Travel plans to visit National Parks

[fellowes03]

Hi I am not sure if this is the correct forum to ask these questions. We are planning a 16 stop National Park tour starting in Southern California. The stops include Las Vegas NV, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Capital Reef NP, Arches NP, Rocky MTN NP, Mt Rushmore to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone NP, Coeur D Alene, to MT Rainer, Crater Lake to Redwood NP back to Southern Ca.

When I tried to use the GS trip planner I kept getting messages that the route could not be calculated. I could not see how to save and print the information. When I select print only blank pages printed.

So my good friends if you have recommendations on places to stay with our 5th wheel or routes to avoid I am all ears.

Admin if I am in the wrong forum send me in the right direction.
Thnaks in Advance.

[2gypsies1]

Quite a few of those national parks have campgrounds that don't even accept reservations. For instance, Grand Teton has two for a combined amount of 600 sites. They rarely fill. If you park nearby the previous night and pull in by 11 am, you'll get a site.

[catkins]

We use a Truckers Atlas you can buy at any Truck stop. Shows roads Truckers can use safely. Many that are not highlighted can be used by RVers but gives you a heads up on what to research a bit online or in person before heading out.

We use RVparksreview.com for checking on commercial parks. Gives "guest" reviews of their experience.

If traveling in summer, reservations will be a must anywhere in or near Natonal Parks. If travelling in the fall, remember to consider elevation and when the snows/freezing weather can occur.

Do check out Adventure Caravans website and see how they route their National Parks caravans. Can give great insight. As an aside, we have done two tours with them and while pricey, have enjoyed them immensely. Not for everyone to have to stay on schedule however.....

Happy trails!

[2gypsies1]

Why not get a good road atlas and a highlighter? Highlight each national park you want to stay and then connect the dots as to the way YOU want to go, not a computerized planner.

It's really very easy to travel this way. We did it all the time in our 16 years of full-timing and constant travel. We didn't do interstates unless we really needed to for a short distance. Secondary roads are much nicer to see things.

[tatest]

Your questions cover two forums, but most folks choose one or the oter and still get answers.

Try a different route planner, or fiddle with order of the stops. These planners use "preferred route" heuristics to get around the issue of the "best route" problem being intractable with today's technology. Somewhere along the list you've put something together such there is no connection in the planner's data for one or more of your moves, particularly if you are using RV restrictions.

I've run into this with other planners. A couple days ago Google Maps was convinced that it is impossible to drive from Naples to Lhasa, because it's preferred routes led to a dead end in an Asia desert. I needed waypoints to show it a longer way around, and that app doesn't accommodate waypoints.

As for printing from the Good Sam planner, can't help with that, as it has changed in the several years since I last used it. Someone who uses it can help.

[fellowes03]

Thanks we have the pass in our 70's. Looking for recommendations on what to avoid. Thanks again. Our first extended trip the last 50 trips were less than two hours from home

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

As far as using the Good Sam Trip Planner - try a series of individual legs. Don't try to do the whole trip in one 'plan'.

It's a big ambitious plan. I hope to be able to do much of it next year.

As mentioned above - a pass for the national parks is a great money saver.

If you and/ or the wife is age 62 - get a Senior pass to save on admission fees, and get a discount on in-the-park camping.

If neither of you is age 62, get the access pass and save on admission.

You might want to camp outside the parks for amenities. You are definitely at times going to want full hookups - just so you can take long showers.

Some friends of ours just spent 14 days dry camping in Yellowstone in their 40' Class A. They loved it, and we are so jealous.

[vermilye]

If you want the typical Vegas experience in Las Vegas, there are a number of in city campgrounds, however if you want something closer to a National Park, be sure to spend a night or two at the Valley of Fire State Park, about 75 miles northeast of Vegas. Two campgrounds, one primitive & the other with water & electric. Bathrooms with hot showers. No reservations.

Some very interesting hikes within the park, or just drive by beautiful formations. Some photos from my last visit.

[Busskipper]

2gypsies wrote:
First, your planned trip wears me out just thinking about it. 🙂

How much time will you have for this trip?

What kind of camp sites do you like? RV parks? Public parks?

Many of the parks have campgrounds and staying IN the parks themselves adds a lot to the stay.

Are children going?

If retired, be sure to have the Senior Pass - $10 for lifetime entrance into the national parks and 1/2 off on camping. This can also be used for other types of public parks - national forest campgrounds, Corp of Engineers, BLM lands and others. Check it out.

If leaving now keep in mind that Las Vegas, Zion, Arches will be very hot.

Sums it up pretty well for me - just not tired - more "Excited" to spend the Year on this Quest. Hard to give advice if you have NO idea what people are looking for.

X-2

[2gypsies1]

First, your planned trip wears me out just thinking about it. 🙂

How much time will you have for this trip?

What kind of camp sites do you like? RV parks? Public parks?

Many of the parks have campgrounds and staying IN the parks themselves adds a lot to the stay.

Are children going?

If retired, be sure to have the Senior Pass - $10 for lifetime entrance into the national parks and 1/2 off on camping. This can also be used for other types of public parks - national forest campgrounds, Corp of Engineers, BLM lands and others. Check it out.

If leaving now keep in mind that Las Vegas, Zion, Arches will be very hot.

[Roy_Lynne]

Make sure you get an Access pass before you They are $80 a year but well worth the price If your a senior or disabled, or active duty, cheaper yet.

[Dick_B]

Go to Adventure Caravans website and check their Grand Circle tour of the Western Parks. Better yet take their tour that fills the month of September.

[TexasShadow]

for Mt. Rushmore and area, I recommend Custer State Park because it is as scenic as a national park and very well kept, etc. But busy, so needs reservations. The campgrounds do have elec hookups and water and toilets and showers and there are two dump stations in the park, now.
For Yellowstone, we like Bridge Bay for the location. Has toilets, water and dump station. Reservations a must.
For Grand Tetons, both Colter Bay and Gros Ventre have water and dump station and toilets. Also, both have a full hookup section, but it pretty pricey..and busy.
Going from Rocky Mt Park up to the Black Hills, take 25 north to highway 18, then over to highway 85 and north to 16 which will take you into Custer and the junction of 385, a good road for anywhere in the Black Hills.

[kknowlton]

While at Arches, consider staying an extra day in order to include Canyonlands NP. Moab UT has several campgrounds; we stayed at Spanish Trail, because it has a little shade (many don't in that area). Dead Horse Point SP is near Canyonlands & is a great place to stay; electric hookups available but you will need to bring your own fresh water.

Ditto on Grizzly RV for Yellowstone. If you can do without hookups, there are several CGs inside the park, but I would strongly advise reservations. Colter Bay RV Park, IMO, is by far the best place to camp for the Tetons if you need hookups; there are several good NPS and NFS CGs in the area there. Other private CG offerings there are not to our liking.

Lots of good CGs in the Black Hills (for Mt. Rushmore.) While there, make sure to visit Crazy Horse Memorial as well. Our favorite CG there was Rafter J Bar Ranch Campground in Hill City.
Don't miss Devils Tower on the way from there to the Yellowstone area; the KOA right at its base has an amazing view!

Depending on the size of your rig and if you need hookups, there is a CG right in Crater Lake NP. Haven't stayed outside of the park there. (We camped there in a popup, so no problem finding space in a campsite. However, we did have reservations.)

I hope you have allotted a lot of time for this trip. One day per park just won't cut it, especially for Yellowstone, Zion and Arches/Canyonlands, and the Black Hills. And I do recommend advance reservations, depending on the time of year & size & needs of your rig.

[2chiefsRus]

fellowes03 wrote:
We are planning a 16 stop National Park tour starting in Southern California. The stops include Las Vegas NV, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Capital Reef NP, Arches NP, Rocky MTN NP, Mt Rushmore to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone NP, Coeur D Alene, to MT Rainer, Crater Lake to Redwood NP back to Southern Ca.

.

Suggest you check out rvparkreviews.com for more detailed information. Where to stay will vary depending upon how long you plan to stay and what time of year. Size of rig? Kids or just adults? RV Parks or campgrounds?

These are some of the places we stayed.

Zion NP - In the park at Watchman Campground - electric only
Bryce Canyon - Ruby's just outside the park - full hook-ups available
Capital Reef - Thousand Lakes RV Park - just outside with full hook-ups
Arches - Moab Valley RV - full hook-ups
Grand Tetons - we stayed at Colter Bay but there are better choices
Yellowstone - If outside the park on the west side - Grizzly Bear in West Yellowstone, MT.
Redwood National Park - Golden Bear RV in Klamath.