Glenn Springs road to Juniper canyon turn off by Passenger car?

[mule ears]

For my next trip I want to start from near the Glenn Springs and Juniper canyon road junction.  I fly in and rent a car and don't want to pay the extra for a high clearance vehicle that will just sit on the side of the road for 7 days.  I know that past the junction, headed towards Glenn Springs, is very rough (by the NPS website anyway) but can I get a passenger car down to just above this point where it gets rough like the junction with Juniper canyon road?

I know conditions change but for instance we took a passenger car to Terlingua Abajo to do a cache drop.  It was rough in a couple of places but we went slow with no problem.

Second question.  Any obvious places to park said car on the side of the road along there?

[badknees]

I think it is possible. Drive slow and carefully. Last fall I was travelling north on the Glenn Springs Rd early one morning and came across 2 guys that had camped at GS 1. They came in from the north in a low clearance small car loaded down with stuff. The road is rough and rocky where it flanks Chilicotal, and there is some deep pea gravel between Chilicotal and the Pine Canyon Rd.

Don't remember any details about parking there, but you should find something. IMO

[Tars Tarkas]

 
  Ground clearance is the main thing you need.  That said, if you go slow and are careful, it's probably doable.  I'd buy the insurance for the rental though.

  There are plenty of places to pull off, but that may depend on what you mean.  Meeting another vehicle coming the other way rarely means backing up a quarter of a mile, but you can't just pull off anywhere and leaved your car for 4 hours. 

  TT

[Interceptor]

My recollection is that you could, with very careful driving navigate that far.  My concern, informed by my last two rentals, would be with the tires.  Last month we rented a Tahoe and got a flat out by Luna's Jacal.  Two years ago a flat near one of the cliffs on Pinto Canyon Road provided several minutes of life affirmation.  I still owe God a few trips to church...

[badknees]

 
but you can't just pull off anywhere and leaved your car for 4 hours. 

  TT

Sure you can. As long as you don't block the road.

[Sotol Vista]

while going back to pine canyon one time, i encountered a mid 80's model Lincoln Town Car coming out of the Pine canyon area. Im sure you can make it if you go slow and careful

James

[Al]

You can make it but might have to be less than forth coming when getting your permit.

Al

[mule ears]

You can make it but might have to be less than forth coming when getting your permit.

Al

Al you mean when I rent the car don't you?    

I have always assumed if there was an established place to pull off and park that it was fine as long as they know that I am hiking and leave the hiker form in the window that they give you.

The closer I get to going (next winter) I will inquire directly to the park and see if I get any good information.

[badknees]

You can make it but might have to be less than forth coming when getting your permit.

Al

Al you mean when I rent the car don't you?    

I have always assumed if there was an established place to pull off and park that it was fine as long as they know that I am hiking and leave the hiker form in the window that they give you.

The closer I get to going (next winter) I will inquire directly to the park and see if I get any good information.

No, he means that when you get your backcountry permit, they usually ask you if you have a vehicle that can access the area you permit for.

[Al]

You can make it but might have to be less than forth coming when getting your permit.

Al

Al you mean when I rent the car don't you?    

I have always assumed if there was an established place to pull off and park that it was fine as long as they know that I am hiking and leave the hiker form in the window that they give you.

The closer I get to going (next winter) I will inquire directly to the park and see if I get any good information.

No, he means that when you get your backcountry permit, they usually ask you if you have a vehicle that can access the area you permit for.

Yup, you'll need to tell them you have a high clearance vehicle otherwise they may hesitate or worse when issuing the permit.

Al

[Geezer]

Once when heading west on road to Juniper Canyon trailhead, we encountered a couple of guys in a suburban who had fetched up on a large rock in the center of the road on the way out. They had just finished Dodson Trail and were in a hurry to find some beer. They had shovels and had already tried the usual stuff. None of us had a tow rope. We couldn't get our vehicles in a position to push them off without damaging one of the vehicles. There were six strong men all told, but we couldn't get the suburban off the rock. We took one of them back to PJ where the only solution he found was to call an out-of-park wrecker. Cost him several hundred dollars. Morals: Leave some beer in your vehicle. Rent a shovel and tow rope too. Take a bunch of cash.

[Casa Grande]

I've driven a sedan down GS road to GS2.  There is a gravel pit area on the road that will be the most challenging, just don't stop while in it.  And certainly don't tell Panther Junction about it.  They'll most certainly give you a hard time about it.

[dkerr24]

These stories would make me give a second thought to buying a used rental car.  You never know what people do to those rides.

[elhombre]

If you rent a smaller rental, they most likely will have a crappy donut style spare.  You can make it up to the turn off for Juniper.  The road gets bad at the top of the rise south of Juniper.  The area around the intersection has plenty of space to park a car off the side of the road. 

If you do go out there and have to use the small spare, make sure the drive axle has two normal size tires on them.  For example, if the car is front wheel drive, and you get a flat on the front, move one of the full size tires to the front and run the skinny spare on the back.  If the skinny spare is on the front, it will have less traction and spin out on all the rocks, thus having a greater chance of cutting it.   

[championbaum]

i remember a spot at glenn springs where you can pull off the road and park, not a parking area by any means but a curve where the road widens. i took a nap there when i was taking my jeep down there often and i very seriously doubt anyone would bother your car in that spot. you could make it in a passenger car carefully. it might take a bit of time. is it much more to rent a small suv? you could easily make it in any two wheel drive little suv or truck.