kyle86 wrote:
Are there any free/cheap places to dry camp along this route like wal marts?
There would be WalMarts in all the larger towns. I am one of those who has never stayed in a WalMart, but I can make some comments.
Meridian, MS is about 320 miles from Macon. We have stayed at Bonita Lakes private RV park, nice, paved, near route, about $23 per night. You could travel a bit off the route and find Twitley Branch COE. For an old fellow like me that would cost about $10 per night, maybe up to $20 for younger people. COE parks are getting better all the time. I'll be staying in some on our next trip out.
Another 320 or so miles will bring you to near Shreveport. Lots of choices around. If it is late om the day and not good time to go through Shreveport there is the Lincoln Parish Campground north of Ruston, $25 or nearer the freeway the Antique Village RV Park near Gibbsland, LA $30. We have never stayed at Lincoln Parish, but it gets good reviews. We have stayed at Antique Village. We would use it again for overnight.
Many more choices if you drive through or around Shreveport and come on into East Texas. There is Miss Ellie's in Waskom, the first town in Texas (a great state welcome center as you cross over the state line). Miss Ellie's $25. There are great COE parks on Lake 'o The Pines, near Marshall.
Another 350 miles or so would put you near Vernon, Texas, past Wichita Falls. There is definitely a WalMart handy to the highway and two parks: A & A Park @ $20 and Rocking A @ $30. We have stayed several times at the ROcking A, but more recently we drive on up a few miles to Goodlett, TX and stay at the Ole Town Cotton Gin @ $30. Nice level pull throughs just for an overnight.
Another 350 miles will find you near Raton, NM and intersection with I-25. Raton Pass is a good "beginner's pass" for those new to mountain driving. At the top of Raton Pass there is a very nice campground @ $35, well worth it to stay high up for tonight. We stay there almost every time we go up to Colorado. Sure beats Walmart, though we see a lot of people going on to the WalMart in Trinidad, CO.
From there it will be an easy 150 miles on to Colorado Springs. We always TRY to get a reservation at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but there are lots of other choices.
I share this as a realistic plan for overnights between Macon, GA and Colorado Springs, based on driving between 300 and 400 miles per day.
