icecat

Hello... My family will be going out to Estes Park and Denver, CO from are home in Southern MN end of August and just inquiring on anything special to be doing for fuel and such for the higher altitudes, will be doing ALL the sight seeing things specially Trail Ridge Road.

Any tips are appreciated



2006 MEGA 5.9, Smarty JR, AERO turbine 4040XL

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

C Schomer

The only difference will be sluggish power and maybe smoke at high altitude. Craig

sct5024

There is nothing special to do...it is all my truck has ever known. "Sluggish" ??? I really need to get down to sea level Smoke is good especially when passing a Prius.

BarryG

You don't need to do anything special. You will notice a difference though. The turbo is slower to spool which equals higher egts and more smoke. It will work just fine but the difference is noticeable. Estes shouldn't be too much. Trail Ridge you will notice for sure especially if you have any stop and go higher up. Just slowly roll into the throttle and you will keep the smoke to a minimum.

.boB

Maybe because I live at high altitude, but I don't notice much of a difference at all going over trail ridge road. Maybe there's a little more smoke, but not enough to be concerned about. You don't move very fast, so it's really not much of a strain.

As far as the truck goes, there's nothing to do except drive and enjoy.

For people, though, there's a few things to keep in mind.

- High altitude sickness is a real concern. Spend a day or two in Denver before heading into the high country.

- If anyone gets symptoms of high altitude sickness, the only real treatment is to go down in altitude.

There are three things I usually warn people about:
1. Moisture- We don't have any. A humidity of 10% is common. Plan to carry and drink a lot of water
2. Oxygen- We don't have any of that, either. Walk slower, rest often.
3. Sun - we have a LOT of that here. UV intensity increases about 9% per thousand feet. Hats and sunscreen are important.

If you've never been here, you're in for a real treat. You're going to be looking at some of the most fantastic scenery in the US.

This time of year, most of the wild life is on the west side of the park. Last week end we saw a few elk herds, and a cow moose with her calf down in the valley.

icecat

Thanks for all the info... doesnt seem like anything to much to worry about for the truck

It will be our first time out to CO, were taking our daughter out for college and an internship

Were going out early to Estes for a little vacation then dropping her off in Denver on the way back home

RamGazer

I didn't notice anything different when I drove from Frisco, Tx. (about 800ft. above sea level) to Camp Alexander (about 8,200ft. above sea level) it's very close to Colorado Springs last weekend.

C Schomer

The lids will pop off of tupperware type container when you go up in the mtns. I lived there 33 yrs and I always had dog water that would blow the tops. The first time scared the bageezers out of us! Go over Trail Ridge and spend some time at Grand Lake - it's a beautiful mtn. lake. Craig

papaduck

I also recommend a couple of days at an altitude of 6,000 to 8,000 feet before you go over 10,000 feet to allow your body to build up your system for the higher altitudes if you are going to do any hiking.

I also go to Colorado, planning a trip in August to the Silverton area and I drive over the trails to around 13,000 feet. The truck will do just fine but you may find any exertion will cause you to be breathless.

Also drink lots of water. You will need more water than your body will tell you. The air is thin and dry and you will loose the water quickly without noticing it. I have worked in Yellowstone Park at 8000 ft. and the new workers would get sick because they did not drink enough water.

I agree on the sunscreen and a good hat and clothing to protect you from the UV rays. You can burn very quickly.

shep1

I agree with all above. Water, Acclimate, Sun protection. I would make sure the brakes are good. Some of the down hill grades are steep. I pull a TT (5800#'s) through the Rockies all the time and never have an issue. Anyway no need to be in a rush, you'll miss all the scenery.

slacker 24/7

have spent some time in the Estes area, that is a really nice area you will have a blast and the dang weather will be alot cooler !!

RTillery

I escaped from Kalifornia 32 years ago and live at 6200 feet here in Colorado now. All the above advice is good and you will enjoy Estes and the surrounding area. You should have no trouble with your truck but you may notice a very small decrease in power and increase in smoke especialy if you are modified. One thing I noticed is the higher the altitude, the more likely I am to bark my turbo if I get off the go-pedal quickly under load. Just feather down and you will be fine. I have had Mighty Whitey up over 14,000 several times and I certainly had more trouble running than my trruck.

The elk will probably be in Estes and certainly in the parks just west of town. Bring your Binocs, camera, tripod and long lenses. You'll get to hear them bugling. I like to get up before dawn, do the loop into the park, come back and hit the donut shop in time for the girls to get up and they love me. I once got treated to about 50 bulls all together in early winter, plow through the snow and cross the road right in front of me. No other cars were around and I just stopped and stepped out of the truck with my mouth open, too amazed to even take a picture. Snow flying and sparkling in the early morning sun with these big animals (some real trophy size) just busting though about two feet was a sight that is burned into my brain. You'll have a great time.