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

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.God love you for being a planner!But 2 years in advance? You won't be able to make reservations that far in advance. CG's that might be here today might not be in 2 years. At the rate they are closing state facilities they might not be open either.Heck we don't even know where this country is going to be next week. :B

Jason, Planning this far in the future can lead to an effective and enjoyable excursion.... Start by getting a friend's old copy of Strips and Treets or Street Alas. Set that up to plan travel days and basic routes. Then, start an account at AAA online TripTiks (free). Set up the routes for individual days there and then walk the route at level 7 or 8 and see what they recommend for things to see. This will take input from the family. Finally, several months before departure, buy the new S&T or SA and start running that only because some roads will have been changed. When we traveled with kids, we always liked to get to the area of the attraction late and then have a quiet night. In the morning, we would run their little legs off and they could sleep until the next stop. Matt - his kids are gone, but we may start with GK real soon

Jason, Great trip! Just some overall big picture frame work to start from:1. Total round trip =4784 miles2. Driving 6 hrs. per day at 60 mph will = 360 miles per day (yes, you can drive more than 6hrs. per day but remember that you won't have a lot of opportunities to park and relax your butt and back:) based on your RV planned trip. Also remember that the continuous days of driving with only a short time to rest up will take a physical toll on you and the family)3. It will take you approx. 13 days to drive to and from your home town to SF.4. This leaves you approx. 8 days to set up and camp over night and sight see.5. I would then set down with family and discuss the possible places you are planning to visit. Then I ask the family members which of the places really appeals to them. In my opinion, the 8 year olds might not be as interested in the same sights as you are as an adult. What is there to do for the 8 yr. olds at each of the sights? Will they have a short attention span and get restless at some sights??? For example, I found Rushmore interesting and enjoyed the historical significance BUT this is from an adults perspective as opposed to Yellow stone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam which allows the kids the opportunity to move around and see the sights. While Las Vegas is a fun place to visit as an adult, I am not sure what you would do with the kids if you and the wife wanted to go and do what most adults go to Vegas for, gambling, eating and drinking. So I think it is important to select the places you want to set up and sight see based on the total family's perspective. As far as visiting San Francisco, I would leave my trailer in the Fresno area and then drive to SF and stay in a motel/hotel overnight to allow time to visit SF. Driving a RV trailer anywhere within 50 miles of SF is not my idea of a fun trip. Can you drive your trailer to SF? absolutely, but be prepared for congestion and heavy traffic.:( I like to ride the Blue and White ferries to SF and then spend the day at Fisherman's Wharf and riding the cable cars. China town is also fun to walk around in. Personally when driving my RV I enjoy the central coast towns more, i.e. Pismo Beach, Santa Cruz, Morrow Bay and Santa Barbara. All have better weather and access to the ocean. Finally, I would make reservations well in advance, 6 to 9 months, as you will be traveling at the peak of the busy season for RVers.Email me privately if you want more specific details and information. Enjoy your trip as it will fill you and the family with many memories.

I'll defer to others on specific sites and roads, but offer one piece of advice.I'd schedule 2-3 night stays to break up every long day on the road if possible, even if it means skipping some sites or extending the vacation by another week somehow (if at all possible). In a pinch, one or two back-to-back long travel days could be pulled off, but I'd have to have a three night stay in one place to recover.We just did a trip like this:Day 1: 6 hour drive to campsite.Camp three nightsDay 4: 2.5 hour driveCamp two nightsDay 6: 6 hour driveCamp three nights (took two different 2-hour one-way day trips without camper)Day 9: 5.5 hour driveCamp one nightDay 10: 2 hour drive homeSo only one stop-and-go. It was very relaxing and the kids handled it very well. We got to see a ton of stuff. The day trips without the camper seemed like much easier days even though there was still a lot of time in the car.

Do a Google search for `______ tourism' and put the State or area in the blank and read what the experts suggest for their part of the world.

Please Help Plan My Cross-Country Trip | Good Sam Community

charming
Explorer
Jul 10, 2018
I'm exhausted just reading your itinerary! I'm glad your family enjoyed it and will have many special memories.
jasoncw
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
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
Moderator
Jul 09, 2018
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
Explorer
Jul 09, 2018
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
Explorer
Oct 02, 2013
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
Explorer III
Oct 01, 2013
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
Explorer
Oct 01, 2013
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
Explorer
Oct 01, 2013
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
Explorer
Oct 01, 2013
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
Explorer
Oct 01, 2013
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.