Routes and campgrounds in west

Ages from 17 to 5. E350 v10 12 passenger van 32’ camper. That’s my problem. There is so much out west that it’s hard to nail down. So. If you were taking two weeks off of work to go where would it be and what would you see coming from Nashville? We know we can only see a portion at a time. So what would some good segments be?

Also what would be a reasonable 1 week trip for things to see in Midwest or close west?

It would help to know what time of year you are planning your trip. In winter you should stay south of I-40 in summer you should stay north of I-40.

If you want a taste of the desert just head for west TX on I-10. If you want the Rocky Mountain experience head for Northern NM and Southern CO. If you are trying to see both then loop up to Southern CO and then come back down into western NM.

A 2 week see it all would be to head for Amarillo, TX then up to Walsenburg, CO, over to Cortez, CO via Durango, south to Gallup and then I-40 home. It would be around 3000 miles driving and should give you a week of sight seeing/staying in one place in a two week trip.

I would plan on 3 days in Cortez and take day trips to Durango, Moab, and Mesa Verde then spend another 3 days near Albuquerque and take day trips to Santa Fe, Bandalier, and Sandia Peak.

From the east coast, your going to need 3 weeks. Unless you stay in one area. You won’t be traveling around much! I did Yellowstone, Tetons and then down to Colorado Springs. We did this in 2 weeks. Keep
I mind I drove 2, 11 hour days getting to Yellowstone and the same coming back.

Your lookIng at 4, 9-10 hour days just getting out West! There is a week gone right there. And 4 long driving days in a row is going to kill you. You won’t want to sight see the day after getting there.

It's 1200 miles to Colorado Springs where I would go to start your adventure...doubt you can do it in two days. By the time you wonder around CO headed to Yellowstone it's another 1000 miles and you should take two weeks minimum to do that...heck, most would say you can spend a month in CO alone. It's 1800 miles from Yellowstone to home and there is not much to see other than the Badlands and Rushmore...that makes it a 4000 mile trip. Out and back alone is going to take a week if you put in 500 mile days...your kids are going to love those days if you can even come close to making 500 with all the stops it will take. You need a month to even come close to having an enjoyable trip and seeing enough sites/NPs to make it worth while.

NCMODELA wrote:
Sorry. We have a 35’ travel trailer. We don’t have anything specific we want to see but want to travel out west seeing things. I figured people did this so often that people would have preplanned routes to different areas. We have about two weeks to go.

with only two weeks, you aren't going to be able to see much out West.
Easterners have no idea how big the West is.

i would focus on Yellowstone, Glacier, Tetons trip or a Grand Canyon/Utah trip, with only two weeks.

Something to be aware of, with a family of 10. It could become costly, so plan accordingly. At commerical campgrounds, there is usually a statement that the occupancy rate is for 2 people, and that each additional person would be $XXX/night/person. A frequent figure is $4.50, so that would mean an additional $36/night beyond the rate for the space.

In Rocky Mountain National Park, as an example, there is a limit of 8 people per site, so you would need to reserve 2 sites. In Colorado State Parks, as another example, that limit is 6 people per site, so again you would need to get 2 sites.

I've used Colorado as an example, to expand off Busskipper's post above, and am very familiar with Colorado.

A lot depends on what you might have in mind for a destination. The "West" covers a huge area and your interests for what you would like to see would influence answers. You may or may not like the desert. You may or may not like driving in the mountains. Driving across the Great Plains is...an experience, which you may or may not like. Do you like interstates to get there, or would you prefer to meander? What sort of tow vehicle do you have? What's the ages of your occupants/family members? Answers to these and other questions that I'm sure will come up, will help in giving you more precise information in response.

NCMODELA wrote:
Hi. We are a family of 10 looking to go out west but have no idea of routes and campgrounds as such. I figured many have done these week or 2 week trips before. Does anyone have links or know of a book that simplifies routes out west and suggest certain places to stay.

We are in Nashville tn.

Older post Link on Colorado

Bing Map of Route to Golden

Two Weeks = 16.5 days IF you get everything Packed and leave right after work on Friday - getting say 6 hours in on the first night.

That would leave 850 miles to get you to Golden - Two long days but possible.

Then Monday would start your 11 day adventure before heading home.

Think about it, what do you want to see? Colorado has it all - Mountains - Rivers - Ghost Towns - Mining Town - Ski Towns - Trails - National and State Parks....................

So would this work?

Sorry. We have a 35’ travel trailer. We don’t have anything specific we want to see but want to travel out west seeing things. I figured people did this so often that people would have preplanned routes to different areas. We have about two weeks to go.

Wow, so many unknowns.
Family of 10. Do you have an RV of some type? Or tent camping? What is everyone riding in?
What are your interest and what do you want to see?
One week trip will not get you much past front range of Rockies, or eastern NM, and back and have any time left. Two week trip would get you a little farther.