Driving between Phoenix and Denver?

[fmyth]

It’s a fairly easy drive. I-17 north to I-40 at Flagstaff to I -25 at Albuquerque and then to Denver. RatonPass at Colorado line is about the only one that could be dicey depending on the weather.

We are having a really rough winter and the I17 and the 40 just outside of Flagstaff have been closed 3 or 4 times since Christmas. Flagstaff has received 60" of snow so far this month. Always check this website before heading up out of the Phoenix Valley in the winter: https://www.az511.com/

 

[fngTony]

We are having a really rough winter and the I17 and the 40 just outside of Flagstaff have been closed 3 or 4 times since Christmas. Flagstaff has received 60" of snow so far this month. Always check this website before heading up out of the Phoenix Valley in the winter: https://www.az511.com/

Would going through Payson skirt that or is it a case of taking a lesser maintained road while still dealing with the same snow?

 

[sodaksooner]

I've done portions of that drive many times, but haven't linked the entire thing in one trip. Always seem to run into crappy weather on 40, either in flagstaff or across the high plateau in NM. so just be wary of that. As far as the actual driving it is an easy trip, and very scenic, even the east/west NM stuff IMO. North on 25 is ok. Plenty of goats (pronghorns) to look for on the trip too. I usually pull off at Pueblo or thereabouts to head west to hunt, so don't typically get all the way to Denver on 25.

 

[fmyth]

Would going through Payson skirt that or is it a case of taking a lesser maintained road while still dealing with the same snow?

I live in the E Valley so I go up through Payson to avoid traffic and commercial vehicles on the I-17. The road conditions will be the same but as soon as you leave Payson they go to 2 lanes. It's a much prettier drive with a lot less traffic. Google maps shows that going up the I-17 will save me 32 minutes vs Payson. I've probably made that trip 100 times and its never saved me time going up the I-17.

 

[BBob]

Another option out of Phoenix is to go just a bit further East and take the drive through Globe and then north through the Salt River Canyon. It’s a beautiful canyon and if you’re here it might be worth seeing it at least once. I never get tired of it. I travel through here to get to snow all winter. The plows are running by 5:30am or so and I’ve yet to get stuck or have the highway shut down.

 

[5MilesBack]

Would going through Payson skirt that or is it a case of taking a lesser maintained road while still dealing with the same snow?

A year ago December, my wife and I went to Scottsdale. We were supposed to go to WY that week, but a big storm closed a bunch of WY so moved up the Scottsdale trip. But that same storm that hit WY dipped down and hit northern AZ too. We got tired of waiting so took the "southern route"........and drove to Tucson first, spent the night, then up to Scottsdale the next day. A week later when we drove home, we took the Payson route. There were still sections of road along there that were covered in icy/snowpack spots, along with a whole stretch of I-40, but it was still quicker than going through Flagstaff.

 

[fmyth]

Another option out of Phoenix is to go just a bit further East and take the drive through Globe and then north through the Salt River Canyon. It’s a beautiful canyon and if you’re here it might be worth seeing it at least once. I never get tired of it. I travel through here to get to snow all winter. The plows are running by 5:30am or so and I’ve yet to get stuck or have the highway shut down.

I've driven down from Showlow in the snow and it took me 6 hours to get to Globe. Never saw a snow plow. They might start them running at 5:30am but they won't run them through the Canyon at night and will just close the road instead. I've been stuck in both Showlow and in Globe due to road closures. I always check ADOT's website and the White Mountain Road Conditions FB group before I head up that way.

 

[pcrossett]

I would definitely break it up during the winter time with how little daylight there is. 14 hours is already a long stretch and even more so when it is in the dark. Also my piece of advice for anyone on a road trip is find an audiobook that you're interested in and listen to that. Listening to the same songs on the radio over and over again wears you down.

 

[Brooks]

If you stay anywhere near Albuquerque in a motel take everything you own or want into the room with you !!! ABQ is the thieving capital of the country ! and when you call the police they will ask you if you want them to come out or not. Stealing your car or truck or everything in it is not a top priority for the APD.

 

[5MilesBack]

Listening to the same songs on the radio over and over again wears you down.

I usually don't even have the radio on.

 

[BBob]

they won't run them through the Canyon at night and will just close the road instead.

No they won’t run them at night but I’ve never been stopped during daytime travel. I’m usually headed through there 6:30-7:00 and been fine. Sometimes you get stuck for a bit behind a plow but they eventually pull off.

 

[CorbLand]

Another option out of Phoenix is to go just a bit further East and take the drive through Globe and then north through the Salt River Canyon. It’s a beautiful canyon and if you’re here it might be worth seeing it at least once. I never get tired of it. I travel through here to get to snow all winter. The plows are running by 5:30am or so and I’ve yet to get stuck or have the highway shut down.

The Salt River Canyon is really cool. I have taken that to Show Low/Alpine and it’s worth it at least once. Last time we went the Payson way and it was cool but lots of animals if your driving early or late.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

If you stay anywhere near Albuquerque in a motel take everything you own or want into the room with you !!! ABQ is the thieving capital of the country ! and when you call the police they will ask you if you want them to come out or not. Stealing your car or truck or everything in it is not a top priority for the APD.

I was trying to think of a decent place to stay in abq but I just can’t. If you don’t have family or friends to stay with, it’s probably best to continue on through albuquerque. All of New Mexico is like that though.

Edit: I guess I might try an air BB in the heights or one of the hotels closer to the airport. You could still easily get to the frontier restaraunt on central from there.

Frontier is probably the most famous restaraunt in ABQ unless you want to go sit in padillas like they do on breaking bad. If you do that, you’re right across the road from Ron Peterson gun shop which was/is a killer shop.

 

[fngTony]

I was trying to think of a decent place to stay in abq but I just can’t. If you don’t have family or friends to stay with, it’s probably best to continue on through albuquerque. All of New Mexico is like that though.

I do have a relative in Santa Fe, otherwise I don’t plan to even stop near abq

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I do have a relative in Santa Fe, otherwise I don’t plan to even stop near abq

Santa Fe is nicer. Lots of good places to eat.

 

[canyonhunter47]

I live in the E Valley so I go up through Payson to avoid traffic and commercial vehicles on the I-17. The road conditions will be the same but as soon as you leave Payson they go to 2 lanes. It's a much prettier drive with a lot less traffic. Google maps shows that going up the I-17 will save me 32 minutes vs Payson. I've probably made that trip 100 times and its never saved me time going up the I-17.

Last week I went that way and Lake Mary Rd was closed where it passes the east side of Mormon lake. It was rerouted through the town on the west side, which was not on Google maps and took way more time than stated.

I’d probably turn south at Holbrook and go through Heber and Payson, conditions permitting, if I was making the drive from northern NM area

 

[fmyth]

Last week I went that way and Lake Mary Rd was closed where it passes the east side of Mormon lake. It was rerouted through the town on the west side, which was not on Google maps and took way more time than stated.

I’d probably turn south at Holbrook and go through Heber and Payson, conditions permitting, if I was making the drive from northern NM area

What town were you re re routed through? I always check az511.com and the White Mountain Road Conditions FB Group before traveling through that area. The highways from Holbrook to Showlow and Payson to Heber are 2 of the most dangerous roadways in all of AZ.

 

[canyonhunter47]

What town were you re re routed through? I always check az511.com and the White Mountain Road Conditions FB Group before traveling through that area. The highways from Holbrook to Showlow and Payson to Heber are 2 of the most dangerous roadways in all of AZ.

Lake Mary Rd was closed, unplowed, and had 2-3 feet of snow between the two intersections with Mormon Lake Rd. The detour was through the Mormon Lake Rd passing through the town, which was plowed. It was never flagged on AZ511 and Google maps kept telling me to turn around and get back on Lake Mary Rd. It was passable but just took longer than expected.

The rest of Lake Mary Rd was plowed but icy and other vehicles were few and far between so if you got into trouble it could be a while before you get noticed. The signs recommended 4x4 and/or chains. This was a weekday daytrip from Payson to Flagstaff and back so we were on the road early AM and late evening so YMMV depending on day and time

I-17 is probably the safest bet (aside from idiot drivers) but at least I’d feel safer on the Holbrook-Heber route than the twisty roads going through Pine and Strawberry or Salt River canyon if snow and ice were a concern.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

If your company vechiles are like my companies with all the nanny monitors hell no they can figure out how to get to you. Speeding, hard stops/turns, over 20mph without the seat belt engaged, idling for over 15mins, it reports you fleet ops..You cant even turn the radio all the way up...no thanks...I would be flying to and from.

 

[30338]

Hate flying, but wife just flew to Phoenix from Denver and coming back today. $58 flight on Frontier. Last time I overnighted in a decent motel outside of Sante Fe. At 2 am someone decided to unload a 15 round magazine apparently into the air. Not really conducive to a good nights rest.