Grand Canyon North Rim-Cape Royal Drive-Suitable in an RV?

[mikejay]

Hi All
We are a family of 6 from the UK planning a 4 week trip to the US this summer including a 10 day RV roadtrip visiting Mount Zion NP, Grand Canyon North Rim, Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon. I have read that the Cape Royal Drive at the North Rim is very scenic but have seen a post suggesting it isn't suitable for RVs, is this really the case?
Thanks in advance for any help!!
Mike

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Cape Royal Drive itself is one of the great scenic drives in America, and ends at one of the best viewpoints of all for the Grand Canyon. BUT it is twisty with hair-pin turns, and has steep grades in spots. A good indication of how easy it is to drive is that even though it is only 13 miles long, most people take about 45 minutes to drive its complete length, for an average speed of only about 17 mph. Whether or not you should drive it in your RV is a matter of both your RV's dimensions and your own familiarity with the vehicle. If you were driving your own Class B rig, I'd say "By all means: Do it!" But if you're driving a Class A rental, this is probably going to be way too much of a challenge.

A couple of other things to note: Cape Royal Drive is going to be closed entirely from time to time this summer for repairs. The dates are listed on the NPS web site and you should check that out. Most people try to get to Cape Royal to catch the spectacular sunrises or sunsets. This makes the drive even more challenging for the oversized vehicle and you may need to factor the time-of-day into your decision on whether to attempt the drive or not.

AZBuck

[glc]

An RV suitable for 6 people may be too large to take that road safely. I would consult with a ranger before attempting it.

[mikejay]

Thanks for the replies. Our rental RV is going to be 30 feet. I'll take your advice and ask the rangers at the North Rim. I'm hoping it's going to be possible as it would be a real shame to miss out on the drive and the various associated trails.

[AZBuck]

Thirty feet is the length of two full-sized cars placed end-to-end. But your RV won't be articulated in the middle. And it will be wider. And heavier. Even if you could manage to negotiate the road, I suspect you would only be able to do so by taking both lanes on some of the sharper curves meaning that you'd be a significant traffic hazard to everyone else on the road. There are trade-offs to every choice we make in RoadTripping, as in life, and in this case the trade-off is carrying all the comforts of home with you in/as your vehicle and not being able to move that vehicle/house down every road that you would like.

AZBuck

[John259]

Our rental RV is going to be 30 feet.

You're right on the limit!

"Vehicles longer than 30 feet (9 m) are not recommended on the roads to Cape Royal and Point Imperial"
- http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/upl...map-spread.pdf

[mikejay]

Thanks for the link thats really helpful. As you say we will be right on the limit, I'll see what the local rangers say.

[Lifemagician]

I agree with Buck... there are trade-offs. I would hate to meet a 30' vehicle on that road. Many less experienced drivers might freak out.

Lifey

[mikejay]

Hi all can I pick your collective brains again please!

I'm trying to finalise a route and schedule for this section of our summer road trip (full details on a previous thread). We only have a 1 night stay at Capitol Reef and I'm thinking we'll stay at the RV park in Torrey. I wonder if anyone has any experience of driving the Catherdral Valley Loop in Capitol Reef NP? I'm considering hiring a 4wd vehicle for the day and driving the 60 mile loop (looks like it will take around 6 hours with stops/picnic etc), drop off the 4wd then head off in the RV to Bryce. I've done a quick google search and it seems that Torrey-Bryce will take some 3-4 hours if we take it fairly leisurely with some stops to admire the views.

Any comments welcomed on whether this seems like a reasonable plan or whether it will it be too much for 1 day?

[Moderator Edit: PLEASE KEEP ALL POSTS ABOUT THE SAME TRIP IN YOUR ORIGINAL THREAD. THIS POST MOVED BACK HERE]

[Southwest Dave]

I've not driven it, but I can say that there is quite a bit to see in and around Capitol Reef without having the extra expense and time loss hiring a 4WD vehicle. Remember it would have to be a proper off road rental company which is usually more of a premium than a standard rental company who wouldn't let you take it off road. At the end of the day it really is coming down to personal preferences and how you want to spend your time. With just 1 night and quite a bit of travelling either side of it I personally would just enjoy more of what the park has to offer with easier access. I'd love to go off roading like that given the time, I just think that you are on too much of a time crunch to fully enjoy it and a puncture or breakdown in the middle of nowhere could add to that.

The scenic drive can be driven for just a $5 fee. I have tried twice to drive it, once arriving to late for daylight and a second attempt last Sept had us arrive with blue sky's and warm temperatures and looking forward to 'scratching that particular itch' only to find that flash floods the previous day had closed it down. Third time lucky I hope ! As well as the Gifford Homestead area and the old schoolhouse you have some nice trails like those at Panorama point. If you can get in the Fruita Campground near the Fremont river and surrounded by the historic orchards it's a great spot to camp, I'm pretty sure they are non-reservable sites though.