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jannlanz's avatar
jannlanz
Explorer
Aug 15, 2019

Help finding nightly parking for our caravan

Hello. Can anyone recommend places to stay while traveling cross country, or planning website, apps, etc? We’re moving from Ukiah, CA to Sparta, TN on November 13, 2019. I am a dog breeder and will be transporting 13 Mastiffs and will need a lot of parking room for vehicles and for the setup of temporary dog exercise pens nightly and I don’t think campgrounds will work for our caravan. Showers would be wonderful. Truck stops maybe, stores? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Vehicles included are:

40’ motorhome towing large container.
25’ motorhome towing 15’ trailer.
Ford Excursion towing dog trailer.
Possibly another vehicle and trailer.

Thank you so much.
www.goldleafmastiffs.com

Jann
  • Cabela’s is a great stop. They offer covered dog pens, fresh water, security, and some have a dump station.

    Always check with security, and they will let you know where in the lot to park
  • Thank you for your replies. Would anyone by chance know if there’s a website that can map a trip in 10 hour increments so we can plan our stopping points each day? Thanks.
  • Town / County fair grounds , many of them even have RV spaces .
    They might be mostly empty in Nov .

    I would start calling now .

    We stayed in one in Oct in Kentucky that was empty .
    I mean no one at all , we left the fee in a door drop
    at the office .
    It was a little spooky just the wife and me but there
    will be several people with you so being alone would
    be better for you .
  • Most campgrounds in the mountain west will be closed at that time of the year. You may be able to smile and dial and find some parks in the southwest that will have space since the snowbirds will have not yet flown in large flocks that direction. Appeal to greed by offering to rent multiple sites and offer to not leave until those sites have been inspected for cleanliness. Truck stps would be a horrible idea. They are almost always packed to the gills and a trucker finding multiple parking lanes taken with dog runs might just flip out. Best option might be to call towns along your route and inquire about possible parking at fairgrounds, rodeo grounds or other public places. Once again, the profferring of monetary compensation could grease the wheels.
    I agree with another poster in that you should have your accommodations 100% secured before you depart. Much better to spend a day on the phone than it is to spend a night driving around trying to find a place that won't just laugh wgile showing you the exit.
  • Free Campsites lists free places to park. The further east you go, the harder it will be to find a suitable spot.

    Also, Harvest Hosts lists places open for a free overnight. It costs $50 to join. I would set the search filter on museums and farms. I doubt that wineries would be too welcoming.

    The Allstays app for Android and iOS will help if you get stuck for the night somewhere not planned.

    I'm sure you realize that this type of operation requires a lot of logistical planning. I would have every stop lined up before leaving and use Allstays if things don't go according to the plan.

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