US Rte. 191

[Kenneth Brewer]

Thinking about taking US 191 from I-10 north to Petrified Forest NP and subsequently on up to Canyon de Chelly, into Utah to Arches and Canyonlands NPs.

When surfing the net for US 191 pictures I have run across warnings of how twisty and tight, though very beautiful and scenic, this route is. Would anyone familiar with this road please tell me what to expect and if a large coach has any business on it? Is the whole run from I-10 to Arches, and ultimately to SLC and points north the same, or are parts of it okay to use?

Thanks.

[dreamchasers]

Kenneth,

I can not comment on US 191 north of IH-10, however I do have recent knowledge of Canyon De Chelly. We visited there two years ago and enjoyed the canyon. We drove US 191, North from IH-40, in a 40 foot motorhome, no problem with this portion.

Chinle is the nearest town to the entrance to the canyon. We stayed at the National Park camp ground there, near the Thunderbird Lodge. You might need to look around for a site that will handle your rig. As I recall, most of the sites are surrounded by small boulders. We found several sites with adequate space. Their are no hookups at the campground. Their are water faucets available for filling containers located throughout the campground. Do not expect any cell coverage with Verizon when staying in Chinle. One of cell service providers have a deal with the Navaho indians and is not Verizon.

If I were to do Canyon De Chelly again, I would use my own private jeep (You will definitely need four wheel drive inside the canyon.) and hire a guide (You must have a local guide to enter the canyon.) to go with us. We entered using the the old military vehicles used by the Thunderbird Lodge. This made for a long day bouncing on the back of a big truck.

I have read of others driving the US 191 north of IH-10, but have not doe it myself.

On this same trip, we stayed in Moab. Plenty of campgrounds, with no problem for big rigs. As I recall, the annual Moab Jeep Rally is held during April. Campground could get very busy during this time.

Hope this helps.

Hector

[hobobimmer]

I can't comment on the specific road you asked about, but for future reference I can highly recommend 2 books that Loc told us about. They helped us tremendously when we were out West this summer. One red and one blue, one for East US and one for West US, both available at Camping World and Amazon. They were written by a truck driver, and he describes grades etc on roads that might be a problem and he describes what to expect very accurately from our experience. Eric and I just started calling it the "Mrs. Paranoids guide to help you not kill yourself on the road you are thinking about taking." Real names are
Mountain Directory West for truckers, RV, and Motorhomes by Richard W Miller. and Mountain Directory East, by same guy. Loc saved us from ourselves by telling us about these books. We recommend them highly. Deb (aka Mrs. Paranoid) and Eric

[Kenneth Brewer]

Thank you Hector and Lee, and Hobobimmer

This information is very useful. Now I need info on the portion north of Moab (that portion we are familiar with, but it was 20 years ago in the Bluebird). I think I will be towing our Cherokee, and paying for a guide, as you point out, to take us into Canyon de Chelly. We will perhaps begin after the 4th of July, eventually to Glacier NP (US) up to Banff and maybe Jasper, then down to Washington and Oregon NPs.

Thanks again.

[Kenneth Brewer]

I should have said we are familiar only with the short portion of 191 in Utah to Moab (we came from Lake Powell NRA crossing from west to east, and took 191 to Arches NP and Moab.

Again, thanks for the reply.

[BrianE]

Ken,

We have also driven 191 north of I-40 and found it to be a very good two lane highway. In July however you will experience some very hot days. We have enjoyed most of the highways and biways in the 4 corners area and can say that there are many wonderful sights to see. 191,491,160,64 are all good roads. 550 from Santa Fe to Durango is an excellent highway also. There is a good RV park across from Mesa Verde on 160. One of our favorite places is a simple RV park in Bluff, Utah. There are some great Anasazi ruins accessible from Bluff. Further up 191 is the Needles area of Canyonlands, a very worthwhile side trip. North of Moab hwy 6 through Price to Provo is also a good road to I-15. We have never toured the area in the heat of summer, however we've found it to be fantastic in May, early June and after Labor Day.

[Loc]

Ken,

We have driven 191 from Monticello, UT to Helper, UT (then US 6/89 up to Provo) and from Many Farms, AZ to Chinle, AZ and it is fine. 191 North of I-70 is a two lane road with a lot of truck traffic. The road is fine, but you see a lot of cars and trucks trying to pass in places where they shouldn't (you want to be paying attention). There are a couple of good hills south of Provo on 6/89, but nothing the bus can't handle. Further south on 191 between Blanding and Bluff there is Driveshaft Hill named for its impact on driveshafts over the years. It is a short steep hill that will slow you down, but shouldn't be a problem. I would add to the comment that it will be very hot in July. We were in Moab a few years back in September and it was 105 degrees. If you want a more scenic route from Canyon de Chelly to Moab head north on 191 to Many Farms, AZ and then head west on AZ 59 to Kayenta (the road looks really small on the map, but we drove it a few years back and it was fine) then take US 163 north through Monument Valley (the drive through Monument Valley is spectacular although it is more scenic heading South). US 163 will dump back to US 191 in Bluff, UT. There is a four mile downhill on 163 at Mexican Hat that says it is 10% grade, but it wasn't bad (you do want to be going slow at the bottom of the hill because there is a 90 degree right turn just over the river in Mexican Hat). Give me a call and I can give you a lot of information on the drive north from Salt Lake to Yellowstone and then Glacier.

We did the Guide into the Canyon in the Jeep and it is fantastic. The only caution is make sure that it hasn't rained or is expected to rain. It rained the day before we went and the first three miles were driving up the flooded creek which got in places was hip deep. I had to use the winch four times to pull people out who had gotten stuck in the Canyon including one guide in her Jeep.

We are talking about a trip to Utah and Arizona (Zion, Bryce, Captiol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly) for Spring Break in March. I will have the opportunity to drive 191 again and will give you an update.

Loc

[Steve Bennett]

I have driven the entire length up from I-10. It has been some time ago, and there are areas that are tight, and twisty. I would just be sure to allow plenty of time, as you will be traveling slow in some areas. I would also make certain you are fueled up, as some of the small stations on the reservation may not have the freshest diesel.