Looking for advice for Granby, CO KGNB

We're going to be heading out to Granby for the 4th of July weekend and I'm looking for local tips for the area (other than paying attention to DA which is already up near 11k this morning).

My planned route has us following I-80 to SLC then dropping down to Provo and east along Hwy 40 to Meeker. We'll then pick up I-70 in Rifle before turning north at Wolcott along Hwy 131. then follow the Colorado River to Kremmling and Hwy 40 the rest of the way in. I had originally wanted to stay north and follow 40 all the way through Steamboat, but the fire and TFR near Yampa make the Southern route seem like a better option.

Looks like departing 27 there's no trees to clear and only need to worry about rising terrain a few miles west. This will be a true test of the 150 horses! In my own experience with it at altitude it seems to still get 300-400fpm at 10k+ DA and max gross.

Fly as early as possible.

I have flown all over Colorado. Fly as early as possible. Above 25 KTS wind at altitude is going to be bumpy. If it’s relatively calm and early morning, it’s some of the best flying in the country.

Just short of SLC, you can head south over KTVY before turning east to Provo if you wish to avoid the SLC Class B.

North

I’m based out of Rifle. If it were me, and was concerned about the highest altitudes, I would stay north of the SLC basin and head toward Green River, Wy; Rawlins, Wy, Medicine Bow VOR, Walden, CO; Kremmling, CO to Granby. There are multiple fire TFRs that might make your route a bit challenging. All that being said, I used to operate a 150hp RV-6 at the highest altitudes in this area with no issues. But do take heed of the previous advice regarding morning flights and winds aloft. The afternoon air is sporty right now.

By the way, Grandy EAA is having their annual fly-in/pancake breakfast on the 3rd.

rickrv8 said:

I’m based out of Rifle. If it were me, and was concerned about the highest altitudes, I would stay north of the SLC basin and head toward Green River, Wy; Rawlins, Wy, Medicine Bow VOR, Walden, CO; Kremmling, CO to Granby. There are multiple fire TFRs that might make your route a bit challenging. All that being said, I used to operate a 150hp RV-6 at the highest altitudes in this area with no issues. But do take heed of the previous advice regarding morning flights and winds aloft. The afternoon air is sporty right now.

By the way, Grandy EAA is having their annual fly-in/pancake breakfast on the 3rd.

Click to expand...

My main concern with the higher passes is not wanting to go up to 12.5 or higher with the dog on board. I did consider following 80 into Wyoming as you mentioned but would rather not take the extra time if I can help it. TFRs may make that decision for me though by then.

I've gotten walloped by winds over the Sierra and that's only with 10-11k terrain, can't imagine how sporty it gets over the Rockies in the afternoon. I don't want to take a chance with afternoon t-storms either so we plan to be in the air at first light. This should hopefully put us in Granby by noon. Thanks for the heads up on the fly-in, sounds like fun!

Final planning

Doing my final planning before we head out Friday morning. At this point I'm planning to follow I-80 all the way to Rawlins, WY before turning South to Walden and Kremmling. My only concern is the Muddy Slide Fire being very close to that route and the westerly winds blowing smoke that direction. Has anyone been out there recently enough to shed some light on this?

Hope to see some of you at the fly-in!

You should have no issue. We’ve been getting rain and seasonable temps for nearly the last week. It’s raining right now. As a result, haven’t seen any smoke for days. The forecast after tomorrow looks drier but still seasonable temps. Check out this site if you haven’t already:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7566/

I went on a motorcycle ride yesterday and didn't see any smoke. Encountered a few rain showers here and there, but it was a beautiful day. I covered much of the territory you're planning to visit...

I traveled from my house near KDEN up I-70, through the Eisenhower Tunnel (Loveland Pass) to Silverthorne. From Silverthorne, I went north on Highway 9 to Kremmling then Highway 40 all the way to Steamboat Springs. After a late lunch in Steamboat, I went through Walden, then Cameron Pass down the Poudre Canyon (Hwy 14) to Fort Collins and then Loveland to see my Mom and have a late dinner with my brother and his wife.

It was a good day and as someone else said, the temps were very normal for this time of the year... generally 70's and maybe a low 80. No smoke to be seen anywhere. Good news!

Here’s a bit more smoke, or lack thereof, information.

https://fires.airfire.org/ara/deplo...0-NWColorado-Outlook.20210630124134-650px.jpg

This is all great news, thanks!