Forum Discussion

whitneykt's avatar
whitneykt
Explorer
Jun 10, 2016

Which books and/or apps for trip planning?

If you had to pick 3-4 RVing reference books to add to your "trip planning" library, which would you get and why?

Also, are there any apps that you use for your trip planning.

i.e. Bridge heights, roads long 5'rs can't go on, campsite finders w/length limitations, places to visit and any other book(s) you find useful.

18 Replies

  • Since I got a smart phone and the "RV parks" app (free) I'm not sure I will ever use my directory again. It's just a map of the US which you can zoom out or in, find your routes and move along them and the campgrounds just start popping up. Sometimes you have to zoom in closer to get government parks but they are nearly all there. Then touch the little symbol and the full name of the campground comes up with details about amenities, phone number, etc.
  • 1. Mountain West Directory (or Mountain East). Provides information on every pass or highway deemed to be a challenge for truckers and RV'ers.
    2. Motor Carrier's Road Atlas - contains truck routes, overpass heights, etc.
    3. Woodall's Campground Directory - published every year but information is actually good for many more and is very useful.
  • A relative gave me two National Geographic guides, one featuring some selected State Parks and the other the National Parks. I like to look at those when I'm putting together a cross-country itinerary.

    Mostly I use the Internet. For apps, I like AllStays Camp & RV to locate campgrounds and GasBuddy to find good fuel prices.

    I use RV Park Reviews.com often, and also search this forum for opinions.
  • I got rid of all the books and use my laptop.
    I use Google Maps for mapping our route.
    Then I use www.woodalls.com to find campground near where we want to stop.
    Then I check a couple of campgrounds on www.rvparkreviews.com to make the final selection.
    I use CoPilot app for RV's (new) for GPS and locating things nearby, fuel stops, etc. It doesn't require cell service to do the routing. Also comes with 1 year of traffic info.
    The only thing I still buy is the Walmart Rand McNally Atlas. It has all the Walmart locations and shows whether they have fuel. I use it to double check the route that Google Maps shows or the CoPilot shows and also use it when we stop for local info and to pinpoint our location if we get severe weather.