Definitely a difference of opinion on this one.
I usually bike the trail and much of the traffic in the warmer months is bikes, so making sure we can get a campsite every 30 miles or so is pretty critical. I also don't find the climbs to be all that scary in a car (more exhausting on a bike). With Murphy's you can see the entire ascent on both sides from the top and bottom, so easy to check if anyone is on it before you start up/down. Hardscrabble has less visibility, but there are several places to pull over in the middle and listen for anyone coming up/down. Neither of these is nearly as difficult as the Flint Trail in the Maze.
Overall the WRT is one of the easier trails in Canyonlands and is done by Subarus, so I would be surprised if they were to restrict it.
But we are all entitled to our opinions and to express them!
Absolutely; we benefit from the views of others. Listening for oncoming vehicles and finding sufficient width on the tight sections to 'pull over' is at best a crap shoot that offers little. Especially if you do not know the road ahead. Assuming that vehicles will see oncoming vehicles before they start ascents or descents is banking on attentiveness that may well not be there; especially for those on the WRT for the first time or like the English tourists we met in their rented Jeeps who did not have a clue about which sections of the WRT posed difficultly in terms of grade, traction, width or sight distances.
Small inconvenience to get reservations if camping at specific sites is crucial to your plans. But hey, to each their own; I will not drive the WRT again unless traffic is one-way. Just my assumption of risk.
Phil
Edited by Wallowa, 21 March 2020 - 06:56 PM.
