24 feet versus 26' dilemma, have to decide fast

mountaintraveler wrote:

MDKMDK wrote:
I'm curious which places have a 24' length limit? If these are off road, back country NFS or BLM sites with narrow, winding, unpaved roads in/out, the length limit is probably to keep you from getting stuck, or damaging your vehicle or the flora.
Cruise America made up a list of more mainstream NPS park limits... it looks close (except Big Bend NP which will handle longer RVs).
***Link Removed***

Generally speaking, a 26 footer won't find many places that can't handle it.

Wheeler Peak in Big Basin NP, both road and campground, 24'.
There're a lot more, where it's 19-20' or so limits in many campgrounds but I'm pretty sure 24' can go in because I've seen smallish class C there.
I'm not into mainstream parks in general, mostly go to remote locations in National Forests where the truck camper would be best, but for variety of reasons I can't chose a truck camper now.
I avoid National parks, too overrun, Big Bend is the only one I still like.

Also, if a place has a bigger parking spur - it's usually the one that's going to be already taken/hard to get, so I often camped where it wasn't too easy to park my 16' Toyota Camry, even. Best campsites got small spurs or clearings. (I'm not into camping out in the open shade-less flat areas and around other rigs)
Where I camp I mostly only ever see vans/class B or truck campers, occasionally/rarely a compact-looking class C. I can't tell the length by looking at them, though.
The question is if I can get away with 26' in those places.
Some more remote camps have no official limit, but rangers warned me that taking a motorhome was going to be risky thing, and said it better be "small" - said at your own risk, but couldn't tell me how many feet max.

I'd be upset if I couldn't get into a favorite or nice spot because of length and ended up somewhere crowded/noisy/smokey instead of a quiet private spot. I have asthma and have to look for isolated spots away from campfires.
It's easier in the desert but where there're woods the clearings are often small

In that case, I guess you'll have to compromise with something, whether it's accepting a shorter length rv, or finding places a 26 footer will fit, that you can stay at with your health issues. RVing is almost always some sort of a compromise. Good luck.

mountaintraveler wrote:
Do you think I can get away with 26' in 24' spaces?

Mostly yes. My 26' trailer has fit in a 18 to 24' spot plenty of times. Never seen a tape measure come out.

MDKMDK wrote:
I'm curious which places have a 24' length limit? If these are off road, back country NFS or BLM sites with narrow, winding, unpaved roads in/out, the length limit is probably to keep you from getting stuck, or damaging your vehicle or the flora.
Cruise America made up a list of more mainstream NPS park limits... it looks close (except Big Bend NP which will handle longer RVs).
***Link Removed***

Generally speaking, a 26 footer won't find many places that can't handle it.

Wheeler Peak in Big Basin NP, both road and campground, 24'.
There're a lot more, where it's 19-20' or so limits in many campgrounds but I'm pretty sure 24' can go in because I've seen smallish class C there.
I'm not into mainstream parks in general, mostly go to remote locations in National Forests where the truck camper would be best, but for variety of reasons I can't chose a truck camper now.
I avoid National parks, too overrun, Big Bend is the only one I still like.

Also, if a place has a bigger parking spur - it's usually the one that's going to be already taken/hard to get, so I often camped where it wasn't too easy to park my 16' Toyota Camry, even. Best campsites got small spurs or clearings. (I'm not into camping out in the open shade-less flat areas and around other rigs)
Where I camp I mostly only ever see vans/class B or truck campers, occasionally/rarely a compact-looking class C. I can't tell the length by looking at them, though.
The question is if I can get away with 26' in those places.
Some more remote camps have no official limit, but rangers warned me that taking a motorhome was going to be risky thing, and said it better be "small" - said at your own risk, but couldn't tell me how many feet max.

I'd be upset if I couldn't get into a favorite or nice spot because of length and ended up somewhere crowded/noisy/smokey instead of a quiet private spot. I have asthma and have to look for isolated spots away from campfires.
It's easier in the desert but where there're woods the clearings are often small

Ivylog wrote:
Thanks for the good chuckle! Yes, with my 45’ it’s harder to find sites, but not impossible. We mainly dry camp in public CGs during the summer without advanced reservations… been doing it this way for 20 years. Buy a 30’ and don’t worry about the extra length, it WILL NOT be a problem.

30' will not to into places I need to be, definitely, it's very tight camping spots and loop-like road curves.
I'm picky about sites and places I go to.
My goal is not to simply live in RV out there, but also being able to get into the same places I had visited for years on my small car with my tent.

I'm curious which places have a 24' length limit? If these are off road, back country NFS or BLM sites with narrow, winding, unpaved roads in/out, the length limit is probably to keep you from getting stuck, or damaging your vehicle or the flora.
Cruise America made up a list of more mainstream NPS park limits... it looks close (except Big Bend NP which will handle longer RVs).
https://www.cruiseamerica.com/rv-adventures/rv-lifestyle/national-park-rv-size-limit

Generally speaking, a 26 footer won't find many places that can't handle it.

Thanks for the good chuckle! Yes, with my 45’ it’s harder to find sites, but not impossible. We mainly dry camp in public CGs during the summer without advanced reservations… been doing it this way for 20 years. Buy a 30’ and don’t worry about the extra length, it WILL NOT be a problem.