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k6ncx's avatar
k6ncx
Explorer
Jun 28, 2017

Is this even possible? December in New England?

The way various things are aligning this year, we need to be in the Boston area in late November and coastal Maine in late December. For one or the other we'd probably fly, but for both we'd rather travel overland. In between we would happily stay in Western Mass. We live on the West Coast and would cross by a southern route. No worries there, we've done it before, and have family in the South so that's all good.

But most (all?) of the campgrounds I'm finding open in December have no hookups. That's fine for a night or two, but dry camping for a month doesn't appeal. Are there any places with full hookups all winter?

We'll probably have to buy propane repeatedly is that going to be a problem?

What about roads? I know no one can forecast the weather with specificity six months ahead, but is this even plausible? We would plan to arrive at each stop a couple of days before we really need to to allow for weather delays, but still.

Am I a fool for even considering it? Overly anxious?
  • Buying propane should not be a problem; the hardware stores etc. don't close.

    Most campgrounds (at least in Vermont) close for the winter. Many of the few that don't are mainly or only open for long-term patrons. Most do not have full hookups because the campground water distribution system does not have heated pipes and would freeze; even if there were hookups, you'd need to have a heated hose or put it away every time after filling the water tank in the RV.

    Roads are somewhat variable, but usually at least the main roads are cleared relatively quickly after a storm. One of the ways they clear them is through the use of copious amounts of salt. You would get road salt all over the underside of your RV, and this is rather corrosive. Typical RV construction is nowhere near as well protected against corrosion as typical car construction.

    The weather in early winter is somewhat unpredictable. Often there isn't too much snow and cold until a little later in the winter, with a fair few days in December above freezing, but you never know for sure.

    My advice, for what it's worth, would be to stay in motels/hotels, which have adequate heat and running water systems that don't freeze, and if you drive to drive something other than the RV. (Amtrak might be a reasonable alternative to flying or driving.) That said, it is not completely impossible to use an RV, if it and you are properly equipped and prepared for the weather. RVs do vary a good bit in their usability in subfreezing conditions.
  • Propane? Lots of it!!! I was hung up in Denver a couple years ago with our 29 ft FW. It dipped to about 7 degrees a couple nights and I was burning 30 pounds of propane a day and running an electric heater. On those coldest nights I also had the bottom tank area boxed in with celotex and ran my generator and another elec heater under there. Never again. I had solvent on hand and was ready to winterize if the furnace gave out.
  • You'll find that most of the RV parks from NYC north and east (and many below that) close down at the end of September or, at least, by mid to late October. They turn off the water, turn off the lights, and pull down the blinds.

    Rob
  • Planning for RVing in Maine during late December will be challenging.
  • Trackrig wrote:
    I hate to break it to you, but, being a snowbird means going south to get away from the snow, not going north to the snow.........

    Bill


    Yeah, I get that. But still, somebody seems to be doing it. There are a few campgrounds open.
  • I hate to break it to you, but, being a snowbird means going south to get away from the snow, not going north to the snow.........

    Bill