3-4 week trip west... A little nervous!

hackalar wrote:
I have logged over 100k miles in class a motorhomes. Currently have a 40ft dynasty diesel pulling a full size Chevy truck.

We (me, wife, and 2 sons, 8 and 14) are leaving June 6th from Panama City Florida to Tennessee for a couple days. From there we are heading west!

I was thinking of hitting Colorado first but now I think we are going to go for the bad lands first then to Yellowstone. From Yellowstone to Utah to explore. That's as far as I've gotten. Lol my 8 year is a dinosaur nut and I want him to see some of the things I've read about in Utah.

My concerns.. How hard is the mountain driving going to be? How will I know what roads to avoid.
We have no reservations and don't mind boondocking but would like hook ups from time to time.
Any suggestions for the above or anything else I'm missing pleaseeee advise.
We are free for 3-4 weeks and change plans as they are not solid. Once we leave Tennessee we are free to enjoy a trip of a lifetime! What to do?

Bobby Beard

We are making the same trip, same stops (except Tennessee) and at the same time lol. You may be a few days ahead of me though. If you find a spot in Grand Teton NP area (most are first come first served) save me a spot! My almost 8 year old has to see the dinosaurs too (Mammoth Site and Rapid City).

If you're going north from Yellowstone and into ID to get to Utah, you'll be fine as far as roads go. If you go south from Yellowstone into Utah(which will save you hours of precious time on your shortish trip) you'll be OK as long as you do not take Teton Pass (10 % grade). Your GPS shouldn't take you that route anyway but just in case....Also if you go south you can hit Jackson, WY. Great food but pricey. You'll also have a chance to camp at Palisades, ID. The road from Jackson goes right to Palisades. I grew up on square ice cream cones in Swan Valley (a little north of Palisades though).

There are not a lot of sites in Yellowstone area that are still available. In fact, I believe some sites near Yellowstone do not open until June 25th. Go to Allstays.com to pick out spots on a map and get the CG info. The open spots are first come first served, have length limits, and boondock. You may have to try finding a campground that is almost $100 to get hookups or even a spot. I've been looking for 2 months and because of length limit it's dang near impossible to get a researvable spot. There are a lot of CG though and that 1 week earlier than me might be all the difference in the world. Seriously, save me a spot lol.

You'll have tons of fun!