Key West or Out West

[woodtrucker]

Well, I have been on here before dreaming about a trip out west. I got VERY good feedback.
Didn't imagine I'd be trying to do it right now with COVID restrictions but here we are.
We are a family of 5. Kids are 15, 13, and 10 and we are ready for an adventure before our oldest is gone.
We have the time and money to actually take a trip out in our 5th wheel to either key west or out west. I prefer out west but a lot of things are closed due to covid so I'm apprehensive about going.

I also HATE to book something a year out. I'd love to book it right now and be able to go mid may time frame.
Any suggestions on where I should look right now?

[afidel]

MarkTwain wrote:

bucky wrote:
I don't mind long days, but a thousand miles in 2 days is not moderate driving. 🙂

2000 miles in 2 days will create a huge case of "T B" or tired butt!!!! Marthon driving is not the same as RVing. Save your Butt and buy a plane ticket:):) Out west that would be close to driving from the Oregon border to Los Angles and back in one day!! I seriously doubt you or your family would enjoy an RV trip requiring driving 2000 miles in days!!!! with only 3 weeks.

Agreed! I try to limit my days to 4-500 miles even when making distance is the priority. Honestly any more than that and I'm so worn out that it's an anti-vacation. Heck after 2,500 miles getting to Yellowstone via a bunch of other national parks I was so wiped out that my first of 7 days was spent sleeping and watching TV because I didn't even have the energy to sit in the truck as the wife drove around.

[MarkTwain]

bucky wrote:
I don't mind long days, but a thousand miles in 2 days is not moderate driving. 🙂

2000 miles in 2 days will create a huge case of "T B" or tired butt!!!! Marthon driving is not the same as RVing. Save your Butt and buy a plane ticket:):) Out west that would be close to driving from the Oregon border to Los Angles and back in one day!! I seriously doubt you or your family would enjoy an RV trip requiring driving 2000 miles in days!!!! with only 3 weeks.

[Mayor30]

Pick a few places you really want to see and spend a few days at each one.We like to pick an area and then see what's there. Sometimes there are multiple things of interest in some areas. A number of years ago, we went to Arizona. Stayed at Williams Circle Pines KOA. They have an indoor pool and hot tub. From there we did a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Then we headed south to Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood.We visited Jerome. The kids would love the Gold King Mine and the Douglas Mansion. Tuzigoot is not far from the campground and the old Cavalry Fort at Camp Verde is neat.

[otrfun]

woodtrucker wrote:
Well, I have been on here before dreaming about a trip out west. I got VERY good feedback.
Didn't imagine I'd be trying to do it right now with COVID restrictions but here we are.
We are a family of 5. Kids are 15, 13, and 10 and we are ready for an adventure before our oldest is gone.
We have the time and money to actually take a trip out in our 5th wheel to either key west or out west. I prefer out west but a lot of things are closed due to covid so I'm apprehensive about going.

I also HATE to book something a year out. I'd love to book it right now and be able to go mid may time frame.
Any suggestions on where I should look right now?

Apr/May is the start of the off-season in the Keys, so it will be less crowded. I'd have to agree with others that the Keys are hot (85-88) and humid from May through almost Nov. For some it's an issue. We haven't found it to be all that objectional.

Mid-May can be a good time to visit many locations "out-west". During the summer, most of the popular places are extremely hot and crowded. You do have the option of limiting your visits to higher elevations (4000+ ft.) to negate most heat issues. Keep in mind, some of the higher mtn passes can still be closed up through May-Jun in some locations.

As for your comment about places being "closed" out-west, we took two 1500+ mi. trips through SD, WY, ID and CO back in Aug/Sep and found very little closed. We were able to make reservations at 3 different campgrounds at Yellowstone a week prior to departure, and had very little problems staying at most first come, first serve state/federal campgrounds. Admittedly, this took a number of hours of online research, phone calls, and some luck, but it was doable.

If you're able to travel during the winter, hands-down, the Florida Keys is your destination of choice. Temps hover between 70-80 throughout the winter. Perfect weather to do nothing, or everything. As I mentioned in another thread, the Fl Keys are unique. Nothing like it anywhere else in the US.

Good luck!

[2_Retired]

We've been to the Outer Banks numerous times, but never with the RV. There are numerous options on what to do if your family likes the water, fishing, water sports, etc. Even a great kite ship (Kligs) near Jockey's Ridge in Nags Head - its the biggest natural sand dune in the world! Get an awesome kite at Kligs and climb the dune to use it! You'll find out why the Wright Brothers picked here to experiment with flying! Interesting things to see as well - several great lighthouses to visit, (Hatteras is the most well known, but several others) Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers' Museum (If you go there, make it a point to visit this!) and so many really great places to eat - most of them affordable! We love Mama Kwan's, The Black Pelican, Blue Moon (gets really crowded fast!), Red Drum, and for breakfast, Sam & Omie's! All of these places are within a dozen or so miles of Nags Head. If you're adventurous and particularly if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, you can go north to Corolla and drive on the beach for miles - there are houses up there! Just be certain to let some air out of your tires and be alert for really soft sand - costs a fortune to be towed out!!
South of Hatteras is Avon and Frisco - beautiful wind-swept area. There's a ferry across to Ocracoke but I know it was severely damaged during one recent storm. Might need to check if it's open for operation. That could be a good day trip for the family.
OBX is a great place to just relax as well. Just one thing to remember - it is ALWAYS WINDY in OBX! Whatever you decide to do, might want to check out https://www.campgroundreviews.com for information from other RVers about campgrounds in the areas you wish to visit. I have used this site for years and have found it to be very useful. Enjoy, be safe, and create many great 'forever' memories!

[wowens79]

woodtrucker wrote:

wowens79 wrote:
Alot depends on what they family likes to do, and how much you want to drive. The keys are a long haul, but out west is twice as far.
We've done the keys twice, and spent a week there. Both trips we spent one afternoon and evening in Key West. We like the water and to fish, so we snorkled from the beach and kayaks, and did a trip on a boat out to the reefs. We also fished from out kayaks and the beach, and also did a half day shark fishing trip that was a blast. Also central FL has some great springs to paddle and explore.
We are in GA, and have not gone west, but would really like to, but with limited time, I cant justify the drive/enjoy ratio 🙂

That's part of my struggle too. We'll be in transit much more than exploring the area that we intent to arrive at. And about 3 weeks is as long we could afford to be gone. We have grown in our camping experiences and our family situation to handle longer periods of time away from home but none of us are really excited about riding in the truck for 4 days to get there.
That's why the outer banks are looking better for us because we can stay a week and a half very easily and it is at least a place we've never been as a family.

If you can do a week and a half, try the keys out. It is way different than the Atlantic beaches. Split the drive into 2 days and it is doable. Regardless of where you go, you can’t lose when exploring the outdoors with you family.

[dodge_guy]

magnusfide wrote:
I agree with the rest. Go Out West.

In fact I would take at least two trips out west because there's that much to see and do. We did it slower and in three trips. Went to the Longmire Days in Johnson (Absaroka) County. Attended a couple of Dutch Oven Gatherings. Made the rounds of the national and state parks. We still didn't see it all and we hope to another trip. Every area has its own beauty and theme.

I agree, we've been out west 3 times now.
2005, SD; Black Hills, Glacier NP; MT and Badlands.
2017, Yellowstone, Tetons, Colorado City CO; and surrounding area.
2020 Granby CO; RMNP and surrounding areas.

And we still have not seen an 1/8 of what there is to see out west!

[magnusfide]

I agree with the rest. Go Out West.

In fact I would take at least two trips out west because there's that much to see and do. We did it slower and in three trips. Went to the Longmire Days in Johnson (Absaroka) County. Attended a couple of Dutch Oven Gatherings. Made the rounds of the national and state parks. We still didn't see it all and we hope to another trip. Every area has its own beauty and theme.

[dodge_guy]

bucky wrote:
I don't mind long days, but a thousand miles in 2 days is not moderate driving. 🙂

For some of us it is. Living in the Midwest does have its advantages!

[bucky]

I don't mind long days, but a thousand miles in 2 days is not moderate driving. 🙂

[Crowe]

woodtrucker wrote:

ford truck guy wrote:

BarabooBob wrote:
And this is one of the great reasons I love living in Wisconsin. We are 1000 miles from the east coast, northern Florida, New Orleans, Denver, the Big Horn Mtns. I can be at any of those places within 2 moderate days of driving. Being on either coast means much more driving.

BUT, you are a frozen cheese head all winter ! :B

Sorry, could not resist !

All kidding aside, that would be awesome to be within 1ooo miles of everything

Man would it!

Agree with this 100%! Being in polarized parts of the country makes it difficult to get many places in a reasonable timeframe, which I think is part of the reason why we see so many try extremely ambitious trips.

South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado are some of my favorite places.

[woodtrucker]

ford truck guy wrote:

BarabooBob wrote:
And this is one of the great reasons I love living in Wisconsin. We are 1000 miles from the east coast, northern Florida, New Orleans, Denver, the Big Horn Mtns. I can be at any of those places within 2 moderate days of driving. Being on either coast means much more driving.

BUT, you are a frozen cheese head all winter ! :B

Sorry, could not resist !

All kidding aside, that would be awesome to be within 1ooo miles of everything

Man would it!

[ford_truck_guy]

BarabooBob wrote:
And this is one of the great reasons I love living in Wisconsin. We are 1000 miles from the east coast, northern Florida, New Orleans, Denver, the Big Horn Mtns. I can be at any of those places within 2 moderate days of driving. Being on either coast means much more driving.

BUT, you are a frozen cheese head all winter ! :B

Sorry, could not resist !

All kidding aside, that would be awesome to be within 1ooo miles of everything

[Guy_Roan]

woodtrucker wrote:

wowens79 wrote:
Alot depends on what they family likes to do, and how much you want to drive. The keys are a long haul, but out west is twice as far.
We've done the keys twice, and spent a week there. Both trips we spent one afternoon and evening in Key West. We like the water and to fish, so we snorkled from the beach and kayaks, and did a trip on a boat out to the reefs. We also fished from out kayaks and the beach, and also did a half day shark fishing trip that was a blast. Also central FL has some great springs to paddle and explore.
We are in GA, and have not gone west, but would really like to, but with limited time, I cant justify the drive/enjoy ratio 🙂

That's part of my struggle too. We'll be in transit much more exploring the area that we intent to arrive at. And about 3 weeks is as long we could afford to be gone. We have grown in our camping experiences and our family situation to handle longer periods of time away from home but none of us are really excited about riding in the truck for 4 days to get there.
That's why the outer banks are looking better for us because we can stay a week and a half very easily and it is at least a place we've never been as a family.

A