Mountain Driving Tips

By Jerry Smith

Whether there has been a real uptick in the number of instances of mountain wrecks this year or there has been more reporting of those incidences, Colorado’s mountains have experienced several wrecks and near wrecks in 2017.

Many people think I’m nuts when I tell them that mountain driving is different from canyon country or the deserts.  From significant experience, I believe there are some big-time differences.  Of course, there are many similarities too, but if you don’t know what you don’t know, how are you going to learn the differences?

Some of what we’re about to cover will look and sound familiar because it is.  On any 4wd trip, there are certain things you should know and do.

Some of the big things have to do with “before you go”.

Ø Check the weather for the area you’re going to.

Ø Leave word with someone

·      Where you’re going

·      When to expect you back

Ø Is your rig ready?

·      Oil and water levels

·      Visual check of the running gear

Ø Fuel…

Ø Food and water for at least two-days for everyone on one-day trips.

Go prepared!!  Certain things should ALWAYS be in your rig on every outing.

Ø Coat(s)

Ø Gloves

Ø Rain gear

Ø Blankets

Ø Tools  -- can you change a flat tire?

Ø Fire extinguisher

Ø First aid kit

Ø Hi-lift Jack and accessories

Ø Fire starting gear

Ø Flashlight(s)

Ø Shovel

Ø Water bucket

Ø Maps and GPS

Those are the MINIMUM you should have.  Whether you leave them in your rig or have them in a “to go bag” for fast loading, anything less is taking a chance you don’t need to.

Next is – don’t go alone if you can.  If you do, these minimums might increase.  Having another vehicle is always a plus, but is also not always possible.

The following are some things you want to be aware of in the mountains.  Some are common sense, some should be but are not.

1)   Here is one you seldom hear of but is something to take into account.  When people who come from lower elevations start exploring the higher elevations (8000 feet or higher), they may not notice it, but your brain reacts to the lack of oxygen and you CAN begin losing your ability to focus and even your cognitive abilities will lag.  In extreme cases, your judgment will become impaired.  Being aware of ALL your circumstances while driving the high country is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, so you want to be aware of this problem and even stop occasionally just to take some deep breaths and bring your blood oxygen up.  Losing focus while driving a narrow mountain road is not something you want to do.  I have suffered from this more than once, and it’s not fun.  At 13,000 feet, most of us humans are not in top shape and can start having a lapse in judgment.  Being aware of your condition can help you focus, but you must stay vigilant. The mountains have many things to distract from your driving.  In most cases, it’s better to “stop and gawk”.  Don’t lose focus on your number one priority - driving.

2)   When you stop and get out, make darn sure you are in park or in a LOW gear with a manual transmission and have the parking brake on.  In some cases, you may want to chock the tires.

3)   Turn the downhill side of the steering tires so the vehicle will go on the high side of the road should it start moving.

4)   The general rule of thumb is… uphill traffic has the right of way.  This is mainly because backing downhill is very dangerous.  Stopping a moving vehicle going backward downhill is difficult.  This rule is often not practical for several reasons, but you should try to make it happen more often than not.

5)   Pay attention to pullouts and wide areas.  You can never tell when you might need to use one.

6)   If you must pull over to pass or be passed, be careful about soft shoulders on the road.  Most of the outside of dirt roads are not compacted and can slough-off very easily.

7)   Learn about the tire tracking of your vehicle.  This is a long-term process that can take a while to learn and then should be practiced every time you go out.

         Your tires track differently when turning.  The sharper you turn, the more your rear tires track inside of where the fronts do.     Using non-threatening rocks on the road, (ones that won’t cut a tire or bounce you off the road) learn to just “touch” the rock with the inside and outside sidewall of all 4-tires going straight or in a curve.  You must do this without hanging your head outside to become good at it.  You just want to graze the rock with the sidewall.  When you can do this, you’ll be a much more confident driver because you will KNOW where your 4-tires are.

8)   Wet trails will have characteristics that dry ones don’t.  Muddy tires won’t have the same traction. (duh)  Especially when crawling on wet rocks, you can expect to slide off of various rocks with no warning.  This sliding can be in any direction, so you must “plan” for it to happen.  Don’t put yourself in a position that a slight slip to the side will put you over the edge.  You may already be in an off-camber situation and that little slip may put you in a worse condition.  You MUST be ready for that to happen.

9)   Off-camber situations are common in the mountains.  Sometimes, the seat covers will be stretched to the max.  Most of us drive by the “seat of our pants”, but they do make good tilt gauges for this.  Every vehicle has a different “tip over point”.  How you load a vehicle can change that point, so you must become a good judge of your vehicle’s character.  Even how full your gas tank is will have some effect.  Different soil conditions on off-camber places can change your approach.  Mud, loose gravel, rocky conditions, and any combination of them can change how your vehicle will hold on.

10)                 Snow driving.  Snow in some mountains can happen any time of year.  The higher you go, the more likely you may see snow or hail accumulations.  Snow and ice on a steep mountain road can be terrifying or thrilling.  Either way, it is dangerous.  The only real way to learn to drive it is experience, but if you learn in a safe snow-covered parking lot, you’ll be well ahead of most.  You must learn to control slides.  How to brake effectively.  How to accelerate smoothly.  There are tons of little things to do on snow in the mountains that only experience and technique will get you through.  One that stands out is to put an automatic transmission into neutral when going downhill slow.  This keeps the engine from pushing you faster than you wish to go which makes you slide out of control.  Let the vehicle coast with no power.  On a manual trans, just push in the clutch.  Light brake application is the best.  Some will tell you to pump the brakes, but that only works if you begin to skid. You’ll find that control is increased and braking is much easier to control.

11)                 Temperatures.  You will encounter mornings when the ground and road is frozen and firm.  As the day progresses, the temperature can melt the upper crust of certain roads making them treacherously slick.  Slick muddy tires on a frozen sub-surface are a place looking for an accident to happen.

12)                 Dry your brakes.  Just after crossing streams or puddles of water or mud, apply the brakes to dry them. (Especially on drum brakes).  Wet brakes often have a “lag-time” before they begin to stop you.  On a steep mountain road, you want brakes immediately, not when they “get around to it”.

13)                 Water crossings – in the mountains, the water is often running crystal clear.  Gauging the depth of running water is difficult.  Using a long stick to probe the depths is good practice.  Easing into running water is the smart way.  Charging an unknown water crossing can result in some severe breakage when a hidden rock or hole is encountered.

14)                 More on water crossings.  Crossing water is best done at a slow, steady speed.  Keep your momentum.  When you stop in some places, the bottom will wash out from under the tires and you become stuck.

15)                 Hairpin turns.  On tight hairpin turns where you must do a three-point or more turn,

Ø Don’t pull out to the edge of the road.  Leave about two feet. (Some will put the shifter in “reverse” only to go forward or will let off the brakes and engage a clutch too late and slip forward)  Leave yourself some “whoops” room.

Ø Make sure you are in the right gear before “backing up”.

Ø If you are uncomfortable, use a “competent” spotter if one is available.

16)                 While on the trail, you will encounter many intersections.  Really pay attention to each one.  Know which way you turned.  Some mountain roads will bring you around in a circle without you realizing it.  If you don’t recognize an intersection, you will become disoriented and lost.

17)                 Try to remember trail numbers or names if they are marked.  Write them down or photograph them for later review.

18)                 Try to know where you are on maps and/or GPS.  This can help if you become disoriented or need to tell someone where you are.

19)                 Use a lower gear to keep your speed low when going downhill.  Don’t ride your brakes all the way.  Let the engine maintain the speed whenever possible.  Use the brakes when the engine is over-revving.

20)                 Make a habit of getting out of your vehicle when you come to an obstacle that you can’t see clearly or are not comfortable just driving over.  Walk around it looking at it from different angles.  This can save you a lot of work later.

21)                 Climbing steep rocks or other obstacles can be difficult.  You may already be on a steep road when an object will present you with a steeper climb.  If you must slow and/or stop, do it a safe distance from the object.  Get out if necessary.  Either way, slow and steady is nearly always the best way to proceed.

22)                 Reading the trail.  This applies to every kind of trail.  Learning to gauge the height of a rock is vital to the longevity of your axle housings.  It’s important that you become very quick in mentally measuring obstacles accurately.  Knowing whether to go over, around or straddling an obstacle is vital.

23)                 Shadows.  When in a forest, you can expect tall trees to cast shadows and to allow some direct sunlight through.  In the right conditions, this plays hell with your vision… especially depth perception.  Seeing and measuring holes and tall obstacles become very difficult in shadowy conditions.  Slow down and be very aware of the conditions.

24)   

This, by no means, covers everything about mountain driving, but it will give you some ideas of the little differences between normal driving and being in the mountains.  Some of this will help you in canyon country as well.

Wherever you wheel, be safe and have fun.

One last thing... when you come to a fork in the road, take it!