NJ to Grand Canyon via Mt Rushmore

When we did our big circle tour we did not make reservations except for destinations where we stayed more than 3 days. We started our tour the beginning of September though, not the high season where campground pressure might be higher. We stayed fairly close to the I-90 corridor and I found there to be many choices along our route. Get the RVPARKY app, it's gps enabled to pin point where you are and shows all the campgrounds near by. We start looking around 3pm and call a prospective CG to check availability. We got off the road by 4pm. It worked well for us. Some CG's were not high end by any means but we never felt unsafe and were always accommodated. Sometimes the Walmart parking lot will do to get you off the road and get some sleep but I do not like doing that.

It depends on when and where you'll be somewhere. Popular destinations and/or popular times (like holiday weekends) make reservations much more necessary than mid-week, middle of nowhere camping. Likewise, if you're flexible on what sort of a site you can take, that helps a lot too; it's harder to find a 60' pull-through with full hookups than it is to find "a site" that may or may not have electric, water, sewer, etc.

It's not pertinent to your question, but I'd kind of point out that Mt Rushmore is not precisely along the way between New Jersey and the Grand Canyon.... :B

Best to chose two destinations closer than 1,000 miles apart.
IN the West, forget sleeping in parking lots. Head for Forest Service campgrounds. Get set up for boonddocking. Then you can always find a place.
Camp someplace beautiful. That is why you go out West in the first place.

I have made a number of trips like yours. For holidays and major attractions I made reservations, but for traveling and minor attractions I called ahead when I stopped for lunch to make a reservation for that night.

It is only 400 miles farther to hit Mt. Rushmore along the way rather than the closest route. I also prefer the route that takes me past Mt. Mushmore rather than going through Kansas, OK, TX, and New Mexico.

Dueeast wrote:
My problem seems to be scheduling places to stay along the way to my destination. Should I have a hard schedule trying 300 or more miles per day and booking campsites? Or do I wing it hoping places have transient sites? or try to rough it staying in Walmart or Bass pro shop lots?

Any suggestions will help. Thanks, Rob.

IMHO These are Two Different trips - unless you are on the road for months.

MAP - 1000+ miles with a hundred stops along the way

JMHO,