Hwy 170 Terlingua to Presido Texas

[erstanfo]

I know most Tx roads are OK for a class A motorhome. Does anyone have experience leaving big Bend NP to the west on 170?

Thanks

[armadillo_17]

I took FM170 on my first trip in my 29'Class A in 2003. The big hill referred to in the earlier posts is just that. I went up in 2nd and came down in 2nd. Glad that I didn't have a car in tow.

[robbiesgram]

Volunteered at Big Bend Ranch State Park for 3 winters so I've traveled FM170 many times. FM 170 is a twisty, slow 2 lane road,it is in decent condition. However it can be narrow in places and you will travel most of it at 45MPH or less. The only really bad place is climbing the "Big Hill", which is a 13% grade up and then 13% grade down, with a low rock guard wall. We have driven it with a 36ft DP, towing both an F150, 2nd time a crown vic and had no problems driving it.

There are no services on FM 170, also no tunnels, etc to go through. It wasn't heavily traveled when we were there, but a lot of delivery trucks use it between Presidio and Terlinqua.

It's a wonderful drive, as stated earlier, it follows the Rio Grande most of the way, just be on the watch for horses, burros, mountain sheep, and other wildlife on the road.

Stop at the Barton Warnock visitor's center and tour the gardens and other exhibits at the VC. They have an excellent exhibit of the history of the geology of the area.

[2gypsies1]

We've driven it with our 40' motorhome. It's very scenic. There is one steep section but we had no issues. There are very few vehicles which is great.

http://www.takemytrip.com/11texas/08n_40a.htm

If you turn the sound off on this YouTube you can follow the motorcycle ride on it. 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw8hE2nQiAc

[Snowman9000]

People do take RVs through there. Some say it was scary, some say it was fun. Just some big hills and such, I think. Probably a lot like driving in the Rockies. We drove in a pickup truck. We definitely saw several RVs.

[agesilaus]

We went most of the way but turned around before reaching Presidio. As I recall there is one low pass to get thru. You'll be driving thru the Big Bend Ranch SP, keep an eye out for the movie set village. Dead Man Walking and a number of other shows were filmed there. I don't think I'd drive a Class A down into that set tho. But you can park on the road and walk down.

Contrabando

Otherwise the road is a mostly flat two lane highway in good condition. You are following the Rio Grande for most of that trip. There are several access points. I don't recall any services along the section we drove on.

You'll notice the non-existent security along the river. You could walk right across since the 'river' is no more than a foot deep and there are sections where it is bone dry.

Oh yes I almost forgot, there is a slot canyon that follows the course of the Rio Grande, or would if there was any water in it. Closed Canyon:

Link