Travel trailer length national and state parks

[etomk]

Hi,
I am considering purchasing my first RV and I'm torn between getting a truck camper or travel trailer. I have read about this on many internet sites but I am still confused about length restrictions in general at state and national parks. The best I can divine is that to get into most national parks you don't want to exceed 35 feet of length total including the vehicle. Other sites lead me to believe that the trailer length itself is somewhat independent of parking the car once it's unhooked, though other sites would lead me to believe the length restriction is also to successfully navigate the windy roads leading to the campsites. Given even my current sedan is 17 ft long, getting something like a short bed truck that's more like 20ft alone means at best a very small travel trailer. I'm just curious if someone with real world experience could clarify this for me because there are some nice travel trailers in the 21 foot range that are appealing but I think that might limit my options on campsites. Thanks for any insights

 

[Kevin D Pem]

It's the RV size (not overall).

 

[etomk]

It's the RV size (not overall).

If that's true, that's great news but why do so many sites like this one indicate that it's the combined length that you need to worry about? For example, it says 40 ft total for the Grand canyon national Park, which would mean technically a truck plus a 21-ft travel trailer if combined would slightly exceed that.

RV Size Limits for National & State Parks (Helpful Guide) -

The state and national parks in the United States are some of the first places people want to go in their RVs. In fact, many people buy their RVs exclusively

www.godownsize.com

 

[Kevin D Pem]

The RV size limit for national parks varies from park to park, with the average size of RV sites being 27 feet nationwide.0 The optimal length for an RV in national parks is between 25 and 30 feet, with almost 98% of national park campgrounds able to accommodate RVs up to 19 feet long.4 However, some parks may allow RVs up to 40 feet in length, while others have a restricting 20 feet limit.3 Acadia National Park limits most campsites to a combined length of 19 feet, although large RVs can be driven in some parts of the park.1 Madison Campground has a 40-foot combined RV length limit, which is very limiting. If you're not ready to buy a trailer or motorhome solely based on the best RV size for national park campsites, you can check RVShare.2

pulled this off the net!

I do understand some places have limits on size. I call those places tent camp locations. I have traveled in many states and had no problems with 24' t trailers. I don't camp in State, or National parks any more. I camp outside of the parks and visit them during the day using my old fart pass.

the short tight spaces were mostly "work program projects " from depression Era.

 

[etomk]

The RV size limit for national parks varies from park to park, with the average size of RV sites being 27 feet nationwide.0 The optimal length for an RV in national parks is between 25 and 30 feet, with almost 98% of national park campgrounds able to accommodate RVs up to 19 feet long.4 However, some parks may allow RVs up to 40 feet in length, while others have a restricting 20 feet limit.3 Acadia National Park limits most campsites to a combined length of 19 feet, although large RVs can be driven in some parts of the park.1 Madison Campground has a 40-foot combined RV length limit, which is very limiting. If you're not ready to buy a trailer or motorhome solely based on the best RV size for national park campsites, you can check RVShare.2

pulled this off the net!

I do understand some places have limits on size. I call those places tent camp locations. I have traveled in many states and had no problems with 24' t trailers. I don't camp in State, or National parks any more. I camp outside of the parks and visit them during the day using my old fart pass.

the short tight spaces were mostly "work program projects " from depression Era.

Right, I read that article as well and you can see above. It's saying combined length... That's still confuses me, but you're telling me a travel trailer of 19 foot will get into 98% of the national parks even if it's being pulled by a truck that's 20 ft long? Is the combined length only if you have a motorhome towing a car? It would seem pretty odd.. Thus my confusion over the combined length. I've done quite a lot of tent camping but really wasn't paying attention to the road or campsites in context of thinking about pulling a trailer in. Anyway, articles like the above and here's just another example where it clearly states at the top there's a 40 ft length restriction, vehicle plus trailer, at this campsite in the Rocky mountains I've tent camped in where you have multiple people posting they're going in with travel trailers over 20 ft that certainly must have exceeded 40 feet in length throwing in the vehicle that's towing it

Moraine Park Campground Reviews updated 2024

Moraine Park Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park Colorado. See 19 traveler reviews, 63 photos and 1 blog post

www.campendium.com

Anyway, for my first RV I want flexibility and ease more than I want palace to live in. A truck camper would obviously be more mobile but they're more expensive and harder to find a good deal used on. There are a billion travel trailers out there and many good deals, so I'm leaning towards that for starters, but I'm concerned about how big is too big to really get around almost anywhere. There's some 14 and 16 ft trailers I think would do but if I could get away with a 21-ft trailer and get to most places I probably opt for that just as those few extra feet buy a lot of breathing room for not much more money

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Right, I read that article as well and you can see above. It's saying combined length... That's still confuses me, but you're telling me a travel trailer of 19 foot will get into 98% of the national parks even if it's being pulled by a truck that's 20 ft long? Is the combined length only if you have a motorhome towing a car? It would seem pretty odd.. Thus my confusion over the combined length. I've done quite a lot of tent camping but really wasn't paying attention to the road or campsites in context of thinking about pulling a trailer in. Anyway, articles like the above and here's just another example where it clearly states at the top there's a 40 ft length restriction, vehicle plus trailer, at this campsite in the Rocky mountains I've tent camped in where you have multiple people posting they're going in with travel trailers over 20 ft that certainly must have exceeded 40 feet in length throwing in the vehicle that's towing it

Moraine Park Campground Reviews updated 2024

Moraine Park Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park Colorado. See 19 traveler reviews, 63 photos and 1 blog post

www.campendium.com

Anyway, for my first RV I want flexibility and ease more than I want palace to live in. A truck camper would obviously be more mobile but they're more expensive and harder to find a good deal used on. There are a billion travel trailers out there and many good deals, so I'm leaning towards that for starters, but I'm concerned about how big is too big to really get around almost anywhere. There's some 14 and 16 ft trailers I think would do but if I could get away with a 21-ft trailer and get to most places I probably opt for that just as those few extra feet buy a lot of breathing room for not much more money

I suggest that you have a look around at what is available. Find a floor plan and a unit you like that you feel will be comfortable in. If you feel that you can survive in the confines of a truck camper, then you probably don't need anything too much bigger. I think you will find it would be more convenient to have a "towed" trailer if you are planning to do lots of travelling thus, you won't have to pack up every time you want to go somewhere. A 20 foot trailer will give you more than twice the space of the camper and I'm sure you would fit in most campgrounds. Those you won't fit into will make you find one that will accommodate you close to where you want to be.

Good luck and safe travels

Darrell

 

[Wemustrv]

We have been to Grand Canyon National park with our motorhome 40' pulling our F150 SuperCrew without issue. We have been to many National, State, County Parks and have not had any issues. We do for the most park set reservations ahead of time so we can choose our sites by length. We have had some that have bee tight even when they say we will fit. This is not to say that we have not had to pass on some parks we have but not very often.

 

[dave54]

The maximum length could be any of those -- navigating the road to the CG, the loop roads within the CG, or the size of the campsite itself. You won't know what the limiting factor is until you get there.
If it is the site length, it will vary by the individual site. If the individual site descriptions have different lengths, then that is probably the limiting factor. As campgrounds are upgraded and modernized, improving the road is usually part of the construction.
The site length limit is usually the length of the parking spur. In some cases, if there are no rocks or trees in the way the section of your trailer behind the axle can extend past the end of the parking spur. This has the advantage of getting your rig into sites that may be labeled as too short. Again, you will not know until you get there and look. The campground reservation site may not let you book that site if your rig is too long even though you could get it in. That is a software thing.
Look at the campground on google earth. There may be large RVs in the imagery. If they can make it, so can you.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

I cannot find it, but I recall reading about an RV’r who volunteered in a national park campground. They indicated that NP campgrounds had max lengths set based on what the norm was when the campground was built out years ago, but in actuality they could accommodate longer.
Apparently many of the people who run the camps do not have personal experience with larger units. So this RV couple volunteered to go around every site in the campground and document what sized rig would fit, and as a result the campground was able to show more accurately what sized rigs would fit.

 

[sanda]

I have limited my TT length to no longer than 33'. We've camped at many state and federal parks over the last 30+ years. Our tow vehicle is 21' long and on occasion required us to set up the trailer and park our truck crosswise to the trailer in front.