CHAT PLUS

During our online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't answer last week.

Some car rental agencies prohibit you from driving on unpaved roads, but you can't get to some places (e.g., Chaco Canyon) unless you do. What am I missing?

Rental car companies often set road rules to protect their vehicles. Firms in Alaska, for example, can be restrictive, forbidding drivers from cruising the Dalton or Denali highways. You may also come across agencies that ban drivers from "unmaintained" roads. Susan McGowan, a spokesman for the Avis Budget Group, defines "unmaintained" as "a road that is not recognized by an official state map." In other words, even if a listed road is crumbling or fades to dirt, you can still drive it.

The rules are meant to discourage renters from driving off-road. For New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, stick to the nine-mile paved road. For more-rugged terrain, park the car and start hiking -- boots are much cheaper to replace.