The “Mountain Driving Guide for Truckers and RVers” gives drivers of large vehicles warnings of upcoming grades. On an RV trip in our 38′ motor home, we encountered dramatic grades in California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona. If I had this guide for that trip, I would have unhooked the tow car in advance of these grades in order to save the brakes, engine, and transmission. This book features:
- Colored maps with elevations
- Length by miles of the grade and possible alternative routes
- How many lanes to expect
From the Southern California section of the Mountain Directory West:
CAJON PASS elev. 4190′
(on I-15 south of Victorville, CA)
There is very little descent on the north side of Cajon Pass. The southbound descent begins with warning signs–“Downgrade next 12 miles–trucks check brakes” and “Truck speed limit 45 mph” and “Truck scales 5 miles” and “6% grade next 4 miles” and“Runaway truck ramp 2½ miles.”
The grade may be a bit more than 6% down to the escape ramp where it eases for a very short distance and then goes back to 6% until reaching the truck scales. After the scales the grade eases to about 2-3% for 3 miles, then goes to about 5% for another 4½ miles.
This road has four lanes downhill and a great deal of traffic. Use caution on this hill.
Use this guide for advanced trip planning
The “Mountain Driving Guide for Truckers and RVers” will be your resource for many years to come. It comes as a 240 page, downloadable digital format, that you can print as you need it. A Motor home with a hot engine can burn to the ground, a motor home with hot brakes can be stuck on the side of the road for hours at a time, and blown engine can seriously end an RV trip.
