Best Road into Chaco Canyon

[John Hennessy]

It has been years since I have been to Chaco Canyon, Then I came in from US 550 in an rental RV and remember a washboard road that was not too bad. I just checked the NP website for Chaco and, despite have some facilities for RV's, they mentioned that RV's are not "recommended" on the roads into it.

One difference is that now now I have my own RV (a small, high MPG Mercedes Sprinter based C class) which has been known to lose various parts on washboard roads shorter than the one into Chaco.

So my question is: are the county roads into Chaco about as always and the NPS being its usual over-cautious self or have the roads gone to hell in the last few years?

Thanks.

[Kirk Gittings]

John,

The road in fro the Nageezi side is the only "official" entrance these days. It is the best maintained but its current state is hard to predict. After years of getting my teeth rattled out of my jaw, I learned how to drive washboards from the locals.....at about 50 mph they smooth right out.

[steve simmons]

Is the road up from the south still open?

steve simmons

[John Hennessy]

Thanks Kirk

[Bruce Schultz]

The road from the south was open a little over a year ago.
Just be aware that the road can get dicey. Attached is an example of what my vehicle looked like after driving that road when it's covered with snow and mud. We didn't see another vehicle for 40 miles.

[Kirk Keyes]

My parents drove thier 30 ft motorhome in from the Nageezi side in 2005 and they had no problems. My wife and I were in a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it took them about 20 minutes longer to get there than we did. But nothing fell off the RV.

I took the road to the SW out (which goes past Khin Klitzen ruin) and comes out near the Bisti Badlands - it was not a road for big RVs. It was not really, really bad, but I'd still take the main entrance in an RV.

[Toyon]

John,
I learned how to drive washboards from the locals.....at about 50 mph they smooth right out.

They may be smoother inside, due to resonance frequencies, but it's hell on your suspension.

[EdWorkman]

Say I just noticed a Sprinter at Grand Canyon and it occurred to me how handy all that headroom would be when changing film etc.
So
What do you get for MPG????

[John Hennessy]

Ed,

My RV is a Itasca Navion (a Winnebago by another name) and it gets 15 to 20 miles/gal of diesel. Sprinter-based class B RVs can do somewhat better than that. There is plenty of headroom but I usually sit down to change film!

[John Berry]

They may be smoother inside, due to resonance frequencies, but it's hell on your suspension.

I have 210,000 on a 98 Dakota, that has at leas 30,000 on logging roads. Kirk is right, it is smoother. As a heavy duty mechanic, I just checked not too long ago, thinking about wear, and was surprised to find everything still in good shape. Try it at 70, it gets real smooth if you can't get to the bottom of the hole, ... till you get to the washboards at a curve. That'll cinch yer drawstring.