Rental Car and Unpaved Roads Question

Hi,

I%26#39;ve read conflicting info on driving rental cars on unpaved roads. On the one hand, I%26#39;ve read that ';offroad'; driving can nullify a rental contract, and I%26#39;ve also read that someone ended up having to pay completely for a rental car that crashed on an unpaved road. On the other hand, I%26#39;ve read that one can drive on an unpaved road as long is it an officially-maintained road?

Does anyone know what the typical rules are in terms of unpaved roads?

If we rent a Jeep vs. a regular car, will we be allowed to drive it on unpaved/access roads? We don%26#39;t want to go offroad into the desert or anything, but I know that a lot of places are only accessible by unpaved roads, or even private property with unpaved driveways etc. . . and I%26#39;ve read about some scenic routes that are unpaved.

Also, we will be visiting the first week of May and are ideally thinking of renting a Jeep Wrangler so we can drive with the top down and breathe in the fresh air. Is the weather at that time conducive to this? I know the weather varies a lot across the state. We will be flying in to Phoenix and then driving to the Grand Canyon area for a couple days then make our way around Flagstaff or that region for a few days and then back to Sedona over the next few days then flying out from Pheonix.

Oh and one more question -- can Jeep Wranglers be rented from pretty much any national rental car company? I%26#39;ve tried Orbitz but the Jeeps don%26#39;t seem to come up easily on their system, so I was thinking of calling an office direct in Phoenix, but I%26#39;d like to make as few phone calls as possible. :)

Thanks for any help you can provide!

Rental Car and Unpaved Roads Question

Yes driving on unpaved road will get you into trouble with your car rental company. Unless you sign some kind of waver or something. The best to do is call around and talk to the different agencies.

May can still be cold or hot. You just never know.

See if the companies have email addresses and try those first so you don%26#39;t have to call.

Rental Car and Unpaved Roads Question

Agree with DragonFlyLady...unless you get a special agreement, driving off of blacktop onto dirt roads will nullify your contract, and you could get an extra fine. Some rental agencies are installing GPS devices in their vehicles, so they would know you did so. However, depending when/where/how, you could probably still get away with it.

For most of the larger rental agencies you reserve a vehicle by class...such as compact, midsize, full size, etc...and there%26#39;s a class that would include Jeep Wranglers (I think small SUV, depending on the agency). However, if you definitely want a Jeep Wrangler and nothing else, contact a few agencies directly (by phone), both national and local, and price it out that way. When you call you could ask about the off-blacktop thing also.

From past experience, in the Phoenix area we usually have highs of about 100 in early May, but that doesn%26#39;t mean it will happen this year. Keep in mind that whatever it is in Phoenix, you can usually subtract 30F for about what the temp will be in Flagstaff.

I think it is a great idea to drive the 89A from Flag to Sedona (via Oak Creek Canyon), and if you have time, I%26#39;d recommend continuing down to Jerome, and Prescott.

The unpaved scenic route you%26#39;re thinking of is probably Apache Trail, which is a state highway. There are two such highways in the state (the other is 288 north of Lake Roosevelt), where the state maintains the roadway but it%26#39;s unsealed. Whether or not you can drive a rental car on them and not violate the contract seems to be up for argument, or at least there%26#39;s confusion on this forum.

You should just contact whoever you want to rent from and ask specifically about the Apache Trail. I%26#39;m sure the rules are different for Jeeps though.

Yes, ';up for argument'; That%26#39;s right.

Prohibited use of the car:

';....use off paved roads or on roads which are not regularly maintained....

But is the Apache trail an unpaved road? No, just part of it. How about Moki Dugway? Also just a part of ut261 is unpaved and it%26#39;s a through road. And many people are driving to Grand Canyon West and 14 miles is unpaved...Not a through road and without a roadnumber.

We hired a Suv last year. No exceptions are made for Suv 2wd or 4wd in the standard contract.

Yes, it%26#39;s confusing. The deskclerk at the Hertzcounter could not (or would not) answer my question about driving a Suv on dirt roads.

The bottom line is, if you damage your rental vehicle, expect to be held accountable.

I worked for a rental car company while I lived in Phoenix a few years ago. Basically if you%26#39;re driving across a gravel parking lot and damage the car, you%26#39;re going to be held responsible for the damage because you%26#39;re on an un-paved surface. I think in the Phoenix area, all of the companies are pretty much sticklers for this rule. Otherwise, you have yo-yos trying to drive their Chevy Malibu down a dirt trail somewhere. I%26#39;m in no means trying to imply that you%26#39;re an irresponsible driver. However, trust me, I%26#39;ve seen and heard it all in my rental car days! You might be able to find someone who has some kind of waiver for this. But I would read it with a fine tooth comb for sure. Perhaps do a local search for a rental car company. I know there are some places in the area that rent specialty vehicles. Sorry, can%26#39;t think of any of them off the top of my head.

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