cross country trip

The overnighting is the one I am most worried about. I figured for sure to make reservations somewhere around DC and Pigeon Forge since those will be longer stays. The last time we went to Glacier National Park,I made reservations for every night we were to be gone--almost 4 weeks and I decided I would never do that again. Sometimes it was just too much driving in one day.

We make reservations at our destination.
On the way we just wing it.
If we can't find a campground I'll check:

Free Campgounds

Free Campsites

Casino Camper

The above are for overnighting, not camping.

And, while traveling I like to check Roadside America.
Maybe you can find something interesting along your route.

I also like to use the side roads and avoid the interstate when possible. It's the best way to see America.

Enjoy your travels.

From what I am gathering from all of you is maybe going 80 to the east and 40 to come home or any of the more southern roads. North sounds like it gets the leaves first. We are retired so really can stay gone for as long as we want to. Thanks everyone.

Depending on the weather, leaves will peak at different times. Since you are coming from Calif. and want to see various regions (Smokies, D.C., etc) I would just go, take my chances and watch web sites that list fall color peak days and try for sites in that region.

That said, we booked a campsite in Wears Valley (Smokies - near Pidgeon Forge) and paid the monthly rate (usually a month rate is about the same as two weeks). This gave us all of Oct. to explore out from the one area and wait on the leaf change. They didn't really change till near the end of Oct. in fact it went from peak color to freezing rain & snow in two days with many trees down from the weight of leaves and snow. Very unusual.

I have been across country many times. On a trip like that I would just make it work and plan on being back home when I have to be ..back home. Took my two grand kids with us 2 years ago to Yellowstone and points west (3 weeks) and never had a res. we just got up when we all felt like getting up , stopped where ever. The only camp ground we stayed at was Yellowstone for 5 days then took off again. Have fun !!

I hate to travel with a schedule for the same reason you indicated; might miss something along the way.

I have found you can usually get sites on a first come basis if you arrive on Monday through Thursday. If arriving in a popular area on Thursday through the weekend then I would make reservations or know that I may have to travel some distance away to find a spot.

We often will pick an RV Park 50 miles or more away from where we would like to be and then drive to see the sights on day trips from the base camp. I don't mind driving an extra 100 miles. If you can get a way from the popular areas it's a lot easier to get first come site selection.

As the two previous mentioned, leaf peepers pack the campgrounds in September and October. Reservations are highly recommended if you want to be sure of finding a place at night, you need to make those reservations now as most places are gone by May 1st.

September color appears in NY on north. October color occurs in the Blue Ridge from mid-October to Oct 31.

To plan, pull out a map and pick towns near mountains. Go to http://www.woodalls.com/ and insert the town names to pull up a list of campgrounds in the area. Schedule by calling the cg phone number listed.

In Pigeon Forge late September early October, you may want reservations but the peak season is usually after the 1st week of Oct. After that I would make sure to have reservations in those areas where you want to see the fall colors.

Leaf viewing in October is very popular on the east coast. You may want to at least schedule a limited amount of reservations for a location or two.