publishing
information about mountain passes and steep grades since 1993. The Mountain Directory Ebooks give the locations
and descriptions of over 700 mountain passes and steep grades in
22 states. The Mountain Directory ebooks tell you where the
steep grades are, how long they are, how steep (%) they are, whether
the road is two lane, three lane, or four lane, if there are escape
ramps, switchbacks, sharp curves, speed limits, etc. With this
information, one can know ahead of time what a pass is like and
make an informed decision about whether to go over or around. If
you decide to go over, perhaps the cool morning hours would ease
the strain on the engine and transmission during the climb. Unhooking
the towed vehicle would make the climb and the descent easier.Knowing what lies ahead is half the battle.
The printed versions of the Mountain Directory books had almost 240 pages of text and color relief maps. All 240 pages are in the downloadable versions of the Mountain Directory ebooks. Nothing is missing. In the printed versions, mountain pass locations were marked with a yellow triangle on the color relief maps. In the ebook versions, you can click on the yellow triangles and the text appears that describes that location.
 
4. US 33
(between Harrisonburg, VA and Judy Gap, WV.)
There
are three summits along this stretch of US 33. The eastern summit is
between Rawley Springs, VA and Brandywine, WV. The east side is 4 miles of 8 to 9% grade. The west side is 4½ miles of 9% grade and both sides have continuous sharp curves and hairpin turns. The highway is two lane on both sides.
The middle summit is between Oak Flat and Franklin, WV. The east side of this hill is 2½ miles of 8% with 25 mph curves. The west side is about 3½ miles of much milder grade. It is 4 to 5% over most of its length. There are some sharp curves near the bottom. The road is two lane on both sides of the hill.
The western summit is between Franklin and Judy Gap, WV. It is 5 miles of steady 9% grade on both sides. Both sides are two lane with sharp curves and hairpin turns. Use caution on this road.
There
is an old saying among over-the-road truckers. "There
are two kinds of drivers -- those who've been in trouble
on a mountain grade, and those who will be."
Unfortunately, this also applies to many RVers. Trucks
and RVs have similar problems regarding weight, engine
power, and braking in mountainous terrain.
Imagine yourself descending a mountain grade in your RV. You didn't know there was such a long, steep grade on this highway. What a surprise! And things are not going well. You have a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. The engine is not holding back all of this weight, the brakes are smelling hot or even smoking, you're pushing harder on the brake pedal but your speed keeps increasing. All you can see ahead is more mountain. Your mind is racing through all of the available options and none of them are good. "I've got to do something," you say "or I'm not going to make it." The options include: run into the rock wall, go over the side, hit those trees, or see if you can make the next curve and ride it out. You choose the last option and, if you are lucky, you make it to the bottom in one piece. You pull over and while you are waiting for your heart to stop pounding, you wipe the sweat from your face and you notice your shirt is soaked, your mouth is dry, and your hands are shaking. You are thinking, "If I had known it was going to be like that............."
Perhaps your rig has difficulty during the steep climbs. The temperature is in the 90's and the grade is so steep that you can barely climb it in first gear. The engine and transmission temperatures are rising. How far to the top of this hill? You don't know if it's one mile or ten. Something smells hot. What to do? Pull over and cool off? But then all momentum is lost. Can you even get started again? You wish you had unhooked the car you're dragging up this hill behind the motorhome. If you are lucky, you can do that next time. You are wondering how many thousand dollars a new engine and transmission will be.
During the last few years we have heard many stories about very
expensive repairs to drive train components. Sometimes
rigs are lost entirely. A highway patrol officer in
Oregon told us that in the summer an average of one
motorhome per week burns to the ground while trying to climb
Cabbage Hill on I-84 east of Pendleton. If a fire starts, the
nearest fire department is likely to be many miles away.
By the time they arrive, there is nothing left to do but
hose down the ashes.
Many people are under the impression that the grades in the eastern mountains are not as serious as the grades in the western mountains. Apparently this is because the elevations are not as high in the eastern states. But elevation alone is not the problem--it is the change in elevation that makes a grade potentially hazardous. If all other factors are equal, a grade that descends from 4000' to 1000' over 10 miles is no different than a grade that descends from 10000' to 7000' over 10 miles. Either way you have a 3000' change in elevation spread over 10 miles. (This example would result in an average grade of almost 6% for 10 miles.)
A
large percentage of the grades in the western states are in the
6% range. A large percentage of the grades in the eastern
states are 8, 9, or 10% and sometimes even more. The
eastern grades are often shorter but this is not always
so. A quick glance through the eastern book will reveal
over 50 grades that are between 7 and 10% and from 4 to 7
miles long. There are others that are even more challenging.
The road to the top of Whiteface Mountain in New York is 8 to 10%
for 8 miles. There would be no need for truckers to use
this road but RVs are allowed. Near Cumberland, Maryland
there is a hill on I-68 that is posted as 6% for 13 miles.
In North Carolina highway 181 crosses the Blue Ridge
Parkway and the southbound descent is 11 miles of grade
that varies from 6 to 10%. Much of it is 8 to 9%. These
grades are just as hazardous as the grades in the western states.
From the
Colorado section of the Mountain Directory West:
VAIL PASS elev. 10603' (on I-70 east of Vail, CO)
The
descent on the westbound side of Vail Pass is about 10 miles in
length and begins at milepost 189 on I-70. One half mile west of the
summit there are warning signs for westbound traffic--"Speed limit 45 mph for vehicles over 30,000 lbs." and "Steep grade next 8 miles--trucks stay in lower gear." The next mile is rolling hills. Then there is a sign--"7% grade next 7 miles."
The descent is steady at 7% and there are 3 advisory signs for the first runaway truck ramp which is about milepost 185 or 4 miles down from the summit. The escape ramp is upsloping on the right. The
second runaway truck ramp is about milepost 182, which is 3¼ miles
after the first escape ramp, or about 7¼ miles down from the summit. There are several advisory signs before reaching it and it is an upsloping ramp on the right. Don't
be fooled when the grade eases after the second escape ramp. It
soon goes back to 7% and doesn't bottom out until 2½ miles after the
second escape ramp or about milepost 179.
The
eastbound descent from the summit of Vail Pass continues almost to
the Frisco exit about 11 miles down the hill but the descent is not
steady. There are short steep sections followed by short sections of
lesser grade. The last half of the descent is 3-4% grade. There are no escape ramps on the east side of the pass.
In
most cases the passes and hills are described as descents. In
other words, a pass will be described from the summit down in one
direction and then from the summit down in the other
direction. This directory does not claim to include every
steep grade. In fact, because of the enormous area we
have tried to cover, we can guarantee that we have
probably missed some. Sometimes the percentages quoted are
estimates and many times they are based on road signs or information
provided by highway departments. This book does not
attempt to rate passes or grades according to difficulty.
There is an enormous variety in vehicles and equipment.
A hill that is very difficult for one vehicle may be no
problem at all for a similar vehicle that is equipped
differently. Driver judgment is critical in deciding which hills
should be avoided.
The
purpose of this book is not to discourage drivers from going where
they please. It is only to inform them of the conditions they
may encounter and to encourage them to make sure their
equipment is in good repair. Brakes must be in good
working order and properly adjusted and the engine and
transmission should be used to slow the vehicle whenever
possible, thus saving the brakes and keeping them cool enough
to retain their stopping power. The engine's cooling system should
be in good repair to prevent overheating during the
climbs. Turning off the air conditioner during climbs may
help, and if necessary, turning on the heater will help
dissipate heat from the engine.
From the
North Carolina section of the Mountain Directory East:
I-40 (between Black Mountain and Old Fort, NC)
By
law, all trucks except pickups and vans are required to stop at the
top of this hill and read the information posted about the eastbound
descent ahead. The top of the hill is near milepost 67 just east of Black Mountain. The grade is posted as 5 miles of 6%. It is a strong 6%. There are three runaway truck ramps,
all of which are short sand beds with sand piles at the end. There
is about a mile of grade left after the last escape ramp. The
westbound descent is about 1¼ mile of 6%.
The main ingredients involved in overheated brakes are the length of the grade, the steepness of the grade, and the speed and weight of the vehicle. Reducing any of these will improve the chances of getting down the mountain without overheating the brakes. Most of the time, the only one the driver can change is speed. Reducing speed may keep you alive. Remember the old phrase, "You can go down a mountain a thousand times too slowly, but only once too fast."