HELP--planning 7000 mile trip.....

[The_Waites]

Looking for advice on best way to find campgrounds on our chosen route. We prefer CORP, State, Forest & Fed. campgrounds. Also can anyone recommend a reliable GPS device. If it also had built in back up camera we'd be thrilled. Thank you for your help.

[txnese]

Just took a 2 week trip last month. We used Good Sam, KOA, and REC.gov apps.
For the cities we planned on visiting for a few days, we made reservations 2-3 weeks in advance. For the stops in between, we just called a couple of hours before we got there. Never really had a problem getting a place to rest. Get an RV GPS, we didn't have one, and wished we would have. To be honest, we really only needed in populated cities, like New York City. They have lower clearance bridges / crossover. More importantly, give yourself plenty of time to drive. If google maps says travel time is 7-8 hours, add 2 hours. You'll probably drive slower than anticipated, I drove mostly 60-65mph and mountains & curves will slow you down even more. Stop driving and check in by 6-7pm, give your time to setup and enjoy the camps. Have fun.

[Jump]

We use a Garmin 760lmt GPS. It is made for Rvs and has very good search features for such things as Campgrounds, Shopping, etc. It also came with a back-up camera which works wirelessly.

We've used the campground search feature many times to find campgrounds while on the road. We then research on our smartphone the ones we find and choose one we like. That works out quite well.

The 760lmt has settings for rv height, weight and length which allows choosing a route avoiding height restricted bridges, toll roads and the such.

Cost 2 years ago was about 600 dollars. Worth every penny. And free map updates!

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-760LMT-Wireless-Backup-Camera/dp/B00IUO7PHE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501085696&sr=8-3&keywords=garmin+760lmt


And yes, RVParkreviews.com is outstanding!


Jump

[Horizon170]

Back in 1986 we toured the 39 states west of the Mississippi and it took nine months.
We stayed and played in a lot of spots but NEVER did we reserve a spot. We just played it by ear. Get tired, find a CG and rest. We kind of knew the routes we would take but not when we would get to any particular town. More fun for us that way.
We were in a 33' MH "A", and towing a small pickup.

[The_Waites]

It's not too early to start mapping, planning your stops and finding campgrounds.Hope you have a great time!!!

[lfcjasp]

My husband and I are considering a trip from our home in VA to my family in WA state next spring, before it gets too hot anyway. Thanks for bringing this up, The Waites. I need to watch threads like this...

[The_Waites]

Good to know my husband does want to add one. TY

[John_S_]

It is easy to add a backup camera too.

[whizbang]

Another vote for RVParkreviews.com

Be sure to read the reviews and don't take the number rating at face value.

For example, many family friendly parks get high marks for pools, playgrounds, bike trails and what not which is actually negative for us.

We sought out quieter places off the beaten path. Great parks, but low score from family folks.

[The_Waites]

Thank you for all the suggestions!!!

[pauldub]

RV Park Reviews is my favorite. Use the app or the website.

[rexlion]

I have free Allstays app on my phone. You can ckeck it out on the web first if you want. Also look at Ultimate Campgrounds app, for $3.99, very thorough and detailed.

[DutchmenSport]

On our recent trip, I selected the route (Indianapolis, IN to Custar, SD). Then determined how may days we wanted to spend traveling. We selected 4 days travel to get there.

I then took the total number of miles and divided by 4. I then pin pointed on a map where those 4 points were.

Then simply did a Google Search on Campgrounds for the nearest city at each point. It turned out we did about 350 miles each leg of the journey.

Our return home? We planned on 4 days, but decided to select the route after we reached our destination. The day before we left, I went through the same exercise as we wanted to travel a different route coming home. Turned out, the first leg was closer to 400 miles, but right there was a KOA campground. We spent the night. And the next leg of the trip ... well ... we drove straight home and got home 2 days early. That turned out to be a good thing, although it did mean a very long day driving.

[susan-y]

Also had luck asking locals, or some bigger small towns have visitor centers/chamber of commerce. Sometimes local fairgrounds are available.

[2oldman]

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