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!

[JimK-NY]

If you want the blitz tour of several national parks, don't even bother with camping. Take a bus tour and leave the driving to them. The logistics of camping, and driving are going to be exhausting and you will be too rushed to see much of the parks.

[toedtoes]

I recommend you visit the NPS websites for each park on your list. Pull up the "things to see and do" list for each park. Sit down with the family and go through the lists checking off each item any of you wants to see/do. Once you've done that for each park, break those items into two groups:

1. Those that can be done in 3 hours or less, and
2. Those that will take at least 3 hours

Now, plan on two items from group 1 per day and one item per group 2 per day. So, if you have 14 items from group 1 and 10 items from group 2, you will need a minimum of 17 days with no driving to see what you KNOW you want to see. That will allow for some downtime, meals, etc.



What I would recommend is to pick two of the smaller parks and plan to stay at each for a week with reservations. Then set some unreserved days before the first park, between the two parks, after the second park, and in Seattle to explore the areas and what's outside of the parks.

Save Yellowstone for it's own trip and spend time to enjoy it as much as possible. You have an RV, it's not like this is the only trip you can take. Slow down and see each park as fully as possible rather than rushing throught them to say "we've been there" and be too tired and stressed to enjoy it.

Think of it this way, your trip plan is like "It's Thursday, we must be in Brussells". It will be like a bus tour trip. Get on the bus, drive for hours, get off quick, see the Mona Lisa, hurry get back on the bus, drive for hours, get off quick, visit the Vatican, oh shoot we're out of time we didn't even get to see the inside, hurry get back on the bus...

Can it be done - sure. Do you REALLY enjoy your trip? Do you regret not being able to spend more time enjoying Paris and Rome?

[TenOC]

1. MUCH TOO LONG FOR A MONTH TRIP -- More like 8 weeks.

2 The first SHAKE DOWN trip should be close to home such as a COE lake near home with a Walmart close by. You will make lots of mistakes on the first trip. Even if you have full hook ups dry camp without any hookups so you can experience boon-docking

3. One month trip Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde and the 5 National Parks in Southern UT. This will keep you very busy.

4. If you are over 60 (?) get the 50% senior discount card for NP and make reservation 6 months in advance. Campground fill up quickly.

5. The Tetons are best seen in early spring with the snow on the mountains.

6. If Seattle is the main goal, bypass all before Crater Lake and spend time on the Oregon coast/waterfalls/painted hills.

7. If you rush and do the long trip this year, what are you going to do next year?

[ken56]

One month may seem like a lot of time but when you are rushing to get to places you don't get to see much. Not knowing what is in an area prevents you from planning how much time you want to spend in an area. If the objective is to just pull in and sleep for the night to say you were there then what's the point?

We did a 10 week big circle trip from Tennessee to the Olympic peninsula, down to the Grand Canyon then over to Galveston, then along the Gulf Coast to Alabama and then back home to TN......10 weeks was not enough time to invest seeing any particular area for very long to be able to see the sights. It's essentially a balancing act between driving and staying some place to see things.

I use the RVPARKY app to find overnight parks when we travel. It gives all the info needed to call a park with an estimated time of arrival so they can save you a spot. That said, we start trying to find a park at about 2 or 3pm to be able to get off the road by 5 at the latest. We have never been shut out and not found somewhere to stay. Destination places where you know you want to stay more than 3 days try to make a reservation in advance.

As far as it being your first trip, are you sure there are no issues with your trailer? Like others have said, use it in the driveway first for a few days to see if things work right like the water pump, the furnace, the air conditioner, the stove, the slides if it has them....just use everything. Load it up with the things you think you will need and see if you forgot anything. Granted, there is a Walmart usually nearby everywhere but....why buy another one if you have it at home and can bring that one with you.

Doing trips like this is a fantastic way to see our great country. If you don't see everything you want to this trip then it gives you an excuse to do another one. Something to look forward to.

[Grit_dog]

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….

[Grit_dog]

Well, OP, as far as trips go, you’re talking to mostly old people on here who can’t stay awake long enough drive more than a couple hundred miles a day…. And forgot that they used to be busy just like the rest of the world still is.
Sounds like a great trip!
Yes you absolutely need reservations in or around National Parks or any sort of destination….or Wally Dock or boonie dock it if you’re in the right area.
Not that difficult to figure out. Plan the big stops, weed out the ones that are too many or don’t fit in the trajectory and hit the road.

Have fun!!
Give a shout if ya need anything near Rainier. We just down the hill a bit from it.

[ppine]

Listen to KD4UPL.
If you call ahead on the road a few days in advance you will be able to find places to stay except for major National Parks.

[cptqueeg]

National Parks......summer time......"with out reserving beforehand"........we're talking divorce when you get back, if you make it back alive. LOL

Sounds like a small rv that can get into some smaller campgrounds, how about checking into some National Forests at high elevation w access to lakes and rivers. Bighorn NF, Gallatin Custer NF , Bridger Teton NF, Caribou NF and give the family a chance to camp instead of dealing w throngs of people all doing exactly the same thing at the same time. The more desirable NP, NF, State Parks campsites are already filling up, though. You have to make it fun or there won't be a second trip.

[wildtoad]

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.

[2oldman]

One month for that is going to be awfully rushed.

[KD4UPL]

Your first night in the camper should be in your driveway so every time you realize you forgot something you can run inside and get it.
Your next couple nights should be a local campgrounds not too far away so you can get a feel for how well your hitch, tires, etc. are set up. You will need a WDH with that tow vehicle I'd imagine. You should also make sure you have LT tires and not P tires on the Atlas.
It's very difficult with my family of 5 to make more than about 300 to 350 miles a day. When you account for camp tear down, fuel stops, bathroom stops, lunch stop, and setting up camp 300 miles is about enough for us. In my opinion if you wake up early, hit the road long and hard, and get to a campground late to set up in the dark it's not a vacation, it's an endurance run.
After maybe 2 or 3 days like that my kids need a break from being strapped into seat belts 8 hours a day so it's good to have a non-travel day every 3 or 4.
That looks like an over 4,000 mile trip to me, let's call it 4,500. I say you will need around 14 days of nothing but break camp, drive, set up camp.
Campsites are had to come by, particularly on weekends and at popular destinations. I just looked at a campground a few days ago for a mid-July reservation. I only wanted 1 night. About 90% of the spots were already booked.
I usually had all my destination campsites where I plan to spend a few days booked. I often leave the intermediate travel stops up to chance. Mostly it's worked out but not always. We tried to get a spot near Charlotte, NC one time not realizing that NASCAR was in town. That was a no-go.
We've gone out for 2 weeks at a time multiple times and it's been okay but the whole family is tired by the time we get back. I want to try a 3 week trip soon and maybe get from VA to MT. That will take lots of planning and reservations ahead I'm sure.
I've owned 3 RVs over the last 24 years and I'm looking for number 4. I wouldn't advise taking off for 4 weeks with no experience, no reservations, and no break in time with the new equipment. Especially if it's a new RV, there will always be something that needs attention under warranty.

[Bobbo]

Someone my wife knows (and her husband), who had never RV'd in their lives, bought a brand new RV from a dealer last summer. Their shakedown trip was Memphis, TN to Alaska. They had a WONDERFUL time. They broke down in a little Alaskan village and were stuck for a week while a part was shipped in. The village adopted them. This summer, they are upsizing their RV, and going back to Alaska. The adjective that I choose to describe them with is "brave."

[stripit]

Well that is a lot of driving in a short time frame. I see about 2,000 miles each way, and if you drive every day that is about 140 miles per day. We are finding a difficut time to not have planned months ahead to get spots for the rv. Rv parks are busy and fill up quickly during the traveling season.