2022-12-06, 01:51 PM
What kind of SUV and is it a rental or personal vehicle? I carry traction boards for sandy roads (I like the ones made by GoTreads), and I'd suggest doing some reading on how best to handle driving sandy roads. Going all the way out to Marble Canyon, especially after the closure, I'd also be concerned about sufficient ground clearance. That road does of course vary year-to-year, I've seen a Prius parked in the Cottonwood wash and a RAV4 at the Cottonwood-Marble junction, but I also remember a past trip (I think December 2014, after the road had recently washed out) where we were surprisingly concerned about ground clearance on our stock FJ Cruiser going up to Marble Canyon. I personally wouldn't recommend taking a crossover-size SUV (Subaru/RAV4) beyond the entrance to Cottonwood without skid plates and sufficient experience with tire placement, but a larger SUV such as a stock 4Runner I would think should be fine unless the road is very bad and/or you as the driver aren't familiar with driving those kinds of roads.
Link to my DV trip reports, and map of named places in DV (official and unofficial): http://kaurijacobphotography.yolasite.com