North America loop

DW and I are also planning a trip up the east coast as far as Nova Scotia, so we will be following this thread with interest. As to time, we are thinking after labor day ought to be good, although we may need to start out (from Arkansas) in late August. Definitely want to be in New Hampshire/Vermont during last week of September.

Have only a vague idea of trip now, but in South Caroline: Charleston: yes; Myrtle Beach: avoid.

North Carolina: have already done Blue Ridge Parkway (a must-see), so was thinking of driving the Outer Banks. Don't know anything about it, but sounds interesting.

Virginia: Will do Williamsburg (a must-see) again. Would like to take the tunnel up to Delaware. DW loves historical places. Have already spent much time in Washington, D.C. so won't visit it this time.

Philadelphia: Art Museum and historic districts. Have no idea where we are going to camp.

New York: give a wide birth. Have been there several times by plane, train, and Liberty Harbor. Not for this trip.

Rhode Island: See how the swells live at Newport, if they will allow anyone in a Ford F350 pickup to even enter.

Still looking at New England, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

Starting where? Florida?

BK

If you are going up the east coast don't forget Acadia in Maine, and if you are that close to Price Edward Island, I would highly recommend it too. Hopewell Rocks is great too in New Brunswick. Consider Cape Bretton Island, in NS.

Also if you go to Nova Scotia get some good local maps at the welcome center and a GPS would be good. Unless you like getting lost in NS.

I would suggest taking US 2 across the northern US. We took it all the way to Michigan, then dropped down and came around the Great lakes to Niagra Falls then into Bangor.
Proceeded south along US 1 into New and York and south to DC. On that trip we came back west on US 36-38. Another trip was to angle down to Corpus Christi and then around the Gulf of Mexico to Key Wets, up the east coast to Virginia and then snaked down the Smokey Mountain Trail.
Hate to tell you but each of these trips was over 2 months.
I would make a list of your planned route, send a tourism request to each state and province to give you a better idea of sites you want to visit.

Be prepared to experience a different world `out here'. We have never dry camped in more than 10 years of RVing. One reason is that the opportunities don't seem to exist where we want to go.
So my only advice is to carry Mountain Directory East and West for your planning.

Well since you are retired why race around & try yo do it in only 2 months?

From MD we have done the loop around doing the Pacific Northwest twice. Each trip was at least 10,000 trailer miles. Each trip was over 120 days. Both trips seemed a bit rushed. Neither one was what you could call laid back & easy going.

If starting from CA head out in April/May towards the Gulf Coast, up the Atlantic seaboard & back across either through the middle or north to Seattle then back down. Figure on at least 4 months to do it.

We're planning a two-week loop from NJ through New England in June. Just an FYI, most, if not all, state parks in New England have no water or electric hookups. We will probably visit Plymouth Plantation, and maybe Boston, in MA, and definitely plan on Camden, ME and Acadia Park/Bar Harbor, ME, then will head home through the White Mountains, NH.

Cherry Hill RV Park in DC is the place to stay. You won't have to drive at all to see the sites. They have a shuttle that connects you with the subway right downtown. Parking in DC Mall area is hell and the subway is clean, fast and convenient. You exit about a block from the mall. Plan on at least 2 or 3 days if you want to see it all. And take the shuttle bus that leaves from the mall Smithsonian and takes you out to the Air Museum wing of the Smithsonian near Dulles. Just about every plane that ever flew. I summer in Maine and Acadia is great. Go north to Quoddy Light and you will be standing on the furthest NE point in the US. Very strong tides and whirlpools. There is a great state park campground a few miles west. In New Brunswick stop at the bridge over the reversing falls in St Johns. At Hopewell you can walk on the sea floor at low tide and view the "chocolate rocks". 39 foot tides come back in quickly there and you can watch the tidal "bore" as the tide comes in. Its a standing wave that flows up the bay and up the Chocolate river. There is a wonderful National Park right on the mid coast of NB with many campsites. There are many many historical sites in New England where America as we know it was born. Too many to mention here but get some travel guides. And if you get near BoothBay Me be sure to stay at Shore Hills, the best RV park in the Mid coast and a great quaint little working harbor town.


PS: After Labor Day the crowds are down, the kids are back in school and reservations at choice locations are much easier. And fall in the NE tends to be sunny, dry and cool. By mid Oct the nights can be frosty.

We did a similar trip after we retired and spent nine months doing it. We should have spent more. There is so much to see. Some of our eastern highlights were:
Civil war battlefields, including Fort Sumpter
Mammoth Caves
Smoky Mountain National Park
Washington DC

Bcam,

There sure is a lot to see everywhere. I don't know what your interests are, but if you are way close to the bottom of the lakes, plan two days is Chicago (parking is bad and expensive), for the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum and the (of course) the Museum of Science and Industry. Now, this will take a little doing, there is a wonderful car museum called the Gilmore in Hickory Corner MI and that is not that far off the highway between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. There is the Air Zoo in Ka'zoo. It got called that because they house a collection of privately owned Grumman Cats. Then you have to make a decision to go south to the Cord-Auburn-Duesenburg and National Truck Museum (two that are close together) or north to the Detroit museums of Henry Ford and GreenField Village. Unfortunately, both that complex and the Airforce Museum at Dayton are both what I call one day museums. By that I don't mean they will take a day, both will, but if you are within a day's drive, you should not miss either and they are most of a day apart....
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland is about a half hour museum by the about account. If you get near Erie PA, there is an neat (small but neat) museum all about the naval actions on Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
Upper New York (don't have any loaded weapons) is just amazing scenery. If you get near Johnstown, the flood museum is a nice, but a short stop.
As others have said, stay away form New York City. If you are going East of there, cross the Hudson at the Tappen Zee (Nyack and Terrytown) and plan east from there. I could write all night about New England, I love it and I wish I lived there still.
Lets turn you south to the DC area. Pass up Philadelphia unless you have a native guide. The Liberty Bell is best read about and everything else is buildings. it is a typical megapolis east coast city.
The National Aquarium is in Baltimore, but I have only ever been there by passcar. It is very good and very large.
On to the Smithsonian(s)... You do that it is about seven major and a bunch more smaller museums - Right? The Air and Space can kill a day. Last time we were there, we only had three days and even though it was a second visit for DW and Yours Truly, the kids felt cheated and they were right.
You can see most of what matters about DC just driving though it (again a megapolis just be patient). You might want to park and walk the Lincoln and a couple of other memorials.
There is history all over the east, but I will only direct you to two more. The first is the Mariner's Museum in Newport News. This is where the Monitor is being recovered. It is guaranteed to surprise you. That was much more a ship than you might have ever expected.
If you drive the Outer Banks to get to Hatteras most of it is tourist trap, but the real museums (Wright Bros., Hatteras and others) are pretty good, but watch the prices. The ferry to Cedar Island is a great boat ride. You can overnight in their lot.
About another couple of days (or so) south of there is Charleston. An interesting place on its own, But do not miss the Hunley. It isn't a cheap show, but it is well worth it.
Savannah is a beautiful city and much too tight for most RVs in the historic district.
My fingers are tired now, so I will leave you to continue planning on your own.

Matt