OKC to Pocatello, Id

trip.JPG

This is my standard Rockies passage: KCYS KRKS KPIH Although if you go north a bit there's great scenery around the Tetons...
 
What's your hard altitude limit?

It looks like you can stay below 10,000 by roughly following this route as well:

OKC
OTO PEDRA V68 RSK V68 DVC PUC NONTY 38UT K42U LHO MLD
PIH
 
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EdFred said:
What's your hard altitude limit?

It looks like you can stay below 10,000 by roughly following this route as well:

OKC
OTO PEDRA V68 RSK V68 DVC PUC NONTY 38UT K42U LHO MLD
PIH
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Going to be pretty hard to stay under 10K once you get to the SLC area no matter what direction you come from.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Going to be pretty hard to stay under 10K once you get to the SLC area no matter what direction you come from.
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Looks like if you follow the rarilroad tracks from Carbon towards Spanish Fork you can stay under 10k and still keep 1000'+ of ground clearance. Keep east of Provo Peak, follow the road past Heber city to Coalville and you're home free - unless I'm missing something?
 
EdFred said:
Looks like if you follow the rarilroad tracks from Carbon towards Spanish Fork you can stay under 10k and still keep 1000'+ of ground clearance. Keep east of Provo Peak, follow the road past Heber city to Coalville and you're home free - unless I'm missing something?
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I just meant the general terrain was going to squeeze in on you at a 10K' ceiling no matter what since most all of the SLC area sits around that level.
 
The best route may end up being dependent on the weather at the time you plan on leaving. Plan a few different routes and see which one is going to work best when you're close to your departure time. If I were planning this I'd probably take a route similar to what EdFred posted.
 
P.S. All runways at Rawlins are closed. Don't plan a fuel stop there.
 
The ForeFlight $199 subscription, can’t remember which one it is, but is the the next up from Basic, has a “Profile” option in flight planning that is super easy to avoid terrain.
Here is an example
0BD7C1A1-E63E-4A6B-8C2D-C741C1700F2D.jpeg

Living in Utah I find the extra $100 a year well spent
 
Does it really need to be at or below 10K?

Going to 12K might open up some options or flexibility. Or just get you a little more distance from the rocks.
 
I also live in Salt Lake. Just a warning: Wyoming is a vast wasteland. Depending on your comfort level but highly advise following roads. If you go down out there nobody will find you in a reasonable time. If you fly north to Denver, this is probably what I would do:

Stay on either side of the Denver airspace. If on the west side BJC is a nice stop. I have parked there twice for extended visits. Either way, latch on to I-25 and follow north, then I-80 and west to LAR and RWL.

From there it is decision time. Stay over I-80 and go out of the way, or head out over the wasteland. I suggest stay over I-80 and then RKS. From there ... I would probably stay over I-80 to FBR and then head north to EMM. Head west and overfly Bear Lake (it's really rather beautiful). I have never flown north past 1U7 but that looks like a reasonable route to U78 and from there more or less direct to PIH.

I plan VFR 10.5 flying west from Denver to Salt Lake. Winds in Wyoming can be crazy also. Double check those and make sure you have options. More than one pilot has underestimated winds and come up short of a runway there. Was the OP edited to remove a 10K altitude restriction? Flying east you can manage 9.5 I would think, but west it is 10.5 minimum for VFR.
 
I'm not sure where the 10,000 came from, I don't recall mentioning it. lol.
We're actually looking at going west towards ABQ, then head northwesterly to PIH. It only adds about 45 minutes or so to the flight in the RV. The shortest/cheapest route isn't what we're looking for. We want the safest route, for a couple of old (61), VFR guys.:)
 
woodchucker said:
. . . Was the OP edited to remove a 10K altitude restriction? Flying east you can manage 9.5 I would think, but west it is 10.5 minimum for VFR.
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Marshall Alexander said:
I'm not sure where the 10,000 came from, I don't recall mentioning it. lol.
We're actually looking at going west towards ABQ, then head northwesterly to PIH. It only adds about 45 minutes or so to the flight in the RV. The shortest/cheapest route isn't what we're looking for. We want the safest route, for a couple of old (61), VFR guys.:)
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Ed was just stipulating that the flight could be accomplished without going above 10K' if necessary. I don't believe there was an assumed 10K self-imposed ceiling implied.
 
10.5 is only the minimum if above 3000 AGL. You ain't gonna be 3000 AGL in some of those parts.
 
EdFred said:
10.5 is only the minimum if above 3000 AGL. You ain't gonna be 3000 AGL in some of those parts.
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I did 10.5 the whole way yesterday through Wyoming and Idaho. As long as you stay between peaks and don’t cross ridges it is a very good altitude.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
I did 10.5 the whole way yesterday through Wyoming and Idaho. As long as you stay between peaks and don’t cross ridges it is a very good altitude.
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When I did my trip out west, I never went above 8500 on the way out. BIL => GPI => COE is where I crossed. On the way back I didn't want to go further south, so I popped up to 11.5 near Santa Fe. But yeah, there are routes to take and never crack 10k. (Oh, I did have to get above 10 when I flew over the Grand Canyon.)
 
The route I mentioned is safe. It’s mostly flat land and you won’t be dodging granite. Going south will be the super scenic route though.
 
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