How fast do you go on Boulder Canyon? (Nederland: safety, moving)

[boulderduder]

I am considering a move into Nederland, which I adore. However, the drive into Boulder down Boulder Canyon is petrifying to me. Every time I drive on it I get aggressively passed by pissed off locals. I drive 35-ish up and down the mountain. Any faster and I get very uncomfortable around the bends in my pick up truck.

Is 35 too slow in your opinion? What do you do on Boulder Canyon? Do you consider this a stressful and difficult drive, or am I just being a big wimp?


Sorry for the odd thread. I really love Nederland but I feel like it will get old driving a stressful stretch every day.

[Idlewile]

Most people don't feel as comfortable driving as fast in a pick-up because they don't have a low center or gravity thus don't corner as well, plus a higher propensity for rollover. To answer your question, yes, I drive the canyon faster than that although I don't love mountain driving. I also drive a car that handles very well though and offers good cornering which allows me to driver faster more confidently.

This is JUST me, but assuming your pick-up is rear-wheel drive, there's no way I'd want to make that drive in bad weather.

[Neditate]

I understand how the canyon can be intimidating to someone unfamiliar and uncomfortable with driving it.
Have you considered taking the bus? RTD service is very good.

I've been driving the canyon for 30 years. It is not stressful for me unless someone impedes my progress. The speed limit in the canyon is 40-45 mph. I observe the speed limit (mostly). My husband commutes every day, he drives 45-50 mph. I know that some of my neighbors drive closer to 50-55 mph in some areas.

Some locals do indeed get annoyed with someone driving 35 mph. If only people would be considerate and aware and pull over when there are cars behind them it wouldn't have to be an issue. There are many places to pull off. There are also a few passing lanes with signage to keep right. In my experience I'd say that 7 out of 10 people do not pull over and let cars pass. They never look in their rear view mirror. If I give a light tap on the horn and flash my lights to signal them to pull over, I usually get the middle finger even though they are in the wrong.

The summer tourist season is a pain. It's very frustrating when a slow moving, scenery gawking, petrified of every curve touron drives 25 mph when there are 10 cars behind him/her. If only they would pull over, relax, take some deep breaths, take some photos, let us pass and be on our way...

[boulderduder]

Thank you both very much for your opinions and experiences.


What kind of car would you recommend to better handle those windy roads? A Subaru I'm assuming?

Thank you.

[Idlewile]

While it's subjective and plenty of people on here will tell you you don't need an AWD vehicle, since you actually ARE doing mountain driving in bad weather, aside from the curvy road, an AWD car would offer you the best combo of safety in bad weather, especially on a curvy, icy road. Yes, a Suby would be good or pretty much any AWD car. There are plenty of great 4WD SUVs (built on truck frames) that handle well in SNOW but usually not quite as well on ice and they are not going to corner as well because of a higher center on gravity and since you're sensitive to this I would shy away from them. Just to give you some ideas for AWD cars:
Top 10 All-Wheel-Drive Vehicles - MSN Autos

I actually gained a lot of confidence driving in bad weather consistently and over CO mountainous roads from my AWD Audi and while some people will say, "it really doesn't matter what kind of drive train you have in tough conditions, it's YOUR skill, etc..." I completely disagree. Good luck!

[boulderduder]

Your elaboration has been very helpful to me.

Thank you again. I really appreciate it.