trailer size and campsites in National Parks

[robvasi]

I did a search and did not find any threads on this topic. I am sure there are, so I need some help finding them.

Based on what I read on the Parks site, along with several web sits, Several National Parks limit the combined length of the tow vehicle and the trailer to 40'. My truck is 19' so that means the trailer needs to be 21 feet or less. Is this accurate? (the rule, not the arithmetic)

I am in the process of buying a travel trailer and visit the National Parks, I want to choose the right size.

Please elaborate on the 40' rule

Thank you

Edit:

Tow Vehicle: 2016 RAM 1500 Sport 4WD 5.7 HEMI
Solo
Plan to visit National Parks
The trailer will be my year around home.
Hobby is photography

[ppine]

My experience is that a 24-26 foot long trailer will fit in most NPS RV sites. It is possible to run your wheels all the way to the back of a camp site, and let part of the trailer overhang the pad. Beyond that you start to brush up against trees in some older camp sites. You have to disconnect your truck and park it somewhere else. Some people are very creative in making their rigs fit.

[aftermath]

Nice choice for the trailer. You are going to like it. I had a 21footer and could get in almost everywhere. Went to Ohanapacosh on Mt. Rainer and barely fit into our site. There were other ones around that were larger but they fill up fast. I now have a 25 and can get into all most all the places I try. Someone said that each park is different and boy, is that ever true.
If you want to hit all the parks you will have to do much planning. Getting reservations will be needed and you will learn quickly how to manage the various sites they use. We have been to many. Custer State Parl in South Dakota was a favorite. Highly recommend this one.

[opnspaces]

I like it. I also notice that it's lighter and has larger holding tanks than my 27 footer. If only the interior was a few inches taller I'd consider something like that.

[colliehauler]

Congratulations, hope you have a lot of enjoyment with your new camper. With that size you should be able to go to all the site's.

[robvasi]

I purchased a Lance 1685


Floor Length 16'6"
Overall Length 21'0"
Exterior Width 96-3/8"
Exterior Height w/Optional 13.5M A/C 10'1"
Interior Height 78"

Capacities
Fresh Tank 45 Gallons
Grey Tank 45 Gallons
Black Tank 45 Gallons

Weights
Gross Dry Weight 3980 Lbs.
Hitch Dry Weight 425 Lbs.
Axle Weight 3555 Lbs.
Cargo Carrying Capacity 1520 Lbs.
GVWR 5500 Lbs.

Other
Refrigerator 7 Cubic Feet
Propane 2-5 Gallon Tank
Furnace 25,000 BTU's
Sleeping Capacity 5
Tire Size ST205/75R14

[afidel]

jesseannie wrote:

Oasisbob wrote:
21 feet seems to be the max in Oregon for the most part. Bigger is not always better. So many variables here.

Really?
I have camped in Oregon a lot and my 26' (30' overall) travel trailer fits in most national forest campgrounds and in all state parks. I have never had a problem.

Jesseannie

Yeah, I just checked for a 34' trailer 2 weeks out, could find a spot in every state campsite I checked which had RV sites (granted I only got through the C's, but that was enough for me to disprove the "you have to be under 21' to find any sites" nonsense). It's true that the longer the trailer the fewer spots you will fit in but it's still 73% of national park campgrounds at 35' according to this:

Here are the averages:

RVs up to 12' in length fit in every national park campground in the United States, although there are a few campgrounds that don’t allow RVs at all and are tent only.

RVs up to 19' in length fit in 98% of all national park service campgrounds.

RVs up to 25' in length fit in 93% of all national park campgrounds

RVs up to 29' in length fit in 84% of all national park campgrounds

RVs up to 32' in length fit in 81% of all national park campgrounds

RVs up to 35' in length fit in 73% of all national park campgrounds

RVs up to 37' in length fit in 60% of all national park campgrounds

RVs up to 40' in length fit in 53% of all national park campgrounds (Remember that many of the parks will only have a few sites this size, however. Book long in advance if reservations are available–otherwise you run the risk of not having a spot)

RVs up to 41' in length fit in 7% of all national park campgrounds (Remember that many of the parks will only have a few sites this size, however. Book long in advance if reservations are available–otherwise you run the risk of not having a spot)

link

Based on that I think that 35' is the best balance of livable space to campgrounds you can fit in, but everyone has their own priorities.

[jesseannie]

Oasisbob wrote:
21 feet seems to be the max in Oregon for the most part. Bigger is not always better. So many variables here.

Really?
I have camped in Oregon a lot and my 26' (30' overall) travel trailer fits in most national forest campgrounds and in all state parks. I have never had a problem.

Jesseannie

[MarkTwain]

MarkTwain wrote:

robvasi wrote:

Camper8251 wrote:
When you are looking at Trailers also look at Sleeping bed size, Tank sizes...

Tank size will be a major factor determining how often to you have empty or fill up you fresh water tanks, depending on where you are staying. In RV parks with full hook ups, no problem.
.

[WVcampground]

rr2254545 wrote:

robvasi wrote:

rr2254545 wrote:
Of the 49 National Parks in the lower 48 only 8 have full hookup sites and another 8 have sites with electric, leaving 33 with no camping at all - twenty one feet will limit you and you will soon grow to regret your decision

We have visited 31 or the 49 in the last 10 years

Do you mean 21' is too long or too small?

Way too small

I know plenty of people with trailers of @ that size or smaller and they get by just fine, even at national parks. Not everyone needs or wants something like this to go camping.

[MarkTwain]

Rover_Bill wrote:

MarkTwain wrote:

Your Ram truck will work on flat roads and no strong winds. Could be a different story when you start traveling up mountains or driving into strong head winds. If your truck is diesel, strongly recommend an exhaust brake. If possible, I would recommend a Dodge 2500 att least.

I get a real laugh whenever I pass a big 2500 TV pulling a little 20' TT up a 7% grade through the mountains with my little 3.6L Canyon pulling a 30' 7000# TT.

:B

Interesting perspective. In the long run, whose engine is working harder and which engine will last longer without any major engine repairs?

[GrandpaKip]

You need to look at payload rather than towing weight. What your truck is rated to carry is listed on the driver’s door jamb. This is usually the limiting factor for towing. You will run out of payload before reaching the max tow weight.

[Rover_Bill]

MarkTwain wrote:

Your Ram truck will work on flat roads and no strong winds. Could be a different story when you start traveling up mountains or driving into strong head winds. If your truck is diesel, strongly recommend an exhaust brake. If possible, I would recommend a Dodge 2500 att least.

I get a real laugh whenever I pass a big 2500 TV pulling a little 20' TT up a 7% grade through the mountains with my little 3.6L Canyon pulling a 30' 7000# TT.

:B

[MarkTwain]

robvasi wrote:

Camper8251 wrote:
When you are looking at Trailers also look at Sleeping bed size, Tank sizes... If you are looking for solar, note that when it says wired for solar most just talk about a port in the side of the trailer that has wires to the batteries.....

A queen bed in a Trailer can mean either a camper queen or an actual queen.

Also take a good hard look at the Towing Specs for your rig too. That will have a big factor on what you can buy also...

My RAM 1500 will tow 7900, but will it really? with a safe margin?

A lot to consider. and I need to have one by the end of next month.

Your Ram truck will work on flat roads and no strong winds. Could be a different story when you start traveling up mountains or driving into strong head winds. If your truck is diesel, strongly recommend an exhaust brake. If possible, I would recommend a Dodge 2500 att least.

[NatParkJunkie]

most people on the forums here probably wouldn't agree with me, but you might want to check out truck campers. As a solo traveler, I find my truck camper very easy to handle. 9 times out of 10, I don't even think about where I'm going to go with the camper. You can get a lot further off the beaten path than any other type of rig. If I do end up somewhere that I can't continue on, it's never been a problem to back up and turn around. Never need to plan ahead to pull into any gas station, never had a problem fitting into any campground site (except for height if there were low branches in a tent site). If I'm traveling between destinations and see something cool, just pull right on over to check it out like in a car.

Truck campers are a lot tighter on space, and you would likely need a truck upgrade to haul it safely. My 4,500-ish pound Arctic fox needs a 3500 dually to handle the weight.
Occasionally I start to get a little cabin fever due to the small interior space, but hey my living room is a huge expansive public lands outdoors instead!

As you're traveling, don't limit yourself only to national parks.....There's tons of awesome national monuments and state parks. As well as tons of BLM land out west with free boondocking camping opportunities. I do spend time camping in national park campgrounds, but the costs can start to add up after awhile. Plus, when I'm camping, I'd much rather enjoy nature with no nearby neighbors (and frequently no visible neighbors), instead of being packed into a public campground with random neighbors all the time.

update: I've visited 30 national parks and 69 national monuments/preserves/military parks, etc. 99/419. Not all with my truck camper, like the last park I visited: Dry Tortugas. An amazing place, that you can only reach by boat or sea plane. I tent camped 2 nights on the beach under the stars there!