My wife and I just got our first toy hauler and are planning a trip for Christmas vacation since we can easily get 10 days off. We'll be leaving from San Diego. The smart thing to do seems to stay South so we don't have to deal with more intense weather so we decided to head to Texas. We have some questions that I'll list below, but we could really use any recommendations you have. Thanks in advance.- Are there any areas of Texas we should avoid in general due to weather or recent natural disasters?- Where are good places to rest/dump/fuel there and back?- What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day? I'm familiar with long restless drives (Minnesota) in a car, but I realize more rest will be needed.- Where is a good place to ride the quads?- Any weather concerns?- Good sites to see?- Texas/Arizona driving laws/habits we might not know? For example, in CA it's right lane 55 max.Other information:This won't be our first trip out with this rig and it's not the first rig I've pulled. However, I wouldn't consider myself experienced, especially on long trips. We haven't bought quads/bikes yet because we're not sure what we want. We might want to rent some sportier quads on location rather than borrow Grizzlies, so we can try them out. We're currently considering South Padre Island as our farthest stop but that doesn't leave time for much else.'05 Duramax32' toy hauler2 Grizzlies (maybe)

Weather can be unpredictable but as long as you pay attention to the weather reports each morning before you hit the road and if you see a storm in the direction you travel you should be able to decide when it's best to park in a safe spot to wait out any extreme stuff.We usually travel 400 to 800 miles per day depending on if we need to get somewhere by a certain date/time. If traveling leisurely we will stop at roadside attractions, tourist spots, rest stops at will. Also large truck stops or gas stations are convenient for rest stops, dump stations and fuel.I-8 or 1-10 will provide opportunities to ride your grizzlies since both routes travel through semi-desert geographies. Research BLM ORV spots along your path.

- Are there any areas of Texas we should avoid in general due to weather or recent natural disasters?The Upper Gulf Coast (Houston to Corpus Christi) was heavily affected by the hurricane, Harvey. The Lower Rio Grande Valley and South Padre Island were much less impacted. Your route does not seem to be within the area affected. As for weather, see below.- Where are good places to rest/dump/fuel there and back?- What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day? I'm familiar with long restless drives (Minnesota) in a car, but I realize more rest will be needed.This is a very personal matter. My own range is from 250 to 400 miles per day, preferring around 300 to 350. I like to start early in the day and stop for lunch--outside the RV, usually in a restaurant--then try to arrive around 3:30 in the afternoon.- Where is a good place to ride the quads?- Any weather concerns?Texas is a big place with many climate environments, but one thing can be said for the entire state: December weather can be all the way from shirt sleeves and sunshine to snow and ice--and it can go from one to the other in a matter of days. I remember one Christmas when there was snow in Corpus Christi and we had none up here in Northeast Texas. But most Christmas Days I can remember from my boyhood involved playing outside in pleasant weather. This is something that can not be predicted, only to be prepared for.- Good sites to see?I have mentioned Carlsbad Caverns below. I would add Big Bend National Park and Davis Mountains in far West Texas. The Hill Country around Fredericksburg as well as San Antonio would be near I-10. The problem is the time you have if you are going on down to the Rio Grande Valley or South Padre Island. You won't be much over half way of your trip when you get to El Paso.- Texas/Arizona driving laws/habits we might not know? For example, in CA it's right lane 55 max.In Texas we drive right along with the automobiles, showing good sense and courtesy but not much restricted by law.Here is a trip we took a few years ago from East Texas to the San Diego area. Of course, your plan would be to head much more southeast once in Texas, but this is just an example of miles and stops:Weatherford, TX === 1 202 ... Serinity Ranch RVMidland, TX === 1 283 ... Medissa Oil Patch RVCarlsbad, NM === 1 149 ... Carlsbad RV ParkDeming, NM === 1 261 ... Little Vineyard RVEloy, AZ === 1 275 ... Desert Valley RVBoulevard, CA === 1 298 ... Sacred Rocks RVValley Center, CA=== 2 85 .... Woods Valley RVThe second column is the number of nights we stayed. I would not advise such a schedule, but our goal was California. We did work in a very nice tour of Carlsbad Caverns on the afternoon we were there. The second column is the miles between stops.

Forget the weather; it's unpredictable, deal with it when it happens. We were in freezing rain in west TX, entire front cap of trailer was a sheet of ice until it melted off in NM. You'll love doing 75 mph in AZ. Hardest part of your trip will be getting over your SD mountains. Last year wife wanted to get to Tampa in a hurry. 2000 miles in 4 days. You can do the math.

“What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day?”Should you choose to join the “230 / 2:30 Club” we would welcome you. We stop when we hit 230 miles or the clocks say 2:30 p.m. for an enjoyable afternoon and evening.

How far in a day is a tough one. We are slow travelers and typically average something like 44mph over long hauls (once you account for stops and whatnot).Basically- a 10 hour day of travel, and I can make 440 miles.My ideal is 200-250 miles in a day, but that's rarely realistic and I need to make time. My most at one shot was 900 miles- left at 10pm, arrived at 6pm.

San Diego to Texas in December | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

haulandride
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
NMDriver wrote:
Dec in Utah? You might want to check the average night time temps. at your destinations.

Just go to Tucson in one day and spend 8 days there.

8 days in one place is a bit slow paced for us. We really couldn't find much around Tucson that interested us for that long. St. George is South enough that the weather doesn't appear to be too bad. The trailer is also winterized and we don't mind the cold. An added bonus is the ATV rentals that will help us in our future buying decisions.

Thanks for the suggestion though. We're still open to ideas.
NMDriver
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
Dec in Utah? You might want to check the average night time temps. at your destinations.

Just go to Tucson in one day and spend 8 days there.
haulandride
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
Thank you all for the excellent feedback. This will definitely change our trip. We really liked the recommendation of the 60/40 rule.

We had originally talked about heading into Utah and these recommendations have brought us back to that. We'll start early the first day and park in Vegas for a couple nights. Then we'll head up toward St. George where there are some sites and ATV rentals. We're still working out all the details, but we can drive home in a day if necessary although we'll probably make it two.

There are lots of places we want to visit eventually. We'll definitely make it to South Padre and the other Texas recommendations in our future trips.
fanrgs
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
Last January, we made a week-long loop from Las Cruces to Big Bend NP, Ft. Davis NM, McDonald Observatory, Presidio, and Marfa. The weather was beautiful, except for some wind in the Davis Mountains, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s. It was the ideal time of the year for hiking in comfort, so we had a great time!
Busskipper
Explorer
Oct 20, 2017
haulandride wrote:
My wife and I just got our first toy hauler and are planning a trip for Christmas vacation since we can easily get 10 days off. We'll be leaving from San Diego. The smart thing to do seems to stay South so we don't have to deal with more intense weather so we decided to head to Texas. We have some questions that I'll list below, but we could really use any recommendations you have. Thanks in advance.

- Are there any areas of Texas we should avoid in general due to weather or recent natural disasters?

- Where are good places to rest/dump/fuel there and back?

- What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day? I'm familiar with long restless drives (Minnesota) in a car, but I realize more rest will be needed.

- Where is a good place to ride the quads?

- Any weather concerns?

- Good sites to see?

- Texas/Arizona driving laws/habits we might not know? For example, in CA it's right lane 55 max.

Other information:

This won't be our first trip out with this rig and it's not the first rig I've pulled. However, I wouldn't consider myself experienced, especially on long trips. We haven't bought quads/bikes yet because we're not sure what we want. We might want to rent some sportier quads on location rather than borrow Grizzlies, so we can try them out. We're currently considering South Padre Island as our farthest stop but that doesn't leave time for much else.

'05 Duramax
32' toy hauler
2 Grizzlies (maybe)

Lets try to simplify this trip - 1600+ miles one way = 3-5 days out and three to five days back - 10 days total

= = = = equals, no time to Play

So maybe New Mexico/Arizona/Utah -

10 days - let's try to stick to the 60 - 40 rule - never spend more time getting there, than being there.

Otherwise it's a trip not a Vacation - JMHO, and I love to drive.

Your average speed will tend to be closer to 50 mph than 60 so use 50 to determine maximum distance you can get in a day - one other thing would be to leave right after work getting say six hours in - 300 miles giving you more range and/or more time at the desired destination.

Link to possible 4x4 trails in the Southwest

Hope this is not raining on your Parade but there are many very good opportunities, much closer to home than South Padre Island.

Get back to us and we will try to get you some infor that will allow you to enjoy those 10 days, maybe even getting a Great present under the tree.

JMHO,
gregirish1954
Explorer
Oct 20, 2017
Here's a link to Texas State OHV oportunities:

Link
DougE
Explorer
Oct 20, 2017
Seeing Texas in 10 days is like spending one day in Yellowstone. You'll use up 4 days going and coming (and that's just getting to the Texas border). My recommendation is to just see the Big Bend region. Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico), McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, Big Bend National Park will do you.
khager76248
Explorer
Oct 20, 2017
I second the Big Bend National Park, the park is really big. It has one full hookup rv place in the part(if my memory is correct), it is Rio grande Village RV. The park also has alot of no hookup sites. Carlsbad, Davis Mountains, are also good. If you want the ocean, I would also recommend staying south near S. Padre.
We also, always have fun going to San Antonio for a few days. It really depends on what you want to do.
ependydad
Explorer
Oct 20, 2017
How far in a day is a tough one. We are slow travelers and typically average something like 44mph over long hauls (once you account for stops and whatnot).

Basically- a 10 hour day of travel, and I can make 440 miles.

My ideal is 200-250 miles in a day, but that's rarely realistic and I need to make time. My most at one shot was 900 miles- left at 10pm, arrived at 6pm.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Oct 20, 2017
“What is a realistic number of miles to drive per day?”

Should you choose to join the “230 / 2:30 Club” we would welcome you. We stop when we hit 230 miles or the clocks say 2:30 p.m. for an enjoyable afternoon and evening.