Crossing the Rockies
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| At 14,000 ft MSL over Rollins Pass east of Denver |
Easiest Crossing
The easiest crossing is at El Paso, TX. The highest point there is at 7,200 ft MSL.
A More Challenging Crossing
A bit more altitude is required at Albuquerque, NM, where the highest point is at 7,800 ft MSL due to the Sandia Mountains.
If you choose an altitude above 9,400 ft MSL, then you can overfly the Albuquerque class C space and get a nice view of the international airport, sometimes with a jet taking off or landing below.
If you cross the Sandia Mountains from east to west and have westerly winds, as is typically the case, be prepared for light to moderate turbulence below 12,000 ft MSL.
To avoid this, you should start climbing toward 12,500 ft ahead of time. We typically start this in Santa Rosa or for the latest at Clines Corner.
Another Challenging Crossing
A another challenging route starts in Wyoming at Cheyenne and follows Interstate 80 to Salt Lake City.
This is a long route and may require refueling at an airport with a 7,000 ft MSL runway.
You cross two mountain ranges: the Laramie Mountains and the Wasatch Range. The highest point is 8,500 ft MSL, provided you exit at Ogden instead of Salt Lake City.
For that route, two airports are convenient for refueling or even staying overnight: Evanston, WY, and Rawlins, WY.
In the past, both airports supplied courtesy cars for us and helped with hotel accommodation. Evanston has an appealing park along the river, great for a leisurely walk in the evening.
A Note of Caution About the Rawlins Airport
Before committing to landing at Rawlins, check wind direction.
If the wind indicates that runway 04 should be used—as is typically the case in the afternoon—the landing will be uphill on the 20:1 slope of that runway. This is easily done, of course.
But a subsequent takeoff on that runway may be impossible due to density altitude and runway slope, as some pilots have found out to their dismay.
There is an easy remedy: Stay overnight in Rawlins and take off early the next morning, when the wind has reversed direction. You takeoff run is then downhill in cool air.
Easy Northern Crossing
Another, easy, route is farther north. It begins at Sheridan, WY, follows Interstate 90 via Bozeman, Butte, and Missoula in Montana, and terminates in Coeur d’Alene, ID.
The highest point occurs early on, at the 8,000 ft MSL Bozeman Pass.
Good refueling stops are Bozeman at 4,500 ft MSL and Missoula at 3,200 ft MSL.
This is a winding route with spectacular vistas of mountains, forests, valleys, and rivers.
For example, in the first part, you see the Bighorn Mountains with the deep canyon of the Bighorn River, the Yellowstone River, and the impressive Bozeman Pass.
Shortly after Bozeman, you overfly the Three Forks area, where the Gallatin, Jefferson, and Madison Rivers join up to form the Missouri River.
Escape Routes for Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms in the Rockies are severe and must be circumnavigated at a distance of 20, or better 30 miles. This can be a problem when you fly in a narrow valley whose ridges you cannot outclimb.
The above northern route offers two escapes if thunderstorms pop up.
First, you can detour north from Bozeman to Helena and Great Falls, thus leaving the mountains altogether.
Second, you can detour west at Anaconda shortly after Butte and rejoin Interstate 90 at Drummond.
The Flight Service or ADS-B weather radar help with the evaluation of these detours.
At Missoula, there are two additional choices besides taking Interstate 90 to Coeur d’Alene.
First, you can go southwest from Missoula to Lewiston, ID, via the Lolo Pass and the valleys of the Lochsa and Clearwater Rivers. From there, you follow the Snake River to Pasco, WA.
This alternative was part of the trail of the Lewis and Clark expedition and thus makes you appreciate the difficulties and obstacles overcome by the brave men of the expedition.
Second, you may go north from Missoula to Kalispell, MT, which lies right at the entrance to Glacier National Park.
This is one of the most beautiful national parks,
yet is not crowded even in August. After a visit in the park, you proceed west to Coeur d’Alene.
There is yet another factor that recommends the above route:
From Coeur d’Alene, you can fly west to any town near the Cascades, for example, to Yakima, WA, stay overnight and at sunrise launch into a slow flight south along the Cascades, covering Mts. Rainier, Adams, St. Helen, Hood, and Jefferson, plus the three Sisters.
You should stay east of the Cascades. In the clear morning air, you see the smallest details of the ravines, boulder fields, and glaciers of the mountains.
Two Other Routes
Here are another two ways to cross the Rockies on circuitous but also very scenic routes.
The first route crosses the Rockies from east to west. It starts in Laramie, WY and ends up at Grand Tetons National Park; see Flying the Snake River.
A west-bound crossing is described in Flying Colorado's Dolores River and Tracing the Flight of the Beast in "The Dog Stars".
It starts in Deming, NM, goes north to Montrose, CO, and then proceeds northeast to the Denver area. The photo at the top of this post was taken on that second leg.
A Note of Caution
Winds across the Rockies are mainly westerly.
Any flight crossing the Rockies near its highest mountains, such as west of Denver, should be from west to east, and should be done only if winds have been confirmed to be westerly along the entire route.
The above flight from Montrose, CO to the Denver area was done under such conditions.
The westerly winds push up the eastbound aircraft as the terrain rises. If the route is attempted in reverse, downdrafts on the lee side of the mountains may well overcome the climbing capabilities of the plane.
Have any questions or feedback about crossing the Rockies? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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