US Southwest CDT NM

[OkieDavid]

Hello all. I've never given it much thought until Kent mentioned a very long stretch of the trail that will require extra fuel to be carried. Has anyone ever measured MPG on the trail vs on the road. The 4runner is heavy and loves the fuel.

I've found it's more a case of how many miles are done in 4wd low and not so much as "on the trail". Definitely suck a lot of gas when doing 4wd low. Airing down also hurts gas mileage. Fortunately, New Mexico's sections of the CDT are fairly easy, I did most of the BDR in 2wd or at most, 4wd high and sections of that overlapped with the CDT so feel like they are comparable. That being said, I do carry an extra 7 gallons just in case. While I didn't need them, it definitely can get sketchy with the distances between towns with working gas stations out there. I also think it's just important to keep gas levels in mind and not get picky on where you stop to get gas (shopping for a lower price, etc.) or consider small detours to go get gas when needed.

 

[JCross]

What about an average speed.

 

[OkieDavid]

What about an average speed.

Sure, that's a factor too for gas mileage. When I did the Colorado BDR and the Wyoming BDR I was with a group and we went about 30-35 a lot of the time. I found that a little fast. When I did the NM BDR I was leading and kept it closer to 20 as I was constantly looking around, taking pics, and generally trying to just chill and enjoy the journey more. Of course, when in 4wd low we crawled really slowly, 5-10. We did stop and take pics with the other two group trips but I think there was more of a "let's accomplish this!" mindset where I was more in the frame of mind of "let's enjoy this!". So a non-answer answer to your question is the average speed is what works for you as the leader. I thoroughly enjoyed all three trips and would do any of them again with the same people, just different styles. Also, I drive a GMC 2500 with a stock suspension, so I'm going to be naturally slower on some of the routes than someone with a smaller vehicle and a heavily modified suspension. Again, more of a non-answer to your question.

 

[JCross]

OkieDavid, I very much appreciate your input. I have allotted 5 days to drive across NM but I don't know if that's realistic or not, I can add a couple of days if needed. I want to take it easy and take in as must beautiful scenery as possible so don't plan on being in a hurry unless that's just how it has to be. I also want plenty of input from those with experience because this will be my first trip of this sort.

 

[OkieDavid]

OkieDavid, I very much appreciate your input. I have allotted 5 days to drive across NM but I don't know if that's realistic or not, I can add a couple of days if needed. I want to take it easy and take in as must beautiful scenery as possible so don't plan on being in a hurry unless that's just how it has to be. I also want plenty of input from those with experience because this will be my first trip of this sort.

My two cents are this. New Mexico is a beautiful state however not every inch of it equally binge worthy (the first part of the route is pretty barren). So there will be sections where you would want to go slow and other sections where you might speed up. I think 5 full days would do it, maybe 6 if you start late on the first day or make a lot of side quests. Of course, coming from Oklahoma, I will have a 14 hour drive to get there so I'll probably allocate two weeks for the entire trip and see some stuff on the way there and back, will be flexible on the length of the group portion. Cave Creek Canyon, AZ is near the start and I will pass through the Lincoln NF getting there, so lots of options. Looking forward to it, always enjoy New Mexico.