My husband and I recently purchased a 29' Fleetwood for a cross country trip 3 years in the making. We'll be leaving at the end of June and have 6 weeks to see the best and worst that America has to offer.Departing from Va.heading North to Niagara Falls then West . We would like to visit most of the National Landmarks Grand Canyon,Yellowstone,Yosemite,Mount Rushmore etc. My questions for the experienced ones on this site are : Which routes to take? Scenic vs. interstate is ok. Which landmarks are must see which ones should be avoided? Which National / State parks are recommended . Remoteness / Wilderness with no hook ups is appealing. Which cities should be avoided because of traffic,high crime or not as accommodating should we have to Wallydock for a night or two.What are some other things to see between the East coast and West coast we may not have thought of.Any and all feedback will be appreciated both positive and negative to help some newbies on what we are calling the once in a lifetime trip.

If your going to mt rushmore dont miss the crazy horse memorial..enjoy your trip

Just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore is Custer State Park. Please don't miss it. You will drive the needles highway, see bison, and can stop and feed the wild burros. Utah has beautiful National Parks, well worth looking at. Another beautiful National Park is Roosevelt NP in Western ND. Glacier NP in MT. is great. The best ghost town I have located is Bannack, MT. Have fun and be safe. May God be with you and please keep us posted. We all live through others adventures.

Alabama Jim wrote:Just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore is Custer State Park. Please don't miss it. You will drive the needles highway, see bison, and can stop and feed the wild burros. Utah has beautiful National Parks, well worth looking at. Another beautiful National Park is Roosevelt NP in Western ND. Glacier NP in MT. is great. The best ghost town I have located is Bannack, MT. Have fun and be safe. May God be with you and please keep us posted. We all live through others adventures.I agree completely about Custer State Park. I think it is a real gem. I would only add that it might be advisable to set up camp in Custer before driving the Needles Highway. I, personally, wouldn't want to pull an rv through that highway. Maybe that's just me.-Speak

PGBusLady wrote:My husband and I recently purchased a 29' Fleetwood for a cross country trip 3 years in the making. We'll be leaving at the end of June and have 6 weeks to see the best and worst that America has to offer.Departing from Va.heading North to Niagara Falls then West . We would like to visit most of the National Landmarks Grand Canyon,Yellowstone,Yosemite,Mount Rushmore etc. My questions for the experienced ones on this site are : Which routes to take? Scenic vs. interstate is ok. Which landmarks are must see which ones should be avoided? Which National / State parks are recommended . Remoteness / Wilderness with no hook ups is appealing. Which cities should be avoided because of traffic,high crime or not as accommodating should we have to Wallydock for a night or two.What are some other things to see between the East coast and West coast we may not have thought of.Any and all feedback will be appreciated both positive and negative to help some newbies on what we are calling the once in a lifetime trip.Wow! Planned for 3 years but just researching your route and where to stay 2 weeks out?!? Sooo the antithesis of OCD me, LOL. Don't visit NYC due to lack of WM, traffic and accommodations. Have fun out there !

If you have any interest in American history, and in particular, Cold War era history, you should take the time to tour the Minuteman Missile National Historical site. You can tour the underground missile launch facility. This is not the missile silos where the actual nuclear warheads were kept, but it is the control facility for many of those silos. Absolutely fascinating for this baby-boomer. It's in west-central South Dakota, very near the Badlands National Park.Minuteman Missile National Historical Site-Speak

Cross Country Trip | Good Sam Community

rollingslow
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
If your going to mt rushmore dont miss the crazy horse memorial..enjoy your trip
Alabama_Jim
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
Just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore is Custer State Park. Please don't miss it. You will drive the needles highway, see bison, and can stop and feed the wild burros. Utah has beautiful National Parks, well worth looking at. Another beautiful National Park is Roosevelt NP in Western ND. Glacier NP in MT. is great. The best ghost town I have located is Bannack, MT.

Have fun and be safe. May God be with you and please keep us posted. We all live through others adventures.
SpeakEasy
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
Alabama Jim wrote:
Just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore is Custer State Park. Please don't miss it. You will drive the needles highway, see bison, and can stop and feed the wild burros. Utah has beautiful National Parks, well worth looking at. Another beautiful National Park is Roosevelt NP in Western ND. Glacier NP in MT. is great. The best ghost town I have located is Bannack, MT.

Have fun and be safe. May God be with you and please keep us posted. We all live through others adventures.

I agree completely about Custer State Park. I think it is a real gem. I would only add that it might be advisable to set up camp in Custer before driving the Needles Highway. I, personally, wouldn't want to pull an rv through that highway. Maybe that's just me.

-Speak
NYCgrrl
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
PGBusLady wrote:
My husband and I recently purchased a 29' Fleetwood for a cross country trip 3 years in the making. We'll be leaving at the end of June and have 6 weeks to see the best and worst that America has to offer.Departing from Va.heading North to Niagara Falls then West . We would like to visit most of the National Landmarks Grand Canyon,Yellowstone,Yosemite,Mount Rushmore etc. My questions for the experienced ones on this site are : Which routes to take? Scenic vs. interstate is ok. Which landmarks are must see which ones should be avoided? Which National / State parks are recommended . Remoteness / Wilderness with no hook ups is appealing. Which cities should be avoided because of traffic,high crime or not as accommodating should we have to Wallydock for a night or two.What are some other things to see between the East coast and West coast we may not have thought of.Any and all feedback will be appreciated both positive and negative to help some newbies on what we are calling the once in a lifetime trip.

Wow! Planned for 3 years but just researching your route and where to stay 2 weeks out?!? Sooo the antithesis of OCD me, LOL.

Don't visit NYC due to lack of WM, traffic and accommodations.
Have fun out there !
SpeakEasy
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
If you have any interest in American history, and in particular, Cold War era history, you should take the time to tour the Minuteman Missile National Historical site. You can tour the underground missile launch facility. This is not the missile silos where the actual nuclear warheads were kept, but it is the control facility for many of those silos. Absolutely fascinating for this baby-boomer. It's in west-central South Dakota, very near the Badlands National Park.

Minuteman Missile National Historical Site

-Speak
obgraham
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
Six weeks to see all the USA?

Naaah. Can't be done.

You'll just get a taste. Pick some area to explore in more detail, otherwise you're going to be on the road more than seeing stuff.
bgum
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
Avoid DC, Atlanta, and Houston traffic. Once you get past central Texas no more traffic problems until Calif.
DrewE
Explorer II
Jun 11, 2016
That is a rather open-ended question!

I was fortunate enough as a kid to get to take a generally similar trip with my mom, a year and a half after my father passed away. We were tent camping with the periodic motel room. 10 year old me very much enjoyed the trip, and we did get to see many worthwhile things...and, of course, missed many others given the time constraints. Yes, there is a lot of highway time, and having more time would of course be nicer, but if you wait until you can spend months and months making a trip you very well could end up never getting anywhere.

Some highlights (from that trip and other traveling I've done):
The Corning Glass Museum is well worth visiting (though it may well be practically local to you)
Niagara falls
The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village outside of Detroit (two days would not be too much there; the place is huge)
The Badlands--I really enjoyed that.
Yellowstone (Huge, one could spend weeks there; also, it was very cold camping in late October when we were there; 6F in the morning in a tent is definitely chilly.)
CA 1, the Pacific coast highway (depending on your comfort with heights and twisty roads and driving your RV, you may wish to skip that!)
Hoover dam (take a tour if you go).
Carlsbad Caverns
The American Museum of Science and Energy (Oak Ridge, KY) was much better than we anticipated.
Monticello
Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive

I was not so impressed with Mt Rushmore (for me, it's in the category of "yep, now I've seen it" and, for some reason I can't entirely explain, the Grand Canyon. I suspect I'd have a different opinion of the latter now, or with more time to actually explore/hike it.
bigred1cav
Explorer
Jun 11, 2016
My wife and I are making same trip meeting up in Co with son to get our coach he will drive car back to Ohio . We will continue on and travel wherever in the west. Would like company, let us know.

PGBusLady wrote:
My husband and I recently purchased a 29' Fleetwood for a cross country trip 3 years in the making. We'll be leaving at the end of June and have 6 weeks to see the best and worst that America has to offer.Departing from Va.heading North to Niagara Falls then West . We would like to visit most of the National Landmarks Grand Canyon,Yellowstone,Yosemite,Mount Rushmore etc. My questions for the experienced ones on this site are : Which routes to take? Scenic vs. interstate is ok. Which landmarks are must see which ones should be avoided? Which National / State parks are recommended . Remoteness / Wilderness with no hook ups is appealing. Which cities should be avoided because of traffic,high crime or not as accommodating should we have to Wallydock for a night or two.What are some other things to see between the East coast and West coast we may not have thought of.Any and all feedback will be appreciated both positive and negative to help some newbies on what we are calling the once in a lifetime trip.
bukhrn
Explorer III
Jun 11, 2016
obgraham wrote:
Six weeks to see all the USA?

Naaah. Can't be done.

You'll just get a taste. Pick some area to explore in more detail, otherwise you're going to be on the road more than seeing stuff.
True that,we did 12 weeks last year, without NY, beyond the SD Bad Lands, Black Hills,area (including Custer State Park) Mt Rushmore, Devils Tower,, there is Theodore Roosevelt NP in ND, Bighorn Canyon in Northern WY., on to Cody, into Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons, then up to Glacier NP, over to ID, & WA for Mt Rainier & Mt St Helens, down to Crater Lake in Or., & over to The Northern Redwoods in Ca, Down to Yosemite, then the Sequoias & Kings Canyon, and over to Grand Canyon, Zion & Bryce area, then d0wn to Moab for the Arches & Canyonlands, then up to Rocky Mtn NP.
After that you're on your own. ;)
Now, in between any of those, there are a lot of other things to see & do, but I doubt you can do it all in 6 weeks, but no matter where you go, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself, there is just too much to see & do in this great country in such a short time.