Safety

In winter and spring roads above 5,000 feet can be muddy or impassible.

NPS - J. Axel

Click for Indepth Travel Information, Photos, Warnings, and Safety Recommendations to plan your visit to one of the last truly remote places in the lower 48 states.

• This is a remote area. There are NO developed facilities, stores, ranger stations, or paved roads.
• Visitors are responsible for being fully self-contained with all the food, water, health, weather-appropriate clothing, and camping equipment needed for multiple days, especially if stranded.
• Does someone know where you are going and can call for help if you do not return when you say you will? Do you have a satellite messenger (such as a Garmin InReach) to call for help? Satellite messengers send GPS coordinates that are very helpful for rescuers looking for someone.
• Emergency response to someone who needs help can take most of the day depending on their location in the monument. Bad weather will also impact rescue time.
• There is no cell phone service in the monument (except for Verizon service at Twin Point where phones may connect to a cell tower on the Hualapai Reservation.)
• Due to the sheer size of the region and the number of roads, it is not possible to provide updated comprehensive road conditions on the Arizona Strip.
• During the summer monsoon season (June - September) travel in the morning. Storms usually occur after 1pm.
• In winter, roads above 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) may be impassible due to ice and snow.

 

Off-Road Driving

Driving is permitted on the official unpaved roads in the monument. Travel off of established roads is not permitted.

If you drive an ATV or UTV, before proceeding, please see the registration requirements for your state.

For motorists who bring a pickup or SUV to explore Parashant, the monument offers a variety of easy to challenging roads. 10 ply tires (load range E) are the strongest. Lower load range tires are more susceptible to puncture or sidewall tearing on the rocky roads. Two spare tires, not just one, are recommended. Tow bills off the monument exceed $1,000.

Some roads are well maintained gravel. Others are rugged such as long stretches of sharp volcanic rock on the way to Whitmore Canyon, or rough cobbles and bedrock on the road out to Twin Point, or deep sand in the Grand Wash. Road sections with a base of clay are impassible when wet, even with mud tires. Vehicles cannot cause roadbed damage such as making ruts when roads are wet.

Roads cross and recross washes multiple times. If a wash has run from a recent storm, it will have sharp banks that longer vehicles can high center on. Bring a shovel to take the edge off sand and gravel banks in washes where the road exits the wash if necessary.

Never park or camp in a dry wash. Some flash floods can take many hours after a storm to reach the area you are in.