First timer East-West cross-country family RV trip

[outdoorgrl11]

I have begun starting to plan for an east-west venture for my family this summer. I have teen and preteen boys. I want to hit some national parks and the "quirky" roadside attractions along the way.

Will be renting a Class A RV (RV rental suggestions? I have been on RV Share.)

We are starting in VT and have at most 3 weeks for this trip.

I would rather not travel highways as I want to be able to see the "real" countryside.

Some parks that I really want to see are Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, Badlands, Smokey Mountains, Shenandoah. Some of these I visited when I was a kid with my family. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget it and I want my children to experience the same.

I realize we probably won't be able to hit everything we can in the time we have to travel. I want to get the biggest bang for our buck with the time we have.

Has anyone taken an east/west trip recently with their family? Its been 45+ years since I did this as a kid and I am sure a LOT has changed!

Recommend routes?

Recommended roadside attractions?

Recommended campgrounds?

Average mileage per day traveled?

I am using the RV Trip Wizard for routing. It seems like a pretty good app. Are there any others that travelers have used?

Any recommendations would be GREATLY appreciated as this process is quite overwhelming. We did the "Disney" thing last year. Now I want to show them this great big beautiful country that we live in and all its beauty!

Thanks so much!

[Mike8253]

I think you need to approach this trip like it's going to be the 1st of many. Don't try to do it all in this one. If you do, you'll ruin it for everyone. If you're limited to 21 days, I'd limit the travel days to no more than 10, less if possible. It's nearly 2400 miles from Vermont to Yellowstone, for instance. That's a far piece in a MH. So be reasonable in your expectations and do your homework on places to see enroute. RoadTrippers is a great app for off the beaten path places to see in addition to any well known destinations on your trip plan. RVTW is a great planning tool (I use it all the time) to put the whole journey together. Good luck. I wish you a great experience with your family.

[TXiceman]

First, slow down. You do not want to spend all of the time driving and none sightseeing. Three weeks is really not enough time to make a meaningful trip from VT to the Grand Canyon area.

Next thing, is if you do not already have campsites reserved for the major areas, you will have a hard tome getting places to camp unless you decide to boondock or dry camp.

With the boom in RVing, campsites are at a premium. In addition to the new RVers, the campgrounds are full of permanents and construction workers, leaving fewer short term sites. We are having a hard time finding sites for the next winter.

Ken

Ken

[IBDAGRIZ]

I think I'd be more of a "do the closer stuff via class A" and the Grand Canyon/Yellowstone stuff later by flying in and renting something.

You're almost a week in driving each way from VT as was stated.

Also consider having your spouse drive a car/suv for local exploration as a class A gets old having to move it to go to the store/park/sight seeing/etc.

You're going to get lots of answers here, so enjoy the dialogue.

Griz

[outdoorgrl11]

Thanks for responding. I am just starting the planning. The reason I reached out here was to find those that have done this before so I can be realistic in my expectations and get the most out of our trip. I didn't expect I would be able to get to everything in one trip. I just listed places I would like to go at some point. So, yes, multiple trips would be a definite to see everything.

So, what do you think would be a realistic time to take if I wanted to do a Grand Canyon area trek?

[Mike8253]

Originally Posted by outdoorgrl11

So, what do you think would be a realistic time to take if I wanted to do a Grand Canyon area trek?

Doable, but a very long haul for a single driver with only 21 total days to work with. Sounds like you're on a mission, though. So depending on your location in Vermont, it's ~2600 miles to get to the South Rim. If you're going to do this trip, you need to try to make campground reservations at the Grand Canyon pretty much yesterday. If you plan 6-driving days to get there, that's 433 miles per day average. That's hoofing it in a Class A, even for RV'ers with a lot of experience. Have you thought of a Class C instead? If you gave yourself 5-days at the Grand Canyon. From there maybe you could go up to Moab (~325 miles) to Arches and/or Canyonlands NPs for a few nights there before coming home via about a 5-day drive and ~2250 miles. I'd break up the drives down and back with a 2-night stay somewhere just to give yourself a rest. You're going to need it. As well as the kids. With all of that, you are at 20 days. It's an awful lot to do. Don't know if I would.

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by IBDAGRIZ

I think I'd be more of a "do the closer stuff via class A" and the Grand Canyon/Yellowstone stuff later by flying in and renting something.

You're almost a week in driving each way from VT as was stated.

Also consider having your spouse drive a car/suv for local exploration as a class A gets old having to move it to go to the store/park/sight seeing/etc.

You're going to get lots of answers here, so enjoy the dialogue.

Griz

X2 on a rental .

Your fuel costs driving a Class A MH on a round trip of 5000 + miles will cover your families airfare .

The MH rental costs will be comparable .

2 days of traveling for 19 days of exploring ( renting ) vs 10 -12 days of traveling for 9-11 days of exploring ( driving) .

If you do more than one trip , you have the opportunity to rent a Class A on one trip and a Class C on another. The experience driving the different MH's is completely different . If you ever decide to purchase MH in the future , the different rental experiences will be invaluable in helping decide which works best for you and your family.

We did a 3 week MH rental in Alaska and it was a great trip . Another thing to consider , if you have any issues with the rental coach , the company is nearby for assistance . Not saying you' ll have problems , but it's comforting to know there's help nearby if needed.

Back to your question . Here are a few ideas for trips .

1- The big 4 in Utah , Zion , Bryce , Canyon lands , and the Arches . Rent the MH in Salt Lake city . Drive to Moab and setup the MH in a Park . Rent a Jeep in Moab and drive to the 4 National Parks . Plus you have all the trails around Moab to explore with the Jeep.

By flying into Salt Lake , you are only a day to Moab and all the surrounding area has to offer .

2- Fly into Rapid City , S.D. and rent a MH . You'll be able to drive the MH to all these destinations . From there you have the Black Hills , the Bad Lands , Mt. Rushmore , Devil's Tower , Little Bighorn , the Needles Hwy . , Spearfish , Wall Drug ( I know , it's a tourist attraction and about as tacky Americana as it gets , but you gotta do it ! ) , Sturgis ( but not the first week of August , the Harley Rally ).

3 - Fly into Phoenix , Az . and rent a MH . Off to the Grand Canyon ( you' ll have the time to do both rims and take a guided hike down into the canyon) , do the tour at Boulder ( Hoover ) Dam , Google " lakes around Phoenix " for swimming and boating , take the drive to Sedona and visit " Slide Rock" it's a natural waterslide through the slick rock that drops you into numerous pools along it's 1/3 mile run . It's a State Park , with picnic areas along the slide . Plus it's kid friendly, not death defying .

So , there you go . Any of these trips will keep the family busy , plus all the things you'll find along the way !

[LovesToWine]

You have received MANY words of wisdom. If it was just hubby and me doing this trip, it would take us 10 days of driving for just one way. Remember, the states out west get bigger and bigger! It is 318 miles to go from one side of Washington state to the other side. It is 215 miles from Boston to New York City.

[Limegreencj5]

We have done a cross country every year for the last 8 years. Our girls are now 16 and 13 and they still can’t wait for this years trip. Good Sam has a great trip planner that gives you RV parks, gas stations and many other things along your route. We will be going from So Cal to Fort Walton Beach, leaving June 4th. Take the freeways, you’ll get to the places you want quicker. Our route this year will be I-10, with a detour for Waco, Tx. (Who wouldn’t want a surf lesson in a wave pool in Texas). I drive about 350 - 400 miles per day, which means by the time the kids wake-up we’re 1/2 way there. If you want more, just ask.

[Scott 3]

If you decide to drive from VT I would suggest the following. Do two long days of driving to get out to the middle of Iowa. On the 3rd day get into the Wall Drug, Badlands area. Spend 3 or 4 days checking out this area and Mt Rushmore. Spend a day driving to Cody. Rest a day or two while you, check out the museum, rodeo, etc. Drive to West Yellowstone or Yellowstone proper for your campground but make sure you have reservations. Yellowstone needs at least 3 to 4 days. Check out Grand Teton NP on your way home. You will see amazing country side from South Dakota to Wyoming. If you try to drive secondary roads too early in the trip you'll be in Indiana after 3 or 4 days.

[tpaul]

Given your timeframe and kids ages I think the trip to Black Hills/Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone and Tetons would make the most sense. Spending a few days at each. Probably more in the Tetons/Yellowstone area. Nearby you can also do rafting on the Snake river. We took our kids on a horseback ride to the top of the foothills just south of there and the view was amazing. South of Black Hills is Custer State park and maybe a short trip down to Hot Springs if they have any interest in a fossil excavation. Badlands are interesting but for teenagers probably no more than a couple of hours. And I agree that for this trip you forget the backroads and get to the places that all of you will love to see. In my lifetime I must have taken more that a dozen trips to the Tetons and never tire of it. Great hiking. As for the Black Hills you should be aware that some roads like the Needles Hwy don't accommodate the size and turning radius of a class A. Not sure about a class C. Others may have input on this. We did it in a class A but towing a Jeep for the local stuff.

Then next time the longer trip to Utah or Arizona. And those, the idea of renting locally would seem worthwhile investigating.

And agree that you need to be making reservations yesterday if you want to stay in or even near a National Park.

[jfskeet]

We also are doing a east -west trip, But in our case we are taking 14 days to get to Moran Wy. Doing around 300 miles a day with 1 night stops for the the first 4 night and 5 2 night stops on the last leg. We want to take in all in.

Good luck and take your time.

[twogypsies]

When our kids were young we did 2-week trips from Michigan to the western sites. Yes, it's rushed and no, you won't be able to see everything and won't be able to stay long. However, it will give you a taste of what's out there and hopefully, you can come back for more either with or without the kids in your later years. When you're young and have limited time to travel that's what families do. Younger persons can also drive longer days to get there. One thing that would really help you out is if your wife could help out with the driving if only for the long, open stretches in the Midwestern states. Many women drive big RVs. There's no reason they can't. We switched off every day during traveling.

Your boys are old enough to help with the planning. Have them plan on the quirky places to stop. I'm sure they're proficient with Google. Feeling that they have input on this trip is good for them.

Here's one to get them started:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/united-states

[jfskeet]

After thinking it though more on your end, you might want to reconsider the whole west and south east plans. The plans your talking about are looking like you will be doing mostly driving and no visiting. You might want to make it in to two trips, West and Smokey mountain area. You can easily spend 3 weeks just around doing stuff in the Smokey's. Its a beautiful trip down and around Smokies. You could hit Gettysburg PA, and in Virginia, you have the old presidents homes. and blue ridge Parkway . Tennessee you have Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and coming home you could stop Biltmore Estate in Ashville ,NC and Old Williamsburg VA. That a easily be a 3 week trip.