How limiting will this be?

[tealboy]

If I were to purchase a 40 foot non tag axle DP to travel across the US to visit national parks and other must see places, how limiting will the above be for me? Intend to have a small tow vehicle behind me and wish to visit Yellowstone, Zion, Grand Canyon, Acadia, glacier , etc.

I’m avoiding consideration for a 44 tag axle unit due to size limitations but realize the 40 footer could be a problem too, not sure.

[DSDP_Don]

"tealboy".....We have a 40' tag axle coach and live in California. We've camped inside all of the parks you listed, with the exception of Acadia. It does require more planning to get a spot. Yellowstone is limited at Fishing Bridge and only has a small percentage of 40' spots. Yosemite has quite a few sites that will hold a 40' coach. Watchman Campground, inside Zion, also has quite a few sites that will take a 40' coach.

We're going to Yellowstone this summer and tried to get a couple of 40' spots a year out and were unsuccessful. I believe they are still rebuilding sections of the campground, limiting 40' spots. Since we were unable to get into Fishing Bridge, we booked at Grizzly, a nice private campground at the west gate of Yellowstone.

Grand Canyon only has one campground inside the park, Trailer Village. I would say most of those sites would take a 40' coach, but is hard to get a site without booking a year in advance. As with Yellowstone, there is a campground about a 1/2 mile outside the south entrance that we've always been able to book.

I listed the above campgrounds to show that if you can't get into the National Park Campground, you can usually get close enough that it's still convenient. We always prefer to get a spot inside the park, but second choice isn't bad.

The issue the last few years is not so much the length of the coach, but the extreme numbers of people camping. More than anytime in the past.

[Ivylog]

Turns out the original owner is in our snowbird park having owned it until 2014 and 30K miles. Did not think it possible to add $50K in options to the top of the line HR MH but he did. The Vorad radar/cruise system makes driving on the Interstate a pleasure plus the blind spot warning helps.

[DallasSteve]

Wow! I'd like to find the little brother of that 45 foot HR. Very nice rig.

[William_B]

Almost a twin sister of ours. We love ours and expect you will love yours. Congrats!

[2gypsies1]

IVYLOG: Gorgeous!! Congratulations on finding such a beauty. Do you think it'll pass the 10-year-old rule soon? Silly question... it looks brand new. Enjoy!

[Mile_High]

Beautiful HR!

[Ivylog]

08 HR Navigator 45' and yes it will just barely fit in the MH bay. Fortunately it has a 06 ISM engine and after adjusting the TRW steering gear box it handles great. Flew back to WPB as it was snowing in Blairsville this morning.



Some more pictures.

[neoflyer]

There will be times when it works out and times when it doesn’t. I have a forty footer. Some COE sites that were for 34 or 36 foot max I fit in just fine. Usually that means you back in and hang over the end of the site, but there can’t be a tree in the way. You can’t always tell until you get there.

Other times the site indicates it will take a forty footer but there is no way. We went to Yellowstone a couple of years ago. The first campground we fit in the site OK but the next one was a terrible fit. The site was somewhat curved so once we positioned to accommodate our slides our step was out past the edge of the pad. That made the last step a doozie.

The suggestion of RV parks outside the national park might work most of the time. However, Yellowstone is so huge if you’re in one of those campgrounds you’ll spend all of your time driving to what you want to do.

My point is, unlike those who say “no problem, go for it” I don’t believe it will be that easy. You will make many compromises. But, just like airplanes and boats, everything is a compromise. I’m happy with my choice of a forty footer but I can’t always stay where I want.

[Busskipper]

Ivylog wrote:
Out West we boondock in USFS CGs 5 weekdays/week without problems in our 42' Dynasty. All I can say is it is not that difficult as I just brought home a 45'. Guess I need to change my signature.

So, you flew to Arizona to pick up a "New" Coach?

What did you get? Will it fit in the "Garage"

Post a few pictures ..........


Best of Luck,

😉

[D_E_Bishop]

Tealboy, FYI, there are two campgrounds on the south rim of GCNP.Mather is a ***** for over 30 foot but Trailer Village is fine. Reservations at TvV is a must all year.

[NCC-1701]

magicbus wrote:
We had taken our 32 footer fto the Grand Canyon and didn't think twice when we went to a 36 foot DP... that is until we showed up and weren't allowed in!

This is the second comment on GC and "longer" RV's being an issue. Has something recently changed? We were in GC in 2002 with a 34' Bounder and had no issues at all with it in the campground. Based on what I saw when I was there, I wouldn't have hesitated to take my current 40' unit in there. We were on the South rim.

Sounds like something has changed. ???

[Ivylog]

Out West we boondock in USFS CGs 5 weekdays/week without problems in our 42' Dynasty. All I can say is it is not that difficult as I just brought home a 45'. Guess I need to change my signature.

[Mile_High]

I don't know if there is a happy break point, but I don't think you'll notice a difference between a 40' and 44'. Don't rule out a floor plan you like because of length, as 40' already puts you in "big rig" status and you'll have to be selective about your campsites.

[2gypsies1]

wa8yxm wrote:

At GC I toured the campground that is within the national park.. in a Chevy Lumina APV. and there is no way on God's Green Earth I'm taking my class A there. I am a very skilled driver when it comes to getting in and out of thight places but .. NO WAY Am I even going to THINK about taking the class A there.

Just curious... what campground at Grand Canyon were you looking? Trailer Village at the South Rim has easy sites to get into and on the North Rim there are sites.

https://www.visitgrandcanyon.com/trailer-village-rv-park/photo-gallery