Road way and Elevation issues while traveling

[Cmccain13]

Hello all! So I am going to make an epic trip up to Maine from Texas and back through the interior of the country's to Albuquerque. But i have a questions about the east coast or just roads in general. are there any sites that you would recommend that would give good directions for RV's as opposed to cars. I'm worried that some of the roads would be bad for an RV. our rig is 32 foot long so not very large but I'm pulling a car as well. let me know if you have any help to offer thanks!

[JoeH]

In general, if you go on US labeled roads/routes you'll be good. I.E. US301, US1 etc.

[valhalla360]

For grades I like Google Earth (not Google Maps).

Once you get your route input, right click on the line and you can show the elevation along the route including grades.

As long as you aren't underpowered and semis are traveling the road, you should be able to manage it fine.

[PastorCharlie]

Lots of low clearances in the towns and cities of the NE. Other than that not to worry.

[enblethen]

We plan our route to avoid tolls. Some are unavoidable. Our GPS does a fair job avoiding tolls.

[jdc1]

If a big rig uses the road, you can too.

[cross21114]

Another question is do you want to avoid tolls. In the NE, many of the highways and bridges have tolls. Pulling a toad means some of the tolls are rediculous.

We are going to Maine in August from Maryland. We've driven I95 through NYC and up to Boston in cars so don't need to see that again.

In our RV pulling a toad, we'll go up I83 and other interstates to Birmingham. Then wander our way through Vermont and New Hampshire before getting to Maine. Should be a nice, scenic trip.

[K_Charles]

Old Biscuit is right. We also use a paper Atlas and read the signage.

[Two_Hands]

The Mountain Directory (east and west) is an excellent way to check routes for mountain passes and grades.

[enblethen]

Many east coast roads are narrow and do not have true shoulders, many drop off to grass.
GPS units are not always accurate. If concerned about elevation and roads look at a Trucker's Atlas. I would not jump out and buy one until look at one at a truck stop.
We have traveled much of the US using primary and secondary federal highways, primary and should not have state highways.
Pay attention to signage and think ahead! We watch for signage normally pertaining to truckers. Most of the time it keeps us out of trouble.

[navigator2346]

Biscuit gives good advise. My piece of advise is to not trust your GPS if you use one, us it as an advisory unit only. If going to a campground, follow their instructions on how to get there.

I thought the smaller roads in Maine were either trying to throw you in the gutter or into the other lane

[Crowe]

Closer you get to East Coast the more you have to pay attention to SIGNAGE
SIGNAGE about upcoming bridge/overpass/train trellises was usually with an Alternate Route

Pay Attention to SIGNAGE and LOOK UP!

Best advice given! Some of our roads aren't much more than converted cow paths but carry route numbers so their representation is deceiving. Turnpikes and highways are not always as they seem.

[MarkTwain]

mbopp wrote:
Good Sam trip planner or RV Trip Wizard. On my Garmin GPS you can select "RV" and input your length, height, width, and weight. Good Sam will route you around propane restrictions, Google won't.

Buy the Garmen Dezl 770 LMTHD model. The 7 inch screen makes the world of difference as you are driving along and bouncing on the highway. The screen is steady, clear and easy to read. Life time map dates are provided free. The smaller screen Garmen models are difficult to read as your RV is bouncing along the highway as you have to keep your eyes on the road with only quick glimpses to your Garmen.

[Grit_dog]

Elevation issues? Like running out of power? On your "way back" depending on the route, WY/CO/NM have some real passes to pull. No high elevation until you get to the Rockies otherwise.

If you're looking for specific "roads" to avoid across 2/3 of the entire country, that's a tall order.
Sounds like a great trip though. Don't get caught up in getting "caught up" somewhere. Generally unless there's a "no trucks" sign, residential street or a forest road type road, you shouldn't have any issues.

[Old-Biscuit]

We traveled all over the USA using secondary/back roads exclusively (hate Interstates)
We are 13'4" high, 34' long 5th wheel pulled bu Quad Cab/Long Bed truck

We used just a regular paper Atlas

Closer you get to East Coast the more you have to pay attention to SIGNAGE
SIGNAGE about upcoming bridge/overpass/train trellises was usually with an Alternate Route

Pay Attention to SIGNAGE and LOOK UP!

Motto for back road travel:
"When in doubt go about"