MD to WA- 6 weeks cross country trip rough planning

[Zanzabar]

Hello all.
March 31st the wife and I will be taking about six weeks to travel from Maryland to Washington State, and we are looking for some recommendations on routes, camping locations, and sight-seeing along the way. We plan to mostly stay at BLM/State Parks and Harvest Hosts locations, as we prefer to not plan too far in advance while traveling and like to ‘wing’ it as much as possible.

We have done the southern route on a previous cross country trip, so this time we would like to cut through the middle of the US as far as possible (maybe as far as Colorado?), and then likely dip down south to hit Arizona/Utah/Nevada before heading up through Oregon and ultimately Washington. Obviously, travelling during the time of the year that we are, I believe weather will be the deciding factor on how far we make it west before having to go south. I figure our overall route would look something like this… again, the idea is to not plan our next stop more than a couple days in advance, keeping in mind the general idea of places we want to visit and giving us the flexibility to modify our trip as wanted or needed.



Anyways, looking for recommendations as well as any ‘must see’ places and awesome boondocking spots along the way that you are willing to share!

Thanks in advance,
Mike

[Skip426]

I can't comment on anything east of Flagstaff AZ , so I'll limit my comments to the areas I have traveled .

In AZ your route appears to include Tuba City and the Grand Canyon North Rim ; good choices.
Would you have time for a trip , perhaps with the truck only , out to the Four Corners , spectacular scenery and it'd be shame to be that close and miss it.
Your route across central NV could be problematic , depending on your fuel cruising range , my last trip across , a place on the map ; Warm Springs ; where I expected to find fuel , was just a concrete slab and a solar powered emergency phone.
Northern CA , if the route includes Lassen Peak area, check well in advance to make sure the roads are open , I went through in May and found the road only open to the ski hill and the trough road I was expecting still covered in 10'+ of snow.
Same for the road past Crater Lake in OR.
Late winter storms are causing havoc , up and down the west coast, with some areas getting record amounts of snow that could result in flooding should a rapid melt occur .
Safe travels.

[Terraboat]

I like your plan. I'll be following this post.

[Zanzabar]

Originally Posted by Skip426

I can't comment on anything east of Flagstaff AZ , so I'll limit my comments to the areas I have traveled .

In AZ your route appears to include Tuba City and the Grand Canyon North Rim ; good choices.
Would you have time for a trip , perhaps with the truck only , out to the Four Corners , spectacular scenery and it'd be shame to be that close and miss it.
Your route across central NV could be problematic , depending on your fuel cruising range , my last trip across , a place on the map ; Warm Springs ; where I expected to find fuel , was just a concrete slab and a solar powered emergency phone.
Northern CA , if the route includes Lassen Peak area, check well in advance to make sure the roads are open , I went through in May and found the road only open to the ski hill and the trough road I was expecting still covered in 10'+ of snow.
Same for the road past Crater Lake in OR.
Late winter storms are causing havoc , up and down the west coast, with some areas getting record amounts of snow that could result in flooding should a rapid melt occur .
Safe travels.

Thanks! I just kind of put a general route in to give folks the idea of what I was talking about when I mentioned staying in the middle or going south, but I will keep Tuba City, North Rim and four corners in mind now. We also had some close calls on our previous trip with fuel, so I am definitely aware of that haha!

We visited Crater Lake in 2021 around that time and although we were lucky and weather was nice then, I do vividly remember the 10+ wall of snow on either side of the road to the lake. So I definitely plan to keep a weather eye out on the weather (pun intended). Thanks for the advice!

[Talloaks]

Have you scoped out typical weather in the midwest and great plains during early April? My suggestion would be to choose a more southerly route. Arkansas in early April can be stunningly beautiful.

The Grand Canyon North Rim closes during the winter and reopens fairly late in the spring. Elevation there is significantly higher than the south rim.

From their web site: "On Thursday, December 1, State Route 67, and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park closed to all vehicle traffic for the winter. State Route 67 and all North Rim services are scheduled to re-open for the 2023 season on May 15th, 2023 (subject to change)."

[saddlesore]

Only thing I can suggest is staying on US-97 all the way to US-2 then head over Stevens to I-5 and north.

[Zanzabar]

Originally Posted by Talloaks

Have you scoped out typical weather in the midwest and great plains during early April? My suggestion would be to choose a more southerly route. Arkansas in early April can be stunningly beautiful.

The Grand Canyon North Rim closes during the winter and reopens fairly late in the spring. Elevation there is significantly higher than the south rim.

From their web site: "On Thursday, December 1, State Route 67, and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park closed to all vehicle traffic for the winter. State Route 67 and all North Rim services are scheduled to re-open for the 2023 season on May 15th, 2023 (subject to change)."

Awesome, thanks for the info. Yes I know it can be very much still winter out there, that is why we plan to take it day by day and if we see something looming in the forcast, head south immediately. I guess that is the benifit of going no reservations. Seems like I can pretty much scratch North Rim off the list though, doubt they will be open by then.

Any particularly cool places in Arkansas to try to visit/see? I went through on our last trip but don't remember staying long, it was a bit earlier in the year though and we were shifting from vacation mod to visit family mode by then.

[Zanzabar]

Thanks to all for the route guidance. Does anyone have any recommendations of must see places to go or camp on the way during that time of year? honestly our route is not cut in stone at all, but based on the general idea of seeing some new places and going a different route (as much as possible) than we have before (southern route pretty much all the way).

I know one destination that we plan on staying a few days at is the Moab Utah area (or around there), but we are also thinking of things like White Sands NM and maybe Carlsbad Caverns to see the bats. Any other places to consider? Any stunning dispersed camping spots to try and plan for? Our slate is pretty much clean TBH. Thanks!

[hamm2018]

Zanzabar, on the map it looks like you are planning on going thru Lexington, Ky. There is a HH in Georgetown, Country Boy Brewing, nice HH, good food. Here you park on the road in front of the business, no traffic at night. It is a business district.
In Lexington is The Kentucky Horse Park. Beautiful place, worth the stop to see, especially if you like horses. The last Triple Crown winner, "American Pharoah", is in Lexington area at Ashford Farms.
North of Lexington is a place called "The Ark Encounter" and "The Creation Museum".

[twogypsies]

Sorry, I can't tell details from your map but I'd advise to really keep a watch on the weather.

As stated above, Grand Canyon North Rim doesn't open until May 15 but there are many boondocking spots on the road leading to it and just drive your vehicle into the park. There won't be facilities open but you can still view.

Great southern Utah national parks in the area: Zion, Bryce, etc.

We were stranded on two different occasions because of a late May blizzard. Once just east of Flagstaff, AZ & another coming up Hwy 93 in Nevada at the Idaho border.

The West and especially California mountains are really getting record snowfall right now so not much chance of it melting early.

It doesn't look like you're taking the coastal highway. I'd advise taking Hwy 20 just above San Francisco area and cutting over to Hwy 101 and taking it all the way up through California, Oregon and around the Olympic Peninsula to Bremerton which is what you have marked. It's good driving for RVs and the camping is superb, especially the state parks. Being on the coast will keep you out of snow areas, also.

That's a lot of territory so giving recommendation on where to stay and what to do is impossible. I'd recommend you define you route in smaller chunks and ask for recommendations along a smaller portion of the whole route otherwise we'll have you driving all over the place to see things. Route first then plan what to do along it.

Nevada Hwy 50 is a great way to cross. There are many boondocking options and plenty of fuel at the towns. Just don't try to shop for price. Get it when you see it. Drive on the top half of your tank and you'll be just fine.

Sounds like a great trip but fast! How will you return?

If doing national parks be sure to check each park's website for up-to-date information on fees and reservations - even for entrance. For instance, you mentioned Moab so I assume you're planning for Arches NP. They now require timed entry.

"From April 1 to October 31, visitors are required to have a timed entry ticket to enter the park."

https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm

Six weeks is not enough time!

[Talloaks]

Originally Posted by twogypsies

As stated above, Grand Canyon North Rim doesn't open until May 15 but there are many boondocking spots on the road leading to it and just drive your vehicle into the park. There won't be facilities open but you can still view.

The website states highway 67 is closed until May 15. And just looking at the route on Google Maps, highway 67 is labelled "Closed in winter" all the way from highway 89A at Jacobs Lake Inn to the rim.

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Talloaks

The website states highway 67 is closed until May 15. And just looking at the route on Google Maps, highway 67 is labelled "Closed in winter" all the way from highway 89A at Jacobs Lake Inn to the rim.

Thanks!

[Fotoryder]

"I know one destination that we plan on staying a few days at is the Moab Utah area (or around there), but we are also thinking of things like White Sands NM and maybe Carlsbad Caverns to see the bats. Any other places to consider? Any stunning dispersed camping spots to try and plan for? Our slate is pretty much clean TBH. Thanks!"

Early April is probably too early to see bats at Carlsbad Caverns. They don't migrate to the caverns until late May. The Caverns will be open all year, although there may be construction on the road to park headquarter due to flooding. It's posted as being open to traffic.

Just south of Carlsbad Caverns (~50 miles) is Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and spring time would be a great time to visit. McKittrick Canyon is a great hike if you're interested in Geology. The park also has the remains of one of the early stage coach stops, an easy stroll from park headquarters. Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas.

At the north edge of New Mexico, I enjoy the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, the highest and longest narrow gauge railroad in the US, but you'll probably be too early in the season for that ride. It runs through the mountains on the New Mexico/Colorado border. If you like that history, you can walk through their train yard in Chama, NM.
In central NM, along US 380, you can visit the Malpais, lava flows, and some ancient Indian dwellings, and visit some Indian Pueblos through out NM, especially around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. There is also the Turquis Trail, in the mountains between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

[Triangle Drifter]

Looks like a plan to me. Create the framework of the trip. Hit the road with nowhere set in time & place to be other than a rough idea. Always have a backup idea if plan A does not work out. Be sure to have enough water onboard for a day or two if you get down to plan C, Walmart.