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dthorne3 · 08-22-2013, 06:12 AM

My wife and I are planning this trip for the middle of September and one two of the places that we are visiting are Rapid City / Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone and then over to Seattle. We have been Rving since the 80s however most of this has been in the flat Southern states. As a less than confident mountain driver I am looking for the best route that will get me to my destination in Seattle while not missing out on a lot of the sights around Rushmore and Yellowstone and along the way. As we are retired time is not an issue.
I will be driving a 2011 32 foot Thor Hurricane and towing a Jeep.
Thanks

frankdamp · 08-22-2013, 07:37 AM

Late September is when the snows arrive in the higher elevations in the Rockies and Cascades. I know the Cascades fairly well. If you're not comfortable on 2-lane mountain roads, I'd suggest I-90 rather than US-2 for your first exposure, though coming west on 2 you're on the opposite side to the river, so your co-pilot isn't looking down a couple of hundred feet!

By late September, SR-20 will probably be closed, or will have plowing closures from time to time.

JFXG · 08-25-2013, 12:29 PM

dthorne... I did exactly that and more just last year. Left Cape Cod September 27, arrived Seattle November 6. I just spent 2 hours, off and on, typing a lengthy response with a lot of information, and the damned forum formatting lost the whole thing when I went to post it.

I'll post info when I'm not so pissed at these fools. For now, suffice it to say you'll be fine.

RUFINIT · 08-30-2013, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dthorne3

My wife and I are planning this trip for the middle of September and one two of the places that we are visiting are Rapid City / Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone and then over to Seattle. We have been Rving since the 80s however most of this has been in the flat Southern states. As a less than confident mountain driver I am looking for the best route that will get me to my destination in Seattle while not missing out on a lot of the sights around Rushmore and Yellowstone and along the way. As we are retired time is not an issue.
I will be driving a 2011 32 foot Thor Hurricane and towing a Jeep.
Thanks

Take I-90 all the way west. Enter Yellowstone via the east entrance (go thru Cody). Exit Yellowstone to the west at West Yellowstone. Stay at Grizzly RV park in West Yellowstone, as it is very nice. Head back up to I-90 and drive into Seattle.

Yes there will be mountain passes, but nothing your coach cannot handle. Just take it easy going up and more importantly going down. Rule of thumb is to use the same gear going down the mountain as you used going up. (I am assuming your motorhome is gas not diesel.)

When at Rushmore, make sure and don't miss Crazy Horse - a must see. I think we stayed at Rafter J rv park which is half way in between those two sights.

Take your time, enjoy your trip. If you encounter snow, just park for a day or two. These would be early snows and they clear them very quickly.

Enjoy your trip.