Rt 66 to the Grand Canyon from Maryland, loneliest Rd (Rt 50) return

T

Tom Katzenberger

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2019
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Happy New Year All!

I am looking into a September trip from Maryland to the Grand Canyon via Rt66 and a return via the loneliest Rd (Rt 50). I wanted to work my way from the Grand Canyon up to Fallon NV. as I would like to drive through the Great Basin on return.

Will any with knowledge of the roads and areas please speak to me about Hazards, tips and points of interest. It will be a snails pace, as we will be in no hurry.

My concern is steep grades. I believe there will be ample pull offs to cool the vehicle and brakes (I hope). I have 6 wheel disc brakes and a good trans for down shifting. I plan to have Dave Lenzi look at my brake system, which he and Larry W. provided great advice and help. I will be installing Dave's backup vacuum valve and what ever additions he suggests.

Thanks for any advice and wisdom in advance.

Everyone have a wonderful New Year and stay healthy, I look forward to seeing as many as I can in Ashville.

Take care,
Tom K
 
I've driven northern Nevada paved and dirt roads a few times in August-September without problems.
Phone service is rare between towns.
I carry a good quality IR thermometer to check brakes and wheel bearings.

Nevada.webp
 
I haven's been on Route 50, but I have been on I-40 for a LONG ways (the modern routing of 66). There are no really bad grades along that route. The elevation does get up to over 4500' in New Mexico and up to close to about 7000' around Flagstaff and Williams. The grades are gradual and you might not even notice them.

Make sure you stop at the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas for some NM Apple pie (apple pie with a hint of green chilis in it...delicious!). Winslow, AZ has Meteor Crater and a nice RV park there, along with Homolovi Sate Park and La Posada, a restore Harvey House Hotel. There is also the Petrified Forest near Holbrook, AZ.

Just south of Amarillo is Palo Duro Canyon (the second biggest canyon in the US) which has a nice campground at the bottom that you can drive to. The climb back up is kind of steep, but nothing your GMC can't handle.

The return trip might be a different story as you might be traversing the Rockys, depending on your route, but with good brakes and a good cooling system, you should be fine. We have driven our coach from below sea level (Death Valley) to over 10,500' in New Mexico and haven't had any issues.

Good luck and have fun.
 
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I have done the loneliest road from end to end. There are something like 20 named mountain passes on the route, but they are not that bad by west coast standards. Its all two lane rural highway with no cell service so jut be prepared.

IMG_0748.webp
 
Thank you.

Everyone for the input to date. I'm making copious notes. JSanford, did you make the journey on Rt 50 in your motor home?

Thanks again to everyone for your input.

Take care,
Tom K.
 
Before you finalize a date on those travels, you might want to wait for the announcement of the Fall GMCMI convention dates and location. Mike K is in the process of locating our next convention, and is rumored to be fall, somewhere in the midwest. Perhaps you can catch it going out or on the way back. Start or top-off your trip in the best way. Just say'n.

We drove our coach from WI to the fall GMCMI convention in Buellton CA. I40 is probably the flattest route. Even at that time of the year it can be HOT. Going out to CA, some days in AZ, temps were 100*-110* and found us traveling between camping stops between 3:00am and 11:00am when temps were reasonable. Nice thing about that was no traffic at that time of night. On the way back to WI there was snow in some AZ, NM, and CO elevations. If you are driving your 23'r and not towing, you should have no troubles. We are in a 26' towing a Honda Civic and handled the grades just fine, though I would not want to have done some of them in 100* heat. We stayed at a bunch of Harvest Host sites. Most were out of the way places with great hosts.

Sounds like a GREAT way to travel the west. If you get up through Northern Wisconsin, we got a place for you to park.
 
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Tom Katzenberger said:
Thank you.

Everyone for the input to date. I'm making copious notes. JSanford, did you make the journey on Rt 50 in your motor home?

Thanks again to everyone for your input.

Take care,
Tom K.
Click to expand...

I actually did the trip in my 1980 Seville diesel, which performs about equal to the GMC on steep grades LOL Early June 2023 and everything was still green. Squashed a lot of mormon crickets!

IMG_0756.webp
 
My travels in the gmc west are limited. But what I did learn is the cell service is not something you can count on, so need to plan for that by pre-loading maps. Or get a dedicated gps unit.

I would also recommend at least gmrs radios or some other sort of possible communication device to use if the need arises.
 
Guys,

Thank you all for the hot tips and Larry, I will await the fall rally date.

It would be great if it was somewhere in the midwest. I was actually planning on leaving Maryland Sept 1.

The goal is to see the Grand Canyon and as much as I can on the way out and back. The rally would just tip the scale, in a good way.

I have a lot of planning time so I might be able to be a little flexible. I just don't want to get caught in the snow or super cold temperatures.

Thanks again to everyone for some more great advice.

Stay healthy and thanks again,
Tom K.
 
Applied GMC
GMCMI Fall 2026 Rally

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