driving in 4WD is generally not a great idea if your vehicle doesn't have a front/rear differential (most 4WDs, including Tacomas don't; AWD on the other hand always do), because torque can build up between the front and rear wheels then suddenly release and cause a slide. You're basically adding load to an already marginal frictional interface.  Only drive in 4WD if your wheels are slipping much of the time anyway (e.g. consistent soft snow coverage).
Vaughn · · Colorado · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 55
Eric and Lucie wrote:

Good drivers hardly ever touch their brakes on slippery ground.

Well I can agree with you on that at least.

Eric and Lucie · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2004 · Points: 140
Vaughn wrote:

Well I can agree with you on that at least.

If you don't downshift and don't touch your brakes, how do you slow down?  ;-)

knowbuddy Buddy · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 225

I used to drive 550 from Montrose to Durango regularly the winters of 2014 and 2015 in 97 Nissan Pathfinder with shitty tires and no windshield wipers. Just put it in 4 high and don’t drive like an idiot. 

MintyAlpinist · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 0

I took an avalanche safety class in Silverton back in the day. The county sheriff said that the tunnels on 550 were the place to be if you get caught up there in a snowstorm.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
Post a Reply to "Durango to Ouray (and winter driving advice in…"

Log In to Reply
Welcome

Join the Community! It's FREE

Already have an account? Login to close this notice.