RV Size Limits for State and National Parks: What’s the Rule?
Dave SolbergDescription
We’re asked all the time: Is there a nationwide size restriction on RVs and trailers in state and national parks? The short answer is no. Most parks in the United States treat RVs differently; some allow every type of rig, from the standard tow trailer to 45-foot rolling estates, while other parks deem certain roads off-limits to anything larger than an SUV.
With that in mind, RVing expert Dave Solberg discusses the concept of RV size limits for state and national parks. He explains why a handful of parks are an absolute no-go for RVs, and talks about the importance of checking the National Park Service website before you plan your next trip to find out whether your vehicle is allowed all places, most places, or no places in the park you’re visiting. Take Dave’s advice and research before you ride, and you’ll avoid any confrontations with the law or annoyed park rangers.
One of our RV repair club members wrote in, is there a length restriction in national parks? Now, this has been an age old debate. I remember back in the '80s, when I first started getting into RVing and everybody thought there was a 26 foot length limitation in national parks and they wouldn't buy anything over that. And then as RVs got bigger, the rumor went to 30 and then it went to 34 and so forth. There is no nationwide RV length restriction in national parks. Each park has its own limitations. Some parks will have campgrounds that will only accommodate up to a certain length. Take Yellowstone, for instance. There are two roads that RVs can't go on at all. There are seven different campgrounds within that national park, and two of them will take any length RV that is state approved for driving, which is 40 feet, and some states will go up to 45 feet. But what you need to do is if you're looking to go to a national park, go to the website, find out what campgrounds have length restrictions, what roads may have restrictions in being able to turn around. It's not an overall restriction that you can't go in there. It's just that some of the roads built back in the early days didn't have accommodations for the longer 40 foot trailers with another 25 foot truck in the front of them to make that corner. So, go to the website. The National Park Association has a great website you can go to, find out what limitations there are in various different parts of the park, but overall, there's not a restriction nationwide.
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