Mountain Directory West for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers [Paperback]

Richard W. Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2000

This book provides the locations and descriptions of over 400 mountain passes and steep grades in 11 western states. This information is vital to anyone driving a large or heavy vehicle. There are 12 full color relief maps showing mountain ranges, valleys, cities, highways, etc. Text details include how long and how steep (%) the grades are, whether the road is two, three, or four lane, if there are sharp curves, switchbacks, escape ramps, narrow shoulders, etc. Many mountain grades are hazardous to large or heavy vehicles and knowing what lies ahead can be life saving. Grades can be too long and steep to climb and descend safely. If you've ever had the terrifying experience of losing your brakes while descending a mountain, you know it is not something you want to repeat. Remember the old phrase, "You can go down a mountain a thousand times too slowly, but only once too fast." Some roads are so narrow and winding that large vehicles can't stay in their own lane on the curves. This is hazardous for everyone on the road and in most cases, can be avoided by choosing a safer route. There is a companion book, "Mountain Directory East" that includes the locations and descriptions of over 300 mountain passes and steep grades in 11 eastern states. There are many more hazardous grades in the east than many people realize. While 6 and 7% grades are common in the west, 9 and 10% grades are common in the east and the roads tend to be more narrow and winding in the east due to age and terrain. Many escape ramps are completely inadequate. These books are extremely valuable references for anyone driving a large or heavy vehicle for work or pleasure.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"..many motorhomers will find one or both of these books useful in taking the surprises out of drivng..." -- Sherry McBride, Senior Managing Editor, "Motorhome" magazine (Sept. 1999)

"It's invaluable info for rookie drivers or old hands traveling into a mountainous area for the first time." -- Andrew Ryder, Editor, "Heavy Duty Trucking" (May 1998)

About the Author

Author Richard Miller was inspired to write this book after a nearly disastrous mountain descent in an 18 wheeler. This occurred in Arizona, but when he subsequently attempted to find information about the mountain grades in various western states, he was amazed to learn that no one had compiled much data about these potentially deadly hills. The only way to get accurate information was to personally drive over as many of these passes and steep grades as he could find. The search eventually covered almost 40,000 miles and yielded detailed descriptions of over 400 locations in eleven western states.

A similar search was conducted in eleven eastern states, this time covering nearly 20,000 miles and yielding descriptions of over 300 passes and steep grades in the mountainous areas of the eastern United States. This information is in a companion book, "Mountain Directory East for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers."

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: R & R Publishing Inc. (June 7, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0964680564
• ISBN-13: 978-0964680562
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,364,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for experieced and novice motorhome drivers, September 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mountain Directory West for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers (Paperback)

Mountain Directory West was invaluable to me when plotting a course through 17 states from Georgia to Washington State and back again. Another silver haired grandmother and I traveled in my new 31 ft motorhome through mountains of S. Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, the Oregon and California coasts, Arizona and New Mexico. By knowing what was ahead on our route, we were able to cool our engine and brakes before ascending or descending a particular stretch of highway, and never experienced a moment's trouble.

I highly recommend Mountain Directory West for any RV/Motorhome driver who is planning a trip over any US mountain range west of the Mississippi. The companion Mountain Directory East serves the same purpose for those traveling east of the Mississippi.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mountain Directory West, January 23, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mountain Directory West for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers (Paperback)

This book and it's companion Mountain Directory East are valuable publications to have handy as you travel by RV throughout the USA. They provide the elevation, the % of inclines, the length of the inclline, hidden curves, speed and so much more. Referring to these guides before a mountain pass helps prepare you for the amount of brake usage that will be necessary to reach the bottom safely. Richard has done a great job of researching the varied terrain, referring to the pass information can provide a significant peace of mind to all RV Getaways.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read before pulling RV in the mountains, February 28, 2006

By 

Alvin Baker (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mountain Directory West for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers (Paperback)

I am planning to take my first trip into the Rocky Mountains with a 5th wheel this summer. This book is extremely helpful. It gives enough detail on the different mountain passes for you to know if you can make the hairpin turns with your rig. It gives the percent of grade and the length of downgrade in miles. Something I had not thought of was the height of tunnels. This book makes planning the route to take much easier.