Phoenix to Dubois WY

[DesertDwellers]

Work has kept us homebound, without much time in the RV this summer, but with retirement just around the corner, I'm looking at plans for next August.

Our daughter and son-in-law have been invited to a wedding in Dubois WY in August. The date happens to be the same as a total solar eclipse, so our daughter thought we might like to make a little trip out of it, maybe see a little of Yellowstone.

But as I look at the map, there are a LOT of mountains between Arizona and Wyoming....We have a 33' class A, and will have some sort of toad by then.

Found some good reviews about the RV parks in Dubois, but I'm wondering if someone who has made this drive could give some idea of what it's like. Thanks!

[2gypsies1]

Good for you on scoring a reservation. Once you do this 'big' trip you'll be doing many more after retirement. Keep in mind that there will be no reason to hurry back home. Relax and enjoy the places you go.

[DesertDwellers]

Corky12 wrote:
Only change I would make to 2 gypsies route is just stay on 89 in Utah until you reach I-80. No need to go over to I-15. But then I would drive one lane gravel roads rather than go through Salt Lake City on I-15.

Just made our reservations in Dubois...holy moly...they take this eclipse stuff seriously LOL I booked one of the two remaining spots! 11 mos away!!

Our kids won't have as much time off work as we will, so they will be flying into SLC where they'll Uber to meet us at some off airport site (probably a Walmart) so I think driving I-15 through Salt Lake is going to be unavoidable....at least on the way up.

Thanks to all for the great advice/tips. 2gypsies, I'll get the mountain guide you've recommended. I'm almost giddy with excitement, we've never traveled so far from home base in our rig and I'm so looking forward to the ride!

[2gypsies1]

Corky12 wrote:
Only change I would make to 2 gypsies route is just stay on 89 in Utah until you reach I-80. No need to go over to I-15. But then I would drive one lane gravel roads rather than go through Salt Lake City on I-15.

Absolutely correct. Thanks!

Jordanelle State Park is a nice stop before I-80.

[Corky12]

Only change I would make to 2 gypsies route is just stay on 89 in Utah until you reach I-80. No need to go over to I-15. But then I would drive one lane gravel roads rather than go through Salt Lake City on I-15.

[TyroneandGladys]

X2 what 2gypsies said.
If you are worried about driving on grades take some "practice drives up and back to Flagstaff and or Show Low.
Tip if you are driving a grade and you need the AC turn the dash AC off start the generator and use the house AC.

[DesertDwellers]

Just when I get myself all disheartened by the sad stuff going on in the world, I post a question here, and get so
many wonderfully helpful people who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise! Thanks for all the helpful comments and suggestion!!

[ReneeG]

Well, you've got a lot of comments and good responses. We live West of Yellowstone and TGT, but our favorite area is Togwotee Pass and we travel from home jus to camp there. Our first trip to that area, we stayed at the KOA in Dubois and were very happy with it. We had a site that backed up to the creek. Another great CG would be Falls CG off the Togwotee Pass. Nice sites, two loops, one with electricity and one without. Might be a nice place to watch the eclipse. We looked into staying at the Longhorn, but never did.

[RGar974417]

Can't say about the roads other than 26 in Wyoming is decent. We stayed at the Longhorn Ranch and RV Park just outside of Dubois.It was $49 a night for full hookups. It is a nice campground with decent spacing between sites right next to the Wind River.They have a nice store and the bath houses are the best I have ever seen. They are individual bathrooms with a toilet, sink and shower just like in your own home.

[lbrjet]

The worst of the drive (stress on your MH) is getting up to Flagstaff.

[2gypsies1]

You will have no problem with your 33' MH and toad so don't worry about those gorgeous mountains. 🙂

One thing you might want to purchase is the 'Mountain Directory for RVers and Truckers'. It will give you a heads up on the most popular mountain highways.

http://www.mountaindirectory.com/

On downhills just remember to be in a lower gear when you start going down, not when you're in the middle and gaining speed. Tap your brakes rather than leaving your foot on them all the time. Going up, just take your time. You'll get there. Perhaps not as fast as you'd like but it'll be o.k.

We love driving secondary highways rather than interstates but to give you a fairly easy route to Dubois I'll suggest some interstate driving. Just remember that some western interstates can have grades of 6-7% (even your I-17 up to Flagstaff) and that's what you'll find on secondary roads, too. So don't be afraid of secondary roads. They are more relaxing to us as you don't have the fast traffic and the truckers pushing you along.

So..to get your started take I-17 north to Flagstaff then 89 north to Page, AZ and on to Panguitch, Utah and continue on 89 to I-70 west to I-15 north through Salt Lake City. Then pick up I-80 east to Rock Springs, Wyoming. Pick up 191 to 28 to 287 through Lander, WY and 26/287 to Dubois.

There are no 'huge' mountains on this route but you'll have some grades. By the time you get to Dubois you'll be a pro so touring Grand Teton Nat'l Park and into Yellowstone will be a piece of cake.

If you can, allow plenty of time for the trip and visit some places along the way. Don't try to drive day after day. That is tiresome. Stop for a couple nights and explore and relax. As retired full-timers we usually got started about 9am and stopped by 2-3pm - no more than 6 hours, if that.

Makes sure your tires are in great shape and not too old. Have a roadside service policy and you're good to go, hopefully you won't have to use it.

Sounds like a nice trip. Have fun planning!