Driving in Utah
 

I am looking at really great drives in Utah, however as a tourist I will be renting a car. The contracts usually do not allow off roading and many interesting roads seem to be unpaved. Is this a problem or am I being too worried?

Probably the best place to go "off road" is in Moab. If you wanted to rent a Jeep there for a day or two, you could certainly do that there. What interesting roads are you refering to? Off roading and dirt roads are two different things.

Several places in Moab rent jeeps for off roading is what I meant to say.

You don't need to go off road for great scenic drives. They are all over the place, but one of the best is Highway 12 from Torrey to Bryce Canyon NP.

Enjoy, HTTY

Are you looking to test your driving skill and the capabilities of a rental vehicle? Are you looking to drive to a specific location to see something you can't see from a paved road?
I drove a rental car out unpaved roads to find a place with dinosaur tracks and out to Chrystal Geyser both of which are on unpaved roads. As long as the road is dry enough, wide enough and not too steep I'll drive at no more than 25 MPH.
Remember to take the car through a car wash that washes the underside.

If you want to abide by the rental contract then you'll have to stay on paved roads. But there are some pretty spectacular paved roads that go through some spectacular scenery... You wouldn't feel like you hadn't seen anything if you travel I-70, or hwy 12, or hwy 128 or the first section of the Burr trail or any of the national parks and monuments or state parks. Even hwy 89 can be fascinating.


But if there are some unpaved roads that you are looking at specifically then you'll need to decide if the risk to your pocketbook is worth a five or 10 mile drive down an unpaved road. Many of the better known unpaved roads are safe in a passenger car and you would not risk much. Which ones are you looking to drive?

As the joke goes--what's the difference between an Avis Rent a Car in Utah and an SUV in Salt Lake City? The AVis REnt a Car has actually been off road.

There are plenty of dirt roads that are passable in good weather with just a passenger car. YOu could also rent a jeep to drive the whole time you are here.

Are you looking at northern or southern Utah?

Many outstanding drives Utah - even on paved roads, as others have said.

Thank you all, I believe that I was getting too worried and now realize that I will drive where I wish to go and sort it out later. I won't be going real "off roading" just some unpaved area roads.

The real problem in the southwest is not whether the road surface is paved or not, it is the distance without services. You need to leave town with a full tank of gasoline, something to eat, sturdy shoes, and a couple of liters of water per person. If the carbreaks down, you may have a wait before anyone finds you, especially because cell phone service can be spotty.

You also need to be aware of the weather, not just near you but in the area. There are arroyos (dry river beds) without bridges. When a thunderstorm hits ten miles away, they can and do fill with a wall of water quite quickly.

I've driven on dirt roads in Utah with an ordinary rental.

Hole in the Rock road for about 10 miles to Devil's Garden in Escalente. This is a pretty tame and level road for a dirt road.

Skatumpah road just below annonville to Willis Creek slot canyon. While it's sandy, hilly and somewhat curvy there aren't deep holes or boulders on the road. The main problem is slipping around. However, there are very, very few vehicles on that road so you actually can pick your spots on either side of the road.

That should read "just below Cannonville"

If you go on dirt roads in Utah, make sure that it's not raining, it's not going to rain or has rained recently. The dirt roads turn to slippery mud very quickly and you will get stuck. Not to mention that cell services is pretty limited on some of the paved roads so needless to say, it is worse on the unpaved roads.

Utahtea