Best RV Lengths for National Parks
Visiting our country’s state and national parks is a bucket list item for an enormous number of people out there. Of course, the best way to do this is in an RV. This allows you to travel from one park to the next in states that house a number of big parks, like Utah and California. It also gives you the opportunity to stay within the park and have the camping experience while staying nice and comfy with a real bed and kitchen. The problem many people run into when planning such an adventure is the state national park RV length limits.
Because of strict RV size limits for state and national parks, campers with bigger rigs often miss out on the full experience. Therefore, if you plan to do a lot of state and national park camping, we highly recommend carefully considering the size of the rig you buy or rent.
Not sure what to expect in terms of US national parks RV restrictions? Want to know what size of RV fits best in national parks and state parks? In this article we will discuss everything you need to know about state and national parks’ RV length restriction.
National Park RV Size Limits by Size
What is the maximum-length RV in national parks? This is a very common question. Unfortunately, it isn’t one that’s easy to answer. You see, each campground in each park sets its own RV length limits. This makes sense when you consider the fact that the campgrounds are all unique. However, it certainly can make planning difficult.
In order to make things a bit easier for you, we’ve attempted to help you understand what size of RV is allowed in national parks by compiling a list of national parks’ RV length restrictions by state.
While this doesn’t include every NPS site in the country, it does include the most popular ones and will give you an idea of what you might expect while visiting state and national parks in an RV.
Note: RV length limits below marked with “COMBINED” are referring to the length of a trailer plus the length of its tow vehicle, or a motorhome plus the car it’s pulling, etc.
Alaska
Denali National Park
- Riley Creek Campground — 40 feet
- Savage Campground — 40 feet
- Teklanika Campground — 40 feet
Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park
- North Rim Campground — 40 feet
- Mather Campground — 30 feet
- Trailer Village RV Park — 50 feet
- Desert View Campground — 30 feet COMBINED
California
Death Valley National Park
- Sunset Campground — No limit. Very large sites.
- Stovepipe Wells Campground — No limit. Very large sites.
- Furnace Creek Campground — No limit, but can be difficult to maneuver.
- Texas Springs Campground — No limit, but can be difficult to maneuver.
- Mesquite Springs Campground — No limit, but can be difficult to maneuver.
- Mahogany Flats Campground — 25 feet COMBINED
- Thorndike Campground — 25 feet COMBINED
- Wildrose Campground — 25 feet COMBINED
Joshua Tree National Park
- Black Rock Campground — 35 feet COMBINED
- Hidden Valley Campground — 25 feet COMBINED
- White Tank Campground — 25 feet COMBINED
- Cottonwood Campground — 30 feet COMBINED
- Indian Cove Campground — 30 feet COMBINED
- Jumbo Rocks Campground — 30 feet COMBINED
- Ryan Campground — 25 feet COMBINED
- Belle Campground — 35 feet COMBINED
Redwood National Park
- Jedediah Smith Campground — Trailers: 31 feet / Motorhomes: 36 feet
- Mill Creek — Trailers: 27 feet / Motorhomes: 31 feet
- Elk Prairie — Trailers: 24 feet / Motorhomes: 27 feet
- Gold Bluffs — Trailers: prohibited / Motorhomes: 24 feet
Sequoia National Park
- Lodgepole Campground — 42 feet
- Dorst Creek Campground — No limit. Very large sites.
- Potwisha Campground — 24 feet
- Lower Pines Campground — Trailers: 35 feet / Motorhomes: 40 feet
- North Pines Campground — Trailers: 35 feet / Motorhomes: 40 feet
- Upper Pines Campground — Trailers: 24 feet / Motorhomes: 35 feet
- Wawona Campground — 35 feet
- Bridalveil Creek Campground — Trailers: 24 feet / Motorhomes: 35 feet
- Hodgdon Meadow Campground — Trailers: 30 feet / Motorhomes: 35 feet
- Crane Flat Campground — 35 feet
- White Wolf Campground — Trailers: 24 feet / Motorhomes: 27 feet
- Tuolumne Meadows Campground — 35 feet
Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park
- Aspenglen Campground — 30 feet
- Glacier Basin Campground — 35 feet
- Moraine Park Campground — 40 feet
- Timber Creek Campground — 30 feet
Florida
Everglades National Park
- Flamingo Campground — 45 feet
Maine
Acadia National Park
- Blackwoods Campground — 35 feet COMBINED
- Seawall Campground — 35 feet COMBINED
South Dakota
Badlands National Park
- Cedar Pass Campground — No limit. Very large sites.
Tennessee
Great Smoky Mountains
- Abrams Creek Campground — 12 feet
- Balsam Mountain Campground — 30 feet
- Cades Cove Campground — Trailers: 35 feet / Motorhomes: 40 feet
- Cataloochee Campground — 31 feet
- Cosby Campground — 25 feet
- Deep Creek Campground — 26 feet
- Elkmont Campground — Trailers: 32 feet / Motorhomes: 35 feet
- Look Rock Campground — No limit. Very large sites.
- Smokemont Campground — Trailers: 35 feet / Motorhomes: 40 feet
Utah
Arches National Park
- Devils Garden Campground — 40 feet
- Archview Campground — 50 feet
- Moab Valley Campground — 44 feet
Bryce Canyon National Park
- Pines Campground — No limit. Very large sites.
- North Campground — 40 feet
Zion National Park
- Lava Point Campground — 19 feet
- Watchman Campground — 19 feet
Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park
- Colter Bay RV Park — No limit. Very large sites.
- Colter Bay Campground — 45 feet
- Signal Mountain Campground — 30 feet COMBINED
- Lizard Creek Campground — Trailers: 20 feet / Motorhomes: 30 feet
- Headwaters Campground and RV Park — 45 feet
- Grow Venture Campground — 45 feet
Yellowstone National Park
- Fishing Bridge RV Park — 40 feet
- Bridge Bay Campground — 40 feet COMBINED
- Canyon Village Campground — 40 feet COMBINED
- Grant Village Campground — 40 feet COMBINED
- Madison Campground — 40 feet COMBINED
Things to Consider When Booking State and National Parks
When it comes to booking a site in a state or national park, there are several factors to consider that will determine what kind of rig you bring. Unfortunately, as is the case with national parks’ RV length limit rules, these factors can differ from one park to the next, meaning you’ll have to do a bit of research before you set out in order to ensure your RV is not only the appropriate length for the site, but also fits into other guidelines set by the park.
Rules to check for include the following:
Combined Length
In some cases, a state or national park RV size limit is a combined limit. This means the trailer and tow vehicle must both fit into the length limit. Driving a motorhome? Your tow car must also fit into those RV length limits when hitched up.
We’ve noted which parks have set a combined length limit in the RV length restriction by state list above.
Slides
There are a few state and national park campgrounds that are on the narrower side. Since your slides must always stay within your own site, it’s a good idea to confirm that the width of your RV with slides extended will fit into a site before booking it.
Acadia National Park specifically mentions that slides must fit into the RV space.
Limited Long Sites
We’ve answered the question, “What is the maximum length of RV allowed in national parks?” However, while there are some state and national parks that can accommodate longer rigs, these bigger campsites are often very limited. This is especially true in national parks campgrounds.
Because of this, if you plan to visit a state or national park campground and require a longer site, we highly recommend reserving your site as far in advance as possible and avoiding first-come, first-served campgrounds entirely.
Arches and Yosemite are two examples of national parks with very limited longer RV sites.
Road Length Limits
It’s also important to note that some roads in some parks will have vehicle length limits. This means that what size RV is allowed in national parks will vary based on where you wish to go.
A good example of this is Sequoia National Park. Here, RVs up to 42 feet in length can stay at the Lodgepole Campground, but many roads don’t allow vehicles longer than 22 feet in length. Obviously, it is possible to get to the campground without driving on roads with lower length limits, but you will want to leave your RV in the campground for the duration of your stay, exploring with a car or truck instead of the whole rig.
Motorhomes Only
In some campgrounds, motorhomes are allowed, but trailers of any size are prohibited. Gold Bluffs in Redwoods National Park is an example of this.
Other times, the limit for motorhome length might be different from the limit for trailer length. For instance, Yosemite National Park allows motorhomes up to 40 feet long, while trailers can only be as long as 35 feet.
Long Site Upcharge
In some instances, you’ll find that while long sites are available, there is an upcharge to use them. Some find that this upcharge is money well spent as it means they can take their larger, more comfortable motorhome or trailer into the park. That said, if you wish to avoid extra site fees, sticking to a smaller rig is your best bet.
Some of the national parks that charge an extra few bucks for longer sites include Arches and Denali.
What Size Trailer Do I Need for National Parks?
The list above gives you an idea of what size RVs are allowed in national parks. That said, because it doesn’t include all national parks, you may still be left wondering what size RV you should be shopping for. Obviously, a slightly bigger RV is more comfortable, but how long can you go before you start severely limiting yourself in terms of where you can stay?
The information below might help you decide what length will give you the best balance of comfort and freedom:
- 100% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 12 feet in length.
- 98% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 19 feet in length.
- 93% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 25 feet in length.
- 84% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 29 feet in length.
- 81% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 32 feet in length.
- 73% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 35 feet in length.
- 60% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 37 feet in length.
- 53% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 40 feet in length.
- 7% of RV-accessible national park campgrounds can accommodate an RV up to 41 feet in length.
In short, if you wish to be able to stay in nearly any national park or state park campground, your best bet is to go super tiny and pick up a 12-foot pod-style trailer. That said, a 25-foot trailer offers much more in the way of comfort (especially if you travel as a family), and will still fit in the vast majority of national parks campgrounds.
Because RVs over 40 feet rarely fit in national parks campgrounds, those looking to stay within the parks will want to avoid going over that threshold for sure.
Seeing National Parks and State Parks in a Large RV
Want to go longer but still see the national parks? No worries! Go ahead and get your larger motorhome or trailer. In some cases, you’ll still be able to camp in the national and state parks you choose to visit. When you can’t, simply plan to camp just outside the park.
In many cases, free boondocking with no RV length limits is available on the land surrounding national parks, and privately owned campgrounds are almost always available near natural attractions such as state and national parks. As long as you stay as close to the park as possible, you will likely still get the same amazing views from the window of your RV, meaning you won’t be missing too much by making such a compromise.
Now that you know what to expect in terms of RV length limits at national parks, you probably have a better idea of what size RV you need to be looking for. Why not start shopping today? We have rental RVs available in all shapes and sizes, meaning we’re sure to have the perfect rig to house you on your big national parks RV adventure!
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