Planning an extended trip, looking for advice.

I completely agree.

" Get off interstate, go through the small towns.

For us it is not what we are going to see, but what we will miss.

or really we missed that. "

I call it. "Stop and smell the roses" Enjoy the sights and don't be in a hurry.

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Not trying to "slam" anybody, but pick your destinations in the central part of the US. Mt Rushmore, the Black Hills and what ever else interests you. The rest is thousands of mile of corn or wheat !

I disagree with the old wizard or is the buzzard. There are lots of things to see, in June we spent a month traveling Iowa, Neb, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota. We followed parts of the Oregon Trail and parts of the Lewis and Clark, saw the Flaming Gorge in Utah, Dinosaur National Park, Trinity Hill in Sioux Falls and and an old steamboat that traversed the Missouri and Mississippi, went to the Museum of Art of Nebraska in Kearny NE, went up Windlass hill and stayed under Chimney Rock, stopped in Scotts Bluff, saw fossils in Agate Fossils NM, watched buffalo at Ft Robinson and rode a jeep up the bluffs, had steak under the bluffs and went to a rodeo, saw wagon wheel ruts near Guernsey WY, photographed graffiti from the 1850's, saw one of only two natural bridges,saw a Foucault Pendulum and looked for wild horses near Rock Springs WY,and stopped at Story Land in Aberdeen SD. We've seen Billy Clocks in Iowa, battleships made of matchsticks near Grundy. Walked in tulips in Pella, gone through John Deeres museum, looked at old cars, old tractors, looked at old guns at some of the forts.

The thing is you need to search for these places. Use tripadvisor, or the state tourist sites for ideas. Pick a destination, and find out what is in between. Get off interstate, go through the small towns. For us it is not what we are going to see, but what we will miss. Often when comparing notes with friends they say, Oh you should have seen.... or really we missed that.

mhcompserv wrote:
As for the east coast area, around NY/NJ/CT, they have roads marked as parkways (pkwys). Stay off of these. They are marked as passenger cars only and clearances are very often low. If you use a gps system, set it on truck vs car when in this area to avoid parkways. You'd be surprised how many truckers make the wrong choice to enter these.

Just to add to the confusion, there are some parkways that are perfectly suitable for RVs (and trucks) and legal to drive on. Many, probably the majority, are indeed restricted to autos only with good reason, but there are some exceptions to this general policy.

I think all the CT parkways are auto only. The vast majority of NY ones are as well, especially the ones downstate in and around New York City. There are a couple of roads called parkways upstate that are legal for RVs, at least in portions, such as the Robert Moses parkway near Niagara Falls and the Lake Ontario Parkway near Rochester. (The latter you do probably want to avoid as it is in very poor shape, but that's a different issue.) In New Jersey, the Garden State Parkway is a major route and is entirely suitable for RVs.

As a general rule, most numbered state highways are also OK for RVs and trucks, although occasionally there are low clearances. A few are definitely not suitable. Vermont route 108 through Smuggler's Notch is a great example of the latter; every year, despite prohibitions and very clear signs, a few misguided trucks get wedged in between the rocks and block the pass until they can be extricated (at no small expense).

Thanks for all the great advise and tips everyone. I apologize for not responding sooner. We have had a family emergency and my mind hasn't exactly been on travel much over the past week. I will be resuming my planning soon and will take some time to answer some of the questions asked at that point..

Hope everyone has a safe Christmas and holiday season..

In reference to roadways, US numbered highways are different from our Interstate highways. Most US# highways are suitable for rv travel and pass through picturesque parts of the country. But they also pass through towns so you will have slower traffic and traffic control lights and signs. As for the east coast area, around NY/NJ/CT, they have roads marked as parkways (pkwys). Stay off of these. They are marked as passenger cars only and clearances are very often low. If you use a gps system, set it on truck vs car when in this area to avoid parkways. You'd be surprised how many truckers make the wrong choice to enter these. US Route 30 runs west/east through our mid-section, coast to coast. I lived on it in Wyoming and now live only a mile from it in Pennsylvania. It also passes near Gettysburg, mentioned elsewhere. Good travels. Enjoy our country. I recently visited your area early in 2016(Vancouver).

We'll be doing a long circle trip around the US after DW retires in a couple of years. Not a whole lot specifically for RV-ers travelling around the US as far as books go. I bought these general purpose ones and found them to be reasonable: NatGeo USA 101 A Guide to America's iconic places, events and festivals; Insight Guides United States on the Road; and NatGeo Guide to Scenic Highways & Byways, The 275 Best Drives in the US. The latter two have lots of color photos which is nice. I also have the small book on driving Route 66. While you may not travel on any of it, it is an interesting read. Have had a number of folks tell us to do it sooner than later because there won't be much left before long.

Curious as to what CGs or RV parks you'll be staying in. I'd like to go freewheeling style but DW insists on pre-booking everything way in advance. We now have a membership in Thousand Trails and can stay at any of them in the US but they don't have anything in the middle area of the country.

If you end up going in that direction, "camping" in Vegas is an interesting experience. There's a few CGs close to the strip. I understand it's best to avoid the southern/eastern states in the summertime due to high humidity and temps.

On roads, I enjoy towing both on interstates and slower/secondary routes - it's all good. Some interstates are quieter and easier to drive on. Some of the interstates can be clogged with semis and a bit tiring and around major cities can be rather stressful with all the heavy car and truck traffic. I'd suggest looking online for videos of the actual routes you'd be on so you won't have surprises or be caught by construction, forest fires, etc.

Gotta have good access to the internet while on a trip to check on road conditions, etc. and check CGs, attractions and the like. We've been using Verizon 4G mifi on a pay-as-you-go plan but may switch to creating a hotspot on DW's smartphone or possibly use both. In a few places so far we couldn't get a signal on either. A good GPS will help a lot but don't rely 100 percent on it. Good to use paper maps and google to compare. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't.

Make sure to post highlights of the trip and have fun! :)

mikakuja wrote:
We are in the beginning stages of planning (more like discussing), an extended trip starting from our location just outside Vancouver BC Canada. Our furthest destination point would be the Florida Keys. We would like to do a circle route including some of the central states, East Coast and lower states. We are not looking to include the West coast on this trip. We are not new to travel with our truck and travel trailer however we have never traveled the US with one. We are looking for advice on the best routes, sights, camping, do's and don't, etc. Keep in mind that we are only in the planning stage and have not committed to dates or time frames yet. We do not have a specific route in mind at this time.

I should mention that our trailer will have a 400w solar system, inverter, etc and a back up generator. We are set up for boondocking, so full hookup sights will not always be a necessity.

Looking forward to your advice and comments...

What months are you thinking?
The USA has a wide variety of weather; depending on the time of year. Snow in the Rocky and northern areas, tornadoes east of the Mississippi, HEAT in the southern half, high humidity in the south, flash floods etc.

If you are going early in the year, think about circling to the south first (Utah) and then East to Florida (?). Then you can wonder around the east for an bit, then head to the Dakotas and MT.

Before you get too deep into the planning, make sure that you have emergecy medical travel insurance. Don't even consider travelling without it. Read your stability clause carefully and make sure you understand your policy. Know if you have any preexisting conditions. They must be stable. Have fun and safe travels.

I agree on Yellowstone.We were there in May and it was the best trip we ever had. We were in the park for 4 days but could have easily done 6. There is so much to see and it's huge. We stayed in Madison Campground. No hookups. Mammoth Campground looked like the sites were a little more spread out. Madison was more centrally located but there was nothing close to the campground. At Mammoth you are right outside the Village of Mammoth Hot Springs which has a few places to eat,a visitor center and gas. You are also close to Gardiner Montana for groceries,gas and dining.
Black Hills area is nice too. Custer State Park is nice. Several campground some with electric hookups. Not too far from The Badlands and Wall Drug. We also liked Bear Country USA and The Cosmos.
From there I would head east.Many nice state parks to camp along the way. Most have electric hookups some as low as $16 a night. Each state is different as to their campgrounds but most are nice. We stayed at Waubonsi SP in Iowa for $16 a night with electric.Also Pershing State Park in Missouri for $19 a night with electric. Pershing is located on Missouri Rt 36 which is a great alternative to I-70.4 lane and 65 mph. We also stayed at Buck creek State Park just east of Dayton,Ohio off I-70. Beautiful park with electric and swimming beach. You are close to the Air Force Museum if you like planes. Keep going east to Gettysburg. We like Pine Grove Furnace State Park, about $26 a night with electric about 25 miles from Gettysburg.From there I would go to Assateague National Park. No hookups but the wild horses will come right into your campsite. Go to as many ranger programs as you can. From there head south to Shennadoah National park. Stay at either Big Meadows of Loft Mtn. The head south on Blue Ridge Parkway. I would recommend Sherando Lake, a national forest campground with electric hookups. Keep heading south to Goose Point Campground. They have some nice sites in loop C, some right on the water. From there I would head towards Myrtle Beach and stay at Huntington Beach State Park. Most sites are water and electric with some full hookups. Short walk to the beach.Visit Attalaya which is where the Huntington's lived who the park as named after. They also have great nature programs there. You are close to Murrels Inlet where you have some good restaurants like Drunken Jacks.
From there you can head to Florida and the keys. Curry Hammock State Park is nice with sites on the water with water and electric hookups.Have a great time.

Not trying to "slam" anybody, but pick your destinations in the central part of the US. Mt Rushmore, the Black Hills and what ever else interests you. The rest is thousands of mile of corn or wheat !