Please Help Plan My Cross-Country Trip

[jasoncw]

Hi everyone,

I am planning a trip for my family from Detroit, MI to the Fresno, CA area. This is a long-range plan; we are not going to take the trip until around June 2015. I am trying to do as much planning up front, as we would like to see several sights along the way. We are a family of 5, and the kids will be 11, 8 and 8 when we go.

I am thinking of doing a northern route on the way out there, and possibly a southern route on the way back. Here are a list of the places I would like to see, but I am looking for several more suggestions. Obviously we don't want them to be scattered across the country, as that would not be feasible.

On the northern route, I planned to stop at places like Mount Rushmore NP, Yellowstone NP, and the salt flats. While in CA, I am thinking San Francisco, Yosemite NP and Sequoia NP. On a southern route, Grand Canyon NP, Hoover Dam, maybe Las Vegas, and the Gateway Arch.

None of these are set in stone yet. This will likely be a once in a lifetime trip with the family, so I want to hit as many "must see" places without going overboard. We are likely going to have to cover this in about 3 weeks, which doesn't leave us a whole lot of time.

Thanks for any input and advice for the trip.

Jason

[charming]

I'm exhausted just reading your itinerary! I'm glad your family enjoyed it and will have many special memories.

[jasoncw]

Thanks! We hit some of the heat, but not bad. Mostly it was in the mid-to-low 90s, but it was 109 in Boulder City.

I was trying to find a decent campground somewhere midway between Sparks and West Yellowstone, so Jackpot it was. We are not huge gamblers, but we did stay at Cactus Pete's and ate at one of the restaurants there.

[dedmiston]

jasoncw wrote:
Just an update to this thread. It took a bit longer to get it scheduled, but we finally did it. Three weeks to go from MI to CA and back home. It was exhausting by the time we got back, but it worked out great.

Day 1 - MI to East St. Louis, IL
Day 2 - Gateway Arch, then drove to Marshfield, MO (just east of Springfield)
Day 3 - drove to Elk City, OK (just west of OK City)
Day 4 - Stopped at Cadillac Ranch for the kids to spray paint the cars, then stopped in Albuquerque. Went out to dinner and wrapped up the day on the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway.
Day 5 - drove up to Four Corners Monument for a pic, then headed to Monument Valley, UT (right at the AZ/UT border)
Day 6 - drove down to Williams, AZ
Day 7 - took the Grand Canyon Railway up to the south rim and went on a tour
Day 8 - drove to Boulder City, NV and went to the Hoover Dam. We wanted to do the Dam Tour, but it was sold out by the time we arrived.
Day 9 - drove up to Coarsegold, CA and met up with some relatives
Day 10 - visited Yosemite (wow, this park is way too crowded!)
Day 11 - visited Mariposa Grove (Yosemite)
Day 12 - relaxed
Day 13 - drove to Sparks, NV. If I knew there was an annual Model T convention going on, I would have planned an extra day...
Day 14 - drove to Jackpot, NV
Day 15 - drove to West Yellowstone, MT
Day 16 - completed the south loop of Yellowstone (note to self - return to Yellowstone to see more!)
Day 17 - drove to Billings, MT to visit my cousin
Day 18 - drove to Rapid City, SD
Day 19 - visited Mount Rushmore, drove through portions of Black Hills and Custer State Park
Day 20 - drove to Fairmont, MT
Day 21 - took family selfie with the Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN then drove to Rockford, IL
Day 22 - arrived home!

Overall, each trip averaged 7 hours, which wasn't bad at all. My biggest concern was my TV breaking down, since it had 210k miles on it, but the only hiccup I had was the emergency brake sticking a bit. Nothing a little lube couldn't fix. It rained probably a total of 2 hours on the entire trip. It was amazing, and I hope a lifetime of memories for my kids (now 14, 11, 11).

That sounds outstanding. You saw a lot of America in a relatively short amount of time. It also sounds like you made it home before it got so doggone hot out west. (The heat wave caught me by surprise and I had to ride my bike home from work on Friday when it was 118 out!!!)

You might be the first person I know who chose Jackpot Nevada as an overnight destination. My wife's grandmother lived just outside of Twin Falls, Idaho and we would drive her down to Jackpot every time we visited. As a life-long farmer, she was a gambler by nature (and a very good one!).

Where did you stay in Jackpot? Did you visit either of their fine casinos, Cactus Pete's or the Club 93?

I'm glad you had a great trip and no breakdowns. I'm sure your kids will remember this forever.

[jasoncw]

Just an update to this thread. It took a bit longer to get it scheduled, but we finally did it. Three weeks to go from MI to CA and back home. It was exhausting by the time we got back, but it worked out great.

Day 1 - MI to East St. Louis, IL - 510 miles
Day 2 - Gateway Arch, then drove to Marshfield, MO (just east of Springfield) - 202 miles
Day 3 - drove to Elk City, OK (just west of OK City) - 434 miles
Day 4 - Stopped at Cadillac Ranch for the kids to spray paint the cars, then stopped in Albuquerque. Went out to dinner and wrapped up the day on the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. 441 miles
Day 5 - drove up to Four Corners Monument for a pic, then headed to Monument Valley, UT (right at the AZ/UT border) - 462 miles
Day 6 - drove down to Williams, AZ - 191 miles
Day 7 - took the Grand Canyon Railway up to the south rim and went on a tour
Day 8 - drove to Boulder City, NV and went to the Hoover Dam. We wanted to do the Dam Tour, but it was sold out by the time we arrived. 199 miles
Day 9 - drove up to Coarsegold, CA and met up with some relatives - 446 miles
Day 10 - visited Yosemite (wow, this park is way too crowded!)
Day 11 - visited Mariposa Grove (Yosemite)
Day 12 - relaxed
Day 13 - drove to Sparks, NV. If I knew there was an annual Model T convention going on, I would have planned an extra day... 314 miles
Day 14 - drove to Jackpot, NV - 401 miles
Day 15 - drove to West Yellowstone, MT - 319 miles
Day 16 - completed the south loop of Yellowstone (note to self - return to Yellowstone to see more!)
Day 17 - drove to Billings, MT to visit my cousin - 232 miles
Day 18 - drove to Rapid City, SD - 323 miles
Day 19 - visited Mount Rushmore, drove through portions of Black Hills and Custer State Park
Day 20 - drove to Fairmont, MT - 463 miles
Day 21 - took family selfie with the Green Giant in Blue Earth, MN then drove to Rockford, IL - 383 miles
Day 22 - arrived home! - 402 miles

Overall, each trip averaged 7 hours, which wasn't bad at all. My biggest concern was my TV breaking down, since it had 210k miles on it, but the only hiccup I had was the emergency brake sticking a bit. Nothing a little lube couldn't fix. It rained probably a total of 2 hours on the entire trip. It was amazing, and I hope a lifetime of memories for my kids (now 14, 11, 11).

[noe-place]

2gypsies wrote:
Even if you don't have a lot of time to spend in the parks, you'll still get to see them. To me, that's better than nothing. You just work with the time you have, not give up on the trip. We've all experienced limited vacation time. You can always go back for more.... I say "go for it and you'll have a great time".

With only three weeks to see all you plan, you're only going to have time for a few hours at each place then back on the road. I speak from experience but if that's the way you want to do it, good luck.

[2gypsies1]

Even if you don't have a lot of time to spend in the parks, you'll still get to see them. To me, that's better than nothing. You just work with the time you have, not give up on the trip. We've all experienced limited vacation time. You can always go back for more.... I say "go for it and you'll have a great time".

[bikendan]

agree you won't have much time to enjoy all the things you list, if you only have 3 weeks.
since you'll arrive in Cali in the summer, you better make reservations the first second you can, especially for Yosemite or on the coast, if you plan on staying in the parks.

[noe-place]

It's doable but you won't have time for more than a cursory look at the highpoints of your journey. I did a similar trip from Kentucky a few years ago and failed to plan enough time for it and have regretted it ever since. We went south through Tenn and the Southwest into California, up the coast to Washington and on into Calgary. We came back through Dakotas, Montana to Nebraska then back east to Ky. We saw all the places you are intending to visit but only for a short period of time much to my regret. Travelon is so right about the distances; it is a big country out West so plan well and if I can help don't hesitate to ask. Good luck...

[Travelon]

This is not a putdown...people east of the Mississippi River do not realize the expanse of the West...a lot of miles between places...it is typical of a young family to try to hit a lot of places in a territory you never been before or feel you may never be there again (BTDT)...pick a couple key places to visit (Yosemite NP has to be one, you are going to Fresno CA.) Break the trip into 2 parts, tour the northern route one year and the southern trip another year. Make a point to travel a second time out west, 3 weeks is not enough time for one trip.

Travelon

[Islandman]

Think I'd reverse the schedule, travel the southern route first and then return home via the northern route; because it will be warmer down south and can be a little cool in Yellowstone in June. Second, add Redood NP, Crater Lake to your proposed visits, and definitely do some time on the central coast of California, your kids will love it there with the elephant seals near Hearst Castle among other things to enjoy.

[2gypsies1]

Please read this recent post on a long trip in a short period of time: New York to Nevada in 19 days with a 7 year old. They had a fantastic time.

Long Trip - Short Time

[RetSgt7114]

I don't know, maybe its just us but we drive way more than 200, 300, or even 400 miles in a day with no problems whatsoever, if we have somewhere to be. Our average driving day can be 600 to 750 miles per day. We don't stop for sightseeing if we have a certain destination, and we're in a motorhome as opposed to a car or van, so its very comfortable for us. But with kids in a car or van, and with sightseeing mixed in, then this will be a tough trip in the allotted time. Just my opinion.

[Jim_Shoe]

Let's see. 23 driving days, leaving on Saturday morning and returning on Sunday night and going back to work on Monday. 6,000 miles, so 300 miles per day. Figure 7 hours with gas and food stops, EVERY day. An 11 year old and two eight year olds in the back seat. And that assumes that the places you want to visit will be exactly 300 miles apart. They aren't. And you'll be driving by them late in the day, because you won't have time to stop.
Is there some reason you have to see all these places on just one trip? At least when you get home, you can sell the RV because your family will never get in it again.
I've been to all the places on your list, but I didn't do it all in the same trip, and I wasn't constrained to 3 weeks. Do it over several trips so you and your family can enjoy it.

[Veebyes]

Very very ambitious trip with only 3 weeks to do it in IMO. Can the distance be covered in the time available? I guess so. Will there be time to stop & see much?
Nope. Even a 200 mile PD average is a stretch. The pace will wear people down after only a few days.

Then there is the time required for domestic stuff like laundry & shopping. What if you have a breakdown of some sort? How about bad weather delaying you? An extreme but at this moment we are stuck in a CG for at least 5 days waiting on a new fridge. It has cost us the event where we wanted to be this weekend but time for delays was figured into the plans so by the following weekend we should be back on track.

Two years is a long way out. Get the MS Streets & Trips & start planning various scenarios.