Epic (for us) road trip

[Veronica]

My 16 year old son and I are going on an epic road trip. It may be mundane for many of you, and would be for me as well, except that for the last 25 years or so I've pretty much stuck to areas within 500 miles of home.

We are leaving Bristol, Virginia tomorrow morning and heading West on I-40. We're not taking the camper (I don't trust my Suburban for that sort of distance, and I couldn't afford to feed it anyway). We are, however, going to be tent camping for most of the trip (all of it if he has his way).

We're looking for not only the normal touristy stuff (Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite, etc.) but also the kitschy stuff (Cadillac Ranch, for example). I recently discovered Canyon de Chelly and we'll be stopping there as well.

We'll leave Vegas and head towards Highway 1 and drive up the coast for a while. I really want him to see that view. Then we'll visit Yosemite. After that, it will really depend on time. I have to be back in mid-July for some teacher in-service stuff. He wants to see Yellowstone as well, so I'd love to take him there and to Mt. Rushmore.

He says he's tired of visiting "old dead guy's houses" so this trip we're looking for more natural and odd things to do. He's not going to be interested in memorials and such (though I may make him go to the Civil Rights Museum and Graceland in Memphis anyway).

We're on a budget (teacher salary here), so any advice on cheap but safe camping spots is greatly appreciated. I know that due to our uncertain travel dates reservations are impossible and it will be hard to find spots in some places like Yosemite. Working in our favor, though, is the fact that we're not locked into a schedule, so can show up early weekday mornings at some of the non-reservation sites and hopefully get lucky. Also working in our favor is that I grew up in Las Vegas and we'll be staying with my friend in her nice air-conditioned house instead of in the tent. 🙂

Thanks for any input. I want this to be a very memorable experience for him...a true tour of much of our country.

[tonyandkaren]

Glad you having a good time! We've been to both Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum. We didn't see Jacqueline Smith protesting - very interesting story. You have to admire that type of dedication but the museum is very good and doesn't seem to be exploiting anything. I recommend that everyone visit it if they're in the area.

If you haven't been to Vegas since you were 16 you and your son should check out some of the over-the-top architecture of the strip casinos. He'll probably enjoy The Fremont Street Experience too. Have fun!

[Veebyes]

Don't be afraid to wing it without reservations, even in some of the busy areas. Weekdays are not usually full. For weekends get someplace by midday Friday, before the local weekend warriors show up, & stay put for 2 nights. Any other day, get there by mid afternoon & there should be room for walk ins.

We are in the middle of a 10,000 mile round the country trip. For the most part, no reservations.

[Veronica]

4runnerguy...normally Vegas wouldn't be my kind of town, but I grew up there and have friends I want to visit. I loved Red Rock Canyon when I was young, and he wants to go there. I'll take him to some of my old haunts, but I lived there when I was 16, so I know there's not much to do. My best friend lives in a great neighborhood with a lot of kids his age, so I think it will be a welcome reprieve for us - we'll be tired of each other by then and will need to see some other faces.

[Veronica]

Thanks for all of the input, everyone. I'll definitely check out the places you recommended.

We've started our journey. We arrived in Memphis last night and set up in the campground across from Graceland. Muy swanky for us. We spent the day touring Memphis. We saw Graceland (he LOVED this old dead guy's house - I'm afraid there's shag carpet on his bedroom ceiling in the future). We were going to go to the Civil Rights Museum, but the protester outside (Jacqueline Smith - Google her) made some good points - would Dr. King really want us spending 9 million dollars on a museum in his name in one of the most poverty-ridden cities in the country? We took pics from outside and gave her the money we would have spent on admission. We spend the afternoon on Beale Street, had lunch, and saw the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. My son's new aspirition is to be a Duck Master or a Beale Street Flipper.

Tomorrow we pack up and head West to hunt for diamonds.

[newk]

Once you're into the Rockies, NFS campgrounds in the higher elevations will be plenty cool without AC. We often camp in the Bighorns at around 8K feet with our 5th wheel, and we always use some heat at night, right through July and August. Without it you'll need warm sleeping bags, and be sure to have some warm clothing -- at least sweater/sweatshirt/wool shirt and a light jacket, and of course bring rain gear.

On weekends you might have trouble finding a camping site in a FS campground, but during the week if you stop by 3-4 p.m. you should be fine. Dispersed camping in the national forests is free, but you won't get a toilet, picnic table or drinking water.

[4runnerguy]

Congratulations on taking a trip with your son. He'll surely remember this for years.

Once you get west, you'll find lots of camping opportunities on NFS, NPS, and BLM lands. One of the best ways I've found to located campgrounds is using this campground map. Just type in a town you'll be near and it will zoom to that area, showing both public and private CG's. Also, if you haven't discovered it yet, this is a good place to find more detailed information on NFS CG's around the US.

Six weeks may seem like a lot, but you'll have to be quite selective in where you'll go. Of course there's the obvious choices like Yellowstone and the Oregon Coast, but there are other beautiful places that aren't necessarily in the NPS system. For instance here in Colorado, I'd steer you to either a few days in and around the Leadville/Buena Vista/Salida area or to the Durango/Silverton/Ouray area. In either place, you'll find amazing scenery, great hikes, and ghost towns to explore. The river rafting on the Arkansas might be something your son would really get a kick out of. Durango is more convenient to Canyon de Chelly and you can also visit Mesa Verde while you are there. The Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is an unbelievable ride through breathtaking scenery on an 1880's vintage railroad. Not some short little trip, but 45 miles each way on a full day excursion.

The Grand Canyon is indeed Grand, but another option is to head from Colorado to Moab Utah. Visit Arches and Canyonlands NP's. While not as deep as the Grand Canyon, we prefer the views from Island in the Sky at Canyonlands. Arches is otherworldly. While you're too late for reservations at Arches, there are BLM CG's right along the Colorado River. Just don't arrive on a Friday and expect to find a spot. Once you leave there, you can head west via I-70 and US 50/US 6 through Nevada and approach Yosemite from the east via CA 120.

(I would say that unless you have some relatives to visit in Las Vegas, I'd skip there altogether. There's so much better ways to spend time with a 16 year old.)

Yosemite can be very tough to get a place to camp w/o reservations. You'll find places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite to be incredibly packed in June and July. Traffic in Yosemite Valley can slow to a crawl during the day.

As far as travelling the coast, rather than CA 1, I'd head straight for the Oregon Coast. The state parks there are amazing as is the scenery (cheaper and more abundant SP CG's than CA). Since you are tenting, you'll have a lot more options for campsites than those in an RV, and there are still some of those sites to be reserved. On the southern OR coast, we like Harris Beach SP. Close enough to CA to visit the redwoods without putting up with the high cost of CA SP's. North from there, we like Sunset Bay SP and Beachside SP to name a couple. Check out some of the brochures here, both for individual parks and for the tide pool and lighthouse brochures. They will help guide you explorations as you drive the coast.

On your trip from the coast toward Yellowstone, I'd head inland and follow the Columbia River upstream from Portland. The Columbia River Gorge has a number of great waterfalls. Follow the old highway (US 30) rather than the interstate. There are a couple of SP's along the gorge (we stay in Ainsworth SP when in the area). Check out this brochure to plan your day.

With a tent, you'll have more opportunities to find a first-come, first-served CG at Yellowstone. Do plan on several days at Yellowstone, as driving through the park isn't quick and each section of the park has it's own unique scenery to enjoy. The Upper and Lower Geyser Basins and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are the places not to be missed.

In fact I'll give the advice I often give here. I find it's better to spend a little more time in fewer places rather than seeing very little of a lot of places. If you're used to visiting "old dead guy's houses" on your trips, you'll find on your trip out west a whole 'nother world of vacation experiences.

I've given you lots of info here. Hopefully I haven't overwhelmed you. Have fun.

[2gypsies1]

Your son is so lucky to have a mom like you!!! It WILL be a special trip because you'll be making memories together. Even if you get sidetracked and don't make it to the coast, whatever you do will be terrific. You're the greatest!

Try to find some direct route from A to B that don't involve the interstates. You'll see a lot more of our beautiful country. With a tent you'll have many choices in the national parks, state parks and national forests as you travel. Every campground does not reserve 100% of the sites. Pull in by early afternoon (morning even better) and you'll get a site - even in Yellowstone where there are many non-reservable campgrounds. Try to work in at least a night in Grand Teton Nat'l Park just south of Yellowstone. It's a beauty. Colter Bay and Gros Ventre campgrounds don't accept reservations and there are 300 sites in each.

If you want to drive the California coast a little, try to route yourself to Hwy 1 above San Francisco. Perhaps start at Bodega Bay (a few nice county parks right on the water) and work your way north to Fort Bragg. It's an awesome wild coastline with plenty of campgrounds, and a smidgen fewer people than further south. Then head inland to Hwy 101 and if you have time before turning around for home, spend a couple nights around Redcrest, CA and tour the Avenue of the Giants (redwoods). It's easy to access and there are many great, easy and fast trails to do just off Hwy 101. Please report back and tell us how it went...safe travels!

[noe-place]

I have to say lady, you're right up there with the best Mommys in the world; doing this for your son. My wife spent thirty years teaching (Speech Pathologist) and teachers don't get near the appreciation/pay they deserve. We of RV.NET want you to know you have our unconditional respects.

[I_am_still_wayn]

www.nps.gov

Check out the National Park's website. You will find many, many opportunities to check out neat stuff- historical, geological, and cultural. Many sites have campgrounds. If you are 62 or older, you can buy a senior pass for $10 that will give you abd your son free admission to all the parks and 50% off campground fees at almost every Federal campground. If not that old, a pass for $85 (I think) will get you and your son free admission to all the National Parks. Plan your itinerary and the costs for admission to the parks; this can save a lot of money!

[ratherBcampin]

On second thought, I do have a suggestion......Seek out campgrounds that have cabin rentals with the bare bones minimum.....A REAL BED will be more comfy without the $$$ of a hotel/motel

[ratherBcampin]

I really don't have any suggestions for you, but I MUST comment......You are the BEST mom EVER for being willing to give up your "comforts" for your kid!!!!!! YOU ROCK!

[tatest]

I recommend three books for planning a trip like this:

"Eccentric America" by Jan Friedman
"Watch It Made in the USA" by Karen Axelrod and Bruce Brumberg
"Road Trip USA" by Jamie Jensen

The latter I use for general planning, and though it is about the old trunk highways, the Interstate system largely parallels those highways. It is just that the interesting stuff is off the Interstate, mostly along the old road.

First two were my late wife's choice for planning, she liked factory visits and the odd stuff. Jamie Jensen lists the oddities along his routes, but not the factory tours and company museums.

For the trip you propose, you could probably put together an interesting round trip loop using parts of Jamie Jensen's Oregon Trail, Loneliest Road, and Route 66 road trips (trips 8, 9 and 11 in the edition I am looking at).

You are making your north-south connection in California, so you will likely miss some of the red rock national parks and western Rockies parks in Utah and Colorado, normally visited moving between the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. But if you want to learn about them, I recommend the Discovery Channel's Insight Guide "American Southwest."

For tent camping, I recommend finding public campgrounds in state parks, national parks, and national recreation areas. Across the whole of the Louisiana Purchase, you will find Corps of Engineers campgrounds on the flood control reservoirs for the Missouri, Platte, and Arkansas river systems that feed the Mississippi.

For private campgrounds, the KOA and Yogi Bear franchises require that operators provide camping facilities (sometimes air-conditioned cabins) on their property. Cabins cost more than a campsite, but much less than a decent motel room, and provide some comfort and protection when weather makes tenting miserable.

Not all RV parks permit camping, even some that include "campground" in their name. If you are using somebody's RV Park and Campground guide, check the descriptions to make sure tent sites are available.

Across much of the agricultural Midwest and Great Plains, municipalities and counties operate local low-cost facilities to support seasonal workers, but most of these I've stopped at have been strictly RV parks, no camping.

It is going to be hot going across the plains. My experience, that doesn't keep people from tent camping. They go to campgrounds where they camp in the shade (to have trees here means you are on a lake or reservoir), spend time in the water, and don't wear a whole lot of clothing. My campground outfit is sandals, light shorts, and a t-shirt.

But bring a little bit of warm clothing too, because it can get pretty cool at night and in the morning, when you get up around 7000 to 12,000 feet elevation,

[profdant139]

That is an epic trip -- but it is not at all impossible. Speaking as a Southern Californian, I would recommend not going to Southern Calif at all in the summer -- crowded and hot. The beaches are nice (especially in northern San Diego County), but otherwise it's an urban zoo.

If you want to stay as cool as possible, here are some ideas -- hit the north rim of the Grand Canyon. High elevation and trees. Yes, the south rim has somewhat better views -- but it is hot and crowded.

From there, head over to the Eastern Sierra -- perhaps the Bishop Creek area. The campgrounds are very high up and cool, and the scenery is pretty darn good -- this is Lake Sabrina:



If you must visit Yosemite, the high country over Tioga Pass (Highway 120) is great. I try to avoid Yosemite Valley in the summer -- hot and crowded. But the Sequoias, an easy day's drive south of Yosemite, will have plenty of cool camping, and those trees are amazing and very peaceful:



(To get a sense of scale, the yellow dot at the bottom of the picture is my wife.)

From there, you can cut over to the coast -- it would be a long day's drive from Sequoia to the coastal redwoods -- I recommend the Prairie Creek area -- it is cooler than some of the other groves. In the summer, the temperature rises a lot with every mile away from the coast.

[TyroneandGladys]

Palo Duro Canyon State Park near Amarillo is a great place to spend a night you drive down into the second largest canyon in the US and camp down there. Afer leaving Yellowstone stop at Devils Tower. In the Mount Rushmore area make sure you go to the Mammoth site in Hot Springs.