Insane first RV trip plan?

[Krdavidson22]

I’m planning a round-trip month-long vacation with RV (pulled by VW Atlas) this summer. This would be by family’s first RV trip, so I want to know just how insane this plan is. The general idea is to go from Dallas to Seattle and back, hitting as many National Parks along the way as possible.

So generally: Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Arches/Canyonlands, Crater Lake, Olympic, Yellowstone, and Tetons.

My main concern is the balance between planning ahead and leaving flexibility for mishaps and breaks and such. Is it unrealistic to assume we’ll be able to find places to park without reserving them beforehand? I know the national parks fill up far ahead of time, but do most have private campgrounds close by that have space? If so, are they generally good quality and available?

Any input based on this kind of trip would be so appreciated!

[Walaby]

Im guessing OP didn't get the answer he wanted to hear.

Haven't heard back since the initial post.

Mike

[wa8yxm]

lonewolf80 wrote:

The only problem the OP will face is an itinerary that doesn't let so to speak smell the roses during each stop and getting into the national parks.

Something I learned a long long time ago

Trying to squeeze 3 weeks worth of stuff in a 2 week time slot just does not work.. however scheduling 2 weeks of stuff in a 3 week time slot works very well.

[Grit_dog]

^Yup, the only thing that needs dialed back with the OPs plan (assuming he’s prepared to roll with confidence on a 6k mile road trip) is the number of “main attractions” they can reasonably hit.
Scale back to like 1 NP per week unless they’re next door to each other, make those reservations. Have a plausible plan A and B (B is always easy, drive into the woods or Walmart for the night and make camp) for the in between nights and let er rip!
Couple/few nights at 3 or 4 main NP destinations and the other 50+% of the nights somewhere else. Throw in a couple hotel stops to doo laundry and let the kids terrorize the pool and you got a trip planned.

And OP, idk if you’ve done any significant “scenery” traveling with your kids, since driving around TX isn’t generally a vacation for the majestic views, but most all kids under the age of late teens and even then, don’t gaf about seeing the 13th, 14th or 57th mountain peak. That part is for the parents and for the kids to think back about how they might wanna see it again, 10-20 years down the road….
A month long trip is a luxury that I’d estimate the vast majority of kids/families ever get to do, or maybe only once or twice. Unless you’re trying out your next stint at homeschooling and being a nomad, lol, the kids will be good with a month on the road, maybe less.

[lonewolf80]

Traveled throughout the Southwest and West last summer and had no problem at all finding private and some public campgrounds while en route and on the road.

The only problem the OP will face is an itinerary that doesn't let so to speak smell the roses during each stop and getting into the national parks. Most if not all of the parks mentioned have a reserve system to book your visit to the park. You can get passes for up to three days (Recreation.Gov). Then of course when you get to the park for your reserved time say 9 AM and you find there is a 3-4 wait to get into the park, then what. This happened to my wife and me last May at Arches, 9 AM entry pass, minimum wait 3 1/2 hours. Sorry, not waiting in line for anything that long so we didn't bother.

Also for someplace like Yellowstone, the distance into the park from an out-of-the-park campsite can be 50 or more miles away so that should be taken into account. I would recommend the West entrance in West Yellowstone as the best option for this if a CG inside the park isn't available. Same for Yosemite, from campgrounds outside of the South entrance near Groveland, CA to the entrance which is about 24 miles, enter the park and drive another 20-plus miles to get into Yosemite Valley, park, and see the sites. This adds about an hour each way to your daily sightseeing adventures, plan accordingly.

[Grit_dog]

Gawd, the old is just oozing out of some of these posts!
I wanna know what your secret was back when yall worked and had kids? You get 6 to 8 week summer road trip vacations or what?
Shoot, the speed limits were even 55 back then. Take ya 3 days to Kansas….with the wind ….lol

[toedtoes]

That's how I prefer it. Do a big travel day or two to get to someplace interesting and then stop and enjoy that area as fully as possible. I don't want to drive away wishing I had the time to see more.

I can't imagine spending just one day in a National Park or area. There's so much to explore and see beyond the "highlight tour".

It really is about knowing your own preferences and interests. It's why I'm careful who I travel with. I'd hate to be dragged away from an interesting sight after just 30 minutes. Likewise, I wouldn't want someone else to spend 3 hours at that same sight bored out of their skull so I can enjoy it.

It's also why I put the time and energy into planning my own trips rather than just pick a destination and ask strangers "how long should I stay there?" and "what is there to see?". I know what I enjoy and how I want to travel. Someone else may think that spending 2 hours at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto is a must see - I have no interest spending 2 hours looking at a bunch of used shoes.

[JimK-NY]

I love camping in the SW deserts and on the W coast. Unfortunately, I live on the E coast and am used to driving long distances.

I typically start my day at 7 am or so and hit the road after several cups of coffee about 9 am. By 11 am I am ready for a pit stop and typically also need to fuel up. My Interstate driving speed is typically about 60-65 mph so first leg covers about 120 miles. My next driving stint is typically about 3-4 hours so a total of 340 miles. At that point in the trip I take a long stop, fix something good to eat and then take a half hour nap. By then I am well rested and able to drive another 3-4 hours. So the day's total is often over 500 miles. In the Summer months, with several hours of daylight still left, I might take another nice nap and finish up with a couple more hours of driving. I have hit about 650 miles on my longest days of driving and finish the day feeling good. I never push and when I start feeling tired I look ahead for a convenient Walmart parking lot, a rest stop, or a truck stop. I can almost always find some place safe and convenient within an hour of when I start looking.

That is the way I drive on the Interstate traveling through flyover country. When I reach my designation areas I slow way down and like to spend days and sometimes weeks in the same National Park or general area. I would not even vaguely consider taking the trip the OP is planning.

[BarabooBob]

We took many trips that involved more driving time and had great times. Our 4 kids grew up doing road trips that they still talk about. I mean road trips that included Wisconsin to Yellowstone and Teton trips in 2 weeks. Don;t be afraid to travel. My wife and I still take 5,000 mile trips and a month. We ENJOY our road trips and cram many memories into every one.
If you don't like driving 400 miles in a day, don't. But don't assume that other people always need to leave at 10:00am and need to be set up at 2:00. We go hard some days and don't move for a couple. We have fun, our kids and grandkids have fun.

[Veebyes]

Agree with many of the others. An awful ambitious trip for a first trip.


Maybe not driveway camping for a first trip but certainly a few weekends at a CG close to home so that as you discover things that are needed you can get them from home or a nearby Walmart or home center.

You never stop getting stuff but in those first few weeks alot of time is spent in Walmart & Lowes along with getting to know the rig & lifestyle. The big rush to get out there & travel is understandable however averaging something like 150 miles a day means about 4 hours in the driver's seat per day. That does not leave much time for actually seeing things by after time for setting up, breaking down camp, gas stations, regular stuff like grocery shopping, laundry & hopefully doing nothing & letting it all soak in is all taken into account.

We are off to Alaska, for the fifth time, leaving home in Bermuda in three weeks. After getting the trailer & truck out of storage we have at least ten days of preparation, getting the truck serviced, doing some maintenance on the trailer & getting initial supplies before the wheels start to turn heading northwest.

Our average per day distance will be well under 100 miles. Some days more. Some days less. No 'gotta get there' itis.

[Grit_dog]

wildtoad wrote:
Yes retirement is great, going on 23 years now. Retired at 47. Regardless, if it’s is supposed to be a fun trip for all concerned, less travel more stops, see more things.

Nope, not a reverse snow flake, been to every state, even those that have different political views than mine. I don’t go to large cities as a general rule, never have liked big cities. Seattle or most of it may be safer than I think. However, maybe I should have left that line out.

Grit dog wrote:

wildtoad wrote:
First thing to consider is travel per day, butt in seat time. And with current issues in Seattle why go there unless there is family to see. 5-6 hours a day is enough for us, and one one day. We plan on no more than 200-250 miles a day and then a couple of rest/explore days. RV trips should be relaxing not how many miles a day you can handle.

Have fun.

So, umm what are you even talking about, about Seattle?
Or are you just another one of those reverse snowflakes like the couple other ****** on here who now are making a stand by “not camping” in states they don’t agree with from a political perspective?

Or are you referencing the George Floyd riots that happened almost 3 years ago? If so, I’m not sure how to put this, but that was over….almost 3 years ago! Lol


250miles a day and a few days to relax in between each travel day? Ahhhh retirement must be lovely. Thank you for sharing that with us….

So the fact that you’re more fortunate to have retired so early and apparently long since forgotten what it’s like to be busy and have many different pulls on your life and available free /vacation time means the OP can’t or shouldn’t enjoy a trip to the PNW from Texas and enjoy some of the country’s Nat Parks and scenery?
And has nothing to do with past events in Seattle. That was just a weird comment.

Guess my perspective is different having done many family road trips, from IL to the corners of the country and back. None of which I recall my parents having more than 2 consecutive weeks off. And the last almost 30 years where never more than 2 weeks was available save for once when I was laid off from my career position for not agreeing to move to Los Angeles and intentionally took a month plus before taking another job.
Heck I have gotten 4-5 weeks of paid vacation for years now and still can’t imagine how any normal family could take more than a few weeks, tops, consecutively. Between 1 or 2 parents jobs, kids sports/activities, pets, home maintenance and upkeep, etc…..
Those recommendations of taking an 8 week trip or similar as a working age family are either in the top fraction of 1% for being fortunate or senile and don’t remember whenever they were that age or just being antagonists because they can’t handle lots of driving so others should not be able to as well.

Regarding the tow rig and what RV, yes the OP may not have the right setup or knowledge but the question was not about that. Although worth addressing if the OP has any doubt.

And of course some moderation in how much can be crammed into a certain length of time will be needed. And is sage advice. But in no way does it even remotely prohibit a trip of that general length and trajectory.

Or to sum it all up, a persons gotta make doo with what they got. Be it equipment or time or desire to do something.

[time2roll]

2oldman wrote:
He's gone.

With that list and distance he will need the extra time 😉

[2oldman]

He's gone.

[fyrflie]

I have done two 30 plus day trips in the last three years in a Class A towing a Jeep.
California to Tennessee during the month of June.
California to Georgia during the month of December.

I use the RV Parky app and Good Sam. Although I did make prior reservations for each stop, there was no shortage of open spots at rv parks across the states we traveled through.
As mentioned before, staying inside National Parks will require some pre planning.

Travel day consists of 300-350 miles per day. 5-6 hours each day depending on traffic, weather, etc. Some days may be shorter or longer, depending on where your next stop may be.
I also try to get fuel at the end of each day to limit stops along the way or combine potty, food, fuel in one stop.
Most parks can be seen in one full day but will of course depend on what you want to see and do.
Also, don’t forget to add some days in for grocery shopping, etc. We find that we need fresh vegetables about every 3-4 days.
Another thing to consider is Harvest Host. A fair amount of options to stay at Wineries, Farms, Breweries, etc. all for a yearly membership.

Also check into the National Park Pass. One fee $80, gets you into any National Park. Crater Lake for example, costs $30 to get in.

Good luck and have fun. It will be a great trip.

[wildtoad]

Yes retirement is great, going on 23 years now. Retired at 47. Regardless, if it’s is supposed to be a fun trip for all concerned, less travel more stops, see more things.

Nope, not a reverse snow flake, been to every state, even those that have different political views than mine. I don’t go to large cities as a general rule, never have liked big cities. Seattle or most of it may be safer than I think. However, maybe I should have left that line out.

Grit dog wrote:

wildtoad wrote:
First thing to consider is travel per day, butt in seat time. And with current issues in Seattle why go there unless there is family to see. 5-6 hours a day is enough for us, and one one day. We plan on no more than 200-250 miles a day and then a couple of rest/explore days. RV trips should be relaxing not how many miles a day you can handle.

Have fun.

So, umm what are you even talking about, about Seattle?
Or are you just another one of those reverse snowflakes like the couple other ****** on here who now are making a stand by “not camping” in states they don’t agree with from a political perspective?

Or are you referencing the George Floyd riots that happened almost 3 years ago? If so, I’m not sure how to put this, but that was over….almost 3 years ago! Lol


250miles a day and a few days to relax in between each travel day? Ahhhh retirement must be lovely. Thank you for sharing that with us….

[valhalla360]

What are you towing and how big is the family.

A small popup with a 10yr old, is probably doable. A 25ft hard sided camper with 2 teens in the back seat is likely questionable for a station wagon. Have you towed before? Don't take the tow rating at face value. Odds are you can't max it out without exceeding other ratings.