Going coast to coast

[gechin]

1st time I've done this. I've been to Texas and back to n.j. This time ridding across the top , met Rushmore , Yellowstone and red woods. Then across middle on way back to hit Grand Canyon and Nashville. I'd love to hear from people who've made the trip. Thnx

[D_E_Bishop]

Four years ago we went from Los Angeles to the Maritimes down to Florida and across to DFW to Q and home. Gone 10 weeks saw 37 states, 7 Provinces and innumerable NP sites. Great trip. We went to see what interests you. Make a list, get some maps buy some stick on arrows, put them pointing at your POI's and plan a route. You didn't list a time frame either so it's hard to give much information.

We were glad to be home but we are planning on retracing some of the steps.

Now if you want to know what we liked best

[gechin]

Ty for the advise you everyone

[tommykelly]

be sure to go to Cody and the museums..take the tour...If you stay at the ponderosa campground in Cody you can walk to Cody Museums ( they do not take credit cards..cash or check)..cross the street and get Bear spray..you will see buffalo for sure.in Yellowstone
...Custer's last stand in Montana was interesting ..one unexpected surprise ....eastbound on I-90 in South Dakota midway of the state...heard an odd noise like a rush of air that got louder...F-16 flying low following I-90...eastbound also...that will wake you up!!

[Bordercollie]

Plan your route carefully, use AAA camping and sightseeing guides. Plan on enjoying the drive with frequent stops to relax and stretch your legs. 500 miles per day is about the max we want to do. Find places to stay overnight in the early evening before the no vacancy signs light up. Call ahead to reserve spots at nice RV parks. Avoid eating at restaurants to conserve money. Keep aware of bad weather ahead and alternative routes to avoid it. Allow plenty of time for an enjoyable round trip. Make sure that tires, engine cooling system brakes and house box electrical system, fridge and water heater, plumbing, roof and dash AC, furnace and generator are all in good order. Take your GPS, meds, personals, cameras and chargers, etc. Use GPS to help you through cities and highway transitions.

Drive safely especially in mountainous curvy stretches, don't drive faster than posted limits, pull over when it's safe and let impatient local yokels go by.

[Rolin]

Much will depend on what your interests are.
We enjoyed one trip traveling on the old hwy 2..one of the earlier Coast to Coast highways. Loved seeing the smaller towns and a more intimate view of the USA than traveling the interstate freeways.

Have done I94 multiple times and stopped at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park. Came into Yellowstone from the Northern entrance and traveled down through the Tetons to Utah. If you travel further North there is a Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Twin Falls Montana and from there you can visit Glacier Park (multiple interesting lodges and the going to the sun hwy), perhaps up into Canada and visit the Prince of Wales Hotel. Or you could drop down from Missoula (might get a sandwich at Montana Great Harvest bakery), then on to Hwy 12 through Idaho to Oregon. Hwy 12 is an interesting and historic route. There was a bit of gold mining along the river and (to me) a very pretty but twisty drive. In Oregon there is Crater Lake and you could head toward the Coast and visit the Oregon Caves then down to see the Redwoods in upper California.

I90 has more to see as there is the Lewis and Clark interpretive center at Chamberin, and of course Wall Drug, the Bad lands national park, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, the Wind Cave National Park (black hills national forest), Yellowstone National Park from the East side.

On I80 you can stop at Iowa80 Worlds Largest Truckstop. Fun to do at least once ;-). The National parks in Utah are great. We enjoyed Bryce, Grand Staircase, Capital Reef and Zion. Did not have time to see Canyon Lands. will have to do that on another trip.

So much to see so little time.

[mockturtle]

Have done it several times. Wishbone has some good suggestions. What you do, where you camp and how you travel is an individual thing, so it's hard to advise anyone. This is my style:

Almost never make reservations.

Prefer dry camping.

Don't use the city water hookups at RV parks but refill my fresh water tank frequently and filter my drinking water.

Prefer NFS, BLM & COE campgrounds but stay away from public parks on the weekends. (If you don't know why, you will)

Weekends are when I often stay in RV parks where I can get my laundry done, charge my electronics and maybe catch a ball game on TV.

Always make a detailed itinerary but usually ignore it. 😉

Have a wonderful trip!

[Wishbone51]

We did a Portland to Portland trip in the Summer of '12 in 90-100* heat for 5 weeks. I was very new to RVing at the time. Had many nice people helping me along the way. By the end, I was helping out other newbies.

Started from Portland, OR
Hells Canyon (Idaho)
Yellowstone
Mt Rushmore
Chicago
Niagara Falls
Portland, Maine
Boston
New York City
Washington DC
Philadelphia
Chincoteague Island (Virginia)
Gettysburg

Fantastic trip that created many memories for the kids.

Things I learned: (this was my first trip)

* Learn how to operate manual awnings from someone.. They're not intuitive.
* If you pack warm bottled water in gas absorbtion fridges, they will never get cool. Everything else in the fridge warms up.
* Always use a pressure regulator for fresh water. Though my trailer has one built in, I inflated my hose due to insane pressure at one campground.
* Call ahead to campground if you'll be late.
* Big trucks don't fit too well in big city parking garages.
* Driving big trucks in NYC is difficult.
* Don't show up to State Park campgrounds on a Friday night at midnight if they don't take reservations.
* Rooftop A/Cs (at least mine) only lower the temperature 20*
* Free Wi-Fi doesn't work.
* Be prepared, but don't expect to see bears in your campground at Yellowstone.
* Old Faithful isn't just a hole in the ground with a sign next to it, like in the cartoons.
* If you want to see a bear at Yellowstone, look for a crowd of people with cameras and park rangers directing traffic. That's where the bears always show up.
* Don't jump in the pool with your cell phone when waiting for a call to pick up the family from shopping.
* Don't schedule a campground in Gettysburg during Bike Week if you want to get any sleep (fun though.. Met lots of nice bikers).
* Don't run the microwave, a hair straightener and the A/C at the same time if you can't access the campsites circuit breaker.
* Always have a bucket ready when you remove the cap from the sewer connection. (I still have no idea what happened that day)
* Use the short version of your dump routine at a dump station if you have people waiting for you.
* Everyone wants to help. Everyone has conflicting advice. Your way is wrong. Listen to all of them and decide your method.
* Everyone wants to help you back in to your site (at the same time).

[Marine_By_Choic]

About 20 miles east of Wall, SD there is a new Minuteman Missile Museum. Outstanding display, then tours to an underground missle site and underground "command center". Well worth the time! Good signs on the freeway alerting you.
http://www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm

[PghBob]

We have done similar trips several times, both in our van and the last 3 times in our Class C. Much of the recommendations I have will depend on your time available to travel.

Across the Top: Stop at the Visitors' Center on I90 in South Dakota that sits just above the Missouri River for some info on Lewis & Clark's journey, and a nice view. Drive thru and marvel at the Badlands NP, and upon exiting visit Wall Drug for a bit. Drive on to Rapid City, see Rushmore and also the Crazy Horse sculpture under construction. Drive on to the Sundance WY area and take a side trip to see Devil's Tower NM (the monolith featured in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Drive on to Cody, WY a spend a few days here. The Buffalo Bill Museum in first rate, and it can take a couple of days to see it. Head into Yellowstone via the East Entrance. (The drive from Cody to the East Ent. YNP is spectacular on it's own). Spend time in YNP, then head south to Grand Teton NP and spend some time here and in Jackson WY. From there take a route you wish to Idaho Falls, Idaho that sits on I15. You can then go to any number of ways to Oregon, California, Las Vegas, and other points west.

The Middle: Use I40 for your return and do stop at the Grand Canyon. From here, you can make several side trips depending on your time available. You could go to Zion and Bryce Canyon NPs, go to Monument Valley (highly recommended), Mesa Verde NP (recommended), 4 corners (OK), Sedona (recommended). If you keep heading East on I40, you will come to OK City. There is a very nice Western/Cowboy Museum in town that is worth the visit. As you continue East to Nashville, you will find steadily increasing truck traffic from about Little Rock, and increasing significantly as you approach Memphis. Memphis to Nashville still heavy, but not as bad as the LR to Memphis segment.

Hope this helps.

[4wheelers]

I just finished the Southern Route. Round trip on I-10 from Jacksonville to Los Angeles. I had a great time visiting friends all along the way. There was a little bit of HOT weather along the way!

[tenbear]

When we started RVing, about 15 years ago, we did our first trip to the west coast. It wasn't quite coast to coast but Vermont to the west coast. We decided we would make no sightseeing stops east of the Mississippi. We would save that for when we got older. That was a trip to Alaska.

West to Montana, then make a right turn and up the Alaska Highway. Spent about 6 weeks in Alaska then came back home. Had a wonderful trip, saw many things and spent the longest day of the year, June 21, in Fairbanks, our most northerly stop. The sun set briefly but it never got dark.

2 years later we went to Fort Worth TX (100+ degrees), then to Yellowstone where it snowed, then on to the Northern California coast stopping at Crater Lake and many other spots. From California, north along the coast to Vancouver, BC, with many, many stops along the way.

2 more years later we went to the San Francisco area then returned thru the south west.

Three great trips to the west coast. Saw many wonderful sights.

Hope you have as great success and enjoy it as much as we did.