Expensive SUV Rental (Moab, Green River, Cove: extended stay, appointed, rentals)

[andreawars]

Hello


As I would like to have an holiday at May 2020 in Utah, i was looking at the rental prices for an SUV for moving in national parks and unpaved road....and something affordable!





I'm a bit disappointed about the prices as....despite at Arizona and Colorado, they are higher. Expecially in airport area and all around.
Budget Rental is crazy ....800$ ....and others are around 570$





Do you have any suggestion? I'm moving through google and google maps and to me, they are more likely one the same as the other.




If it is not because of the long hours of driving, would be more convenient renting in another country and moving there!




Any suggestions? I wish to stay the first 2 days in SLC and then having the car for 10 days and moving to south to visit the mighty 5 parks.

[ksman]

Most national park roads are well maintained and don’t require an SUV unless you’re going way off the beaten path.

[frankpc]

We spent two weeks in the area in October. We rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 from Rugged Rentals (off site at SLC) for about $600 ($44/day). Great experience with them, just make sure you read the contract (i.e. 200 miles/per day, etc.) .
I think you'll find that the Rugged Rentals contract is also more liberal in terms of allowed conditions - many rental companies prohibit leaving paved roads. We certainly spent some time on gravel/sandy/slightly rutted roads like the Burr Trail/Bullfrog Notom road in the Capitol Reef area.
Southern Utah is stunning ... enjoy !

Frank

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by andreawars

Hello,

As I would like to have an holiday at May 2020 in Utah, i was looking at the rental prices for an SUV for moving in national parks and unpaved road....and something affordable!

>>>snip<<<

As somebody else commented, the roads in the big parks don't need a 4x4, though Canyonlands may be an exception (White Rim Trail etc). In any case, be EXTREMELY CAREFUL if you aren't experienced in off-road driving. Southern Utah is not an amusement park, it's the real deal and can be very dangerous if not taken seriously. Tourists regularly underestimate this and end up facing an extremely expensive recovery and wrecked vehicle.

There are many, many, many unpaved roads that look very manageable, until all of a sudden they aren't. By that point turning around is often impossible, so you're committed. This can easily happen if you see a road that looks nice and you decide to go for it. In many (or even most) cases you'll eventually encounter situations where you are forced to drive over a deep gully with tires on either side or over rock formations requiring specific, technical off-road skills.

So: If you want to do any off-roading you need to rent a real, high clearance 4x4 (with low gear range). Don't think you can get by with a Subaru or all-wheel-drive car. Stick to well known, mapped, BEGINNER tour routes. Overestimating your ability is a sure way to get into big trouble. Get real, physical maps and a guide book, don't just go for it. A compass is strongly advised too. Do NOT, under any circumstances, rely on your cell phone. Coverage is spotty at best and often nonexistent. Carry lots of water, way more than you think you need. If all that seems like to much trouble the DON'T DO IT.

Your best course might be to just get regular car and rent a jeep for a day or 2 of off-roading.

[motormaker]

Do not rent a vehicle at a airport location. Always rent off site especially for extended stays.

[f5fstop]

For Arches, Canyonlands and Capital Reef, I would recommend renting a Jeep, if that is large enough.
Although the main tourist roads are paved, the best views in the park are in the non-populated areas.
Arches....enter arches via Willow Flats, off Hwy 191. Takes you past some dino tracks and enters the paved park road right at balanced rock.
For Canyonlands, the white rim trail is an all day trip that will give you better views than the main areas (beware NO DOGS are allowed and the NP rangers do drive this road two or more times a day checking for passes and animals). Suggestion is to enter via Potash road, go by fossil point (Thelma and Louise movie fame), run the trail and exit via Mineral Bottom. (Or enter the park and head down Schafer trail, nice twisty trail to the Rim trail.)

For Capital Reef, the best views are off Hartnest and Cainsville road. Very desolate, but the views are spectacular in Cathedral Valley are fantastic. In my opinion, the best part of Capital Reef is off unpaved roads not usually traveled.

Cathedral Valley

South desert overlook off Hartnet road

Temples of the Sun/Moon, capital reef:


Shafer Trail:

[SWFL_Native]

I like this service for unique vehicle that you can shop for.. I’ve used it a few times for the vehicles I want. There is a 4WD Jeep Patriot for $29/day + taxes.

https://turo.com/us/en-us/car-rental/salt-lake-city-ut

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

I like this service for unique vehicle that you can shop for.. I’ve used it a few times for the vehicles I want. There is a 4WD Jeep Patriot for $29/day + taxes.

https://turo.com/us/en-us/car-rental/salt-lake-city-ut

Turo is good, to be sure. I have a friend that rents 4 cars on it. Be careful with the fine print cause there are sometimes very high charges for going over mileage etc. Also assume that the car has a GPS tracker installed and that your speed and route is being recorded. So if, for example, you break your car by driving off-road and try to deny it, they can see where you went. Seriously.

[Texas Ag 93]

I've had good luck saving a pretty significant amount of money by selecting a 4WD Pick Up truck over a large sized SUV on several occasions (not just when traveling to Moab). And sometimes when you get to the destination airport, if they have the inventory, they'll let you upgrade to a large sized SUV for no extra cost. That happened to us before.

In my experience, having enough ground clearance can be quite important. Full sized trucks and large SUV's (as well as Jeep's, of course) have it, smaller SUV's (including many that will be described as "full sized") often do not.

WRT your pictures, f5fstop- I have known my husband for 21 years, and in all that time, I have seen him scared only once- and that was when we were driving the Shafer trail in our Chevy Avalanche a few years ago. He turned off the AC and radio, gripped the steering wheel, and told me not to talk at all. He told me afterwards that he had nightmares about it for several nights. We've been back several times, but never back on that trail again, LOL. And my husband is no wimp- he got his pilot's license in college and his first motorcycle at 14. There was just something about that Shafer trail experience for him...

[f5fstop]

Shafer was one of my favorite trails and did it at least a few times a year, but taking some friends up/down that trail did cause some strange comments from the passenger(s). Had one person make me stop after the first switchback and she walked down.

Some will say that the trail down to Spring Canyon on the Green River was more dangerous cause there was only four place vehicles could pass each other. Whereas, on Shafer, easy to pass oncoming vehicles at the switchback and easy to see vehicles coming up if you keep an eye out.

But those roads are NOT for everyone that is for sure.