Colorado, Wyoming road trip advise.

[racer57]

I am in the beginning of planning a trip from Pennsylvania to Colorado and Wyoming. I have never taken my rig more than 70mi from home. I will be traveling with 2 young kids (3 and 7). I have a 34' International travel trailer. Looking for any advise or tips.

[SeeMore]

When making long haul trips, we try to limit the to/from miles per day to less than 300 so we can enjoy the voyage verses cramming as many mies per day into crossing the great prairie to reach the Rockies. I hope you have a co-driver.

That said...
1) Prepare as many meals as you can before departure to minimize prep time if you are going to drive two or more days in a row on the out leg.
2) Combine fuel & food stops where possible, one pumps & the other prepares sandwiches/drinks/fruit salad/etc (mid-day). Avoid foods with sugar as much as possible/snack on energy bars/yogurt/etc. No cooking during run. Grab cold snacks from frig when stopped.
3) Stop every 90-120 minutes for a few minutes, walk around and check rig out, stretch legs, refresh drinks, change visual focus & let the kids/pets out.
4) Despite the mileage goal, set cruise for 62-63 & avoid feelings of urgency.
5) Carry tank of water (nearly or full), adds stability & TV mpg doesn't care. You'll always be able to stop for the kids' restroom request.
6) Limit run days to 400 miles. Typically we do ~250-300 a day or less.
7) Never do more than two "make miles" (dawn to dusk driving) in a row; you'll get depleted. We limit these to crossing the midlands/heartland in the summertime to beat the heat and use the late sunset.
8) On mileage runs, we stay at rest stops/Walmart/etc., stay self contained and minimize stop time by not setting up camp (no kids). If necessary, navy shower in rig. Black & Grey can last days so no need for dumping or connections.
9) Before or after long runs: normal travel days & campgrounds, dump tanks when we can, always stop & setup well before dusk to lounge and make a gourmet meal (reward).

[Len n Jeanne]

Is the 7 year old interested in dinosaurs?

If so, they might enjoy Dinosaur National Monument on the Colorado-Utah border.

I found this site on dinosaur parks and museums in Wyoming: http://www.yellowstonepark.com/see-dinosaurs-wyoming/

Of course, there is Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in Wyoming. These parks do tend to be extremely popular, so reservations are recommended.

Colter Bay in the Tetons apparently usually has space. We've stayed at the Grizzly RV park in West Yellowstone when we knew the park campgrounds would be full. Expensive but nice, with helpful staff. Yellowstone is a huge park with a low speed limit: the biggest concentration of thermal features are on the west side.

SeeMore has great ideas on traveling with small children. The national parks have a junior ranger program that seems to be popular with kids.

[Piggy Bank]

How exciting. We live closer to your destination, and did a Colorado and Wyoming trip this year. Had such a great time we are going again next year. Here is that thread I started on that topic from before we went.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...re-152213.html

Here is the review/wrap up I posted once we got back home.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f295...-a-153482.html

And here is a thread about water management if you decide to camp in the national parks where the campgrounds usually don't have hookups.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f382...nt-140119.html

Couple of questions for you to consider.

What time of year will your trip be? If during the Memorial Day-Labor Day time frame, you can expect that on any given day the high daytime temps will be 90 or more, making running the AC at night to be able to sleep a high priority. That means you will need electric hookups.

Getting gassed up with a rig that long may be your biggest consideration along the way. Strongly suggest that you heed what we learned and do not look for the best gas price, but look for the bast facility for your rig to gas up. And please note that often times on this trip we found that the "best" pump on the end was Out of Service. At more than one place.

Also suggest that you make reservations now for any national park campsites. They do fill up a year in advance.

Here are some commercial campgrounds we stayed at to/from that we liked and would use again:
Kearney RV Park in Kearney Nebraska.
Wind River KOA in Dubois WY (90 miles from GTNP and Yellowstone)
Limon CO KOA (between Denver and Colorado border on I-70)

Also advise if going into the Denver area to study up and pay the extra money to take the tollway around the metro (they will mail you a bill, you do not
stop at a toll booth. They use cameras and look up your license plate number) Denver traffic is always a pain, so any pain relief is welcome.

One last thing is that we found, with our sport 22, that the campgrounds in the Tetons were small. Pay attention to getting something there for a unit your size.

Oh, and I did a geeky spread sheet to estimate our driving time each day. (be sure to take time zone changes into account also) I took the distance, divided by average speed of 55 unless in the mountains, and then rounded up. This worked pretty well for the open road and fuel stops. I however learned to add at least 30 minutes for any small city and 60 minutes for any larger city. Found it to be true.

[Skykiva]

We summer in Estes Park so can be of help. First suggestion is try and come during the week. We never go to "town" on the weekends. There are 2 campgrounds in the park, Morain Park and Glacier. If you have to stay at a commercial park, I believe KOA has good reviews as does Elk Meadow. Check them out. Have been to several others but we would not stay at them. Highway 34 next year will possibly be closed so you will need to use 66 from I-25 and then 34. If we can be of help, let us know.

Enjoy your trip.

[pappy19]

Best thing you can do is to make sure all of your tires are in excellent condition, both trailer and towed vehicle. Even better is to change out the ST tires to LT 16" tires and wheels. At the very least install a tire monitoring system.

[HoffmanP]

Cody, WY, is a must see town. Be aware that Yellowstone Park closes in early November and many mountain passes are suseptable to snow closures from October on.

[Gneiss Guy]

Pappy19 has got it right. Be sure you can trust your tires to get you there and back. Don't forget the spare! If not absolutely sure, get new ones. Be sure you have all the basic tools to address any likely problems. In your planning, try to hit the big metro areas on the weekend or before or after rush-hour. There are lots of ways to get from here to there. Once you have a tentative route mapped out, check on this forum about road conditions. Some highways are nightmares, while others present few problems. Good luck! I remember my first western trip with my young family. Many mistakes, but also many adventures and great fun!

[Caymanite]

We have done several western trips win our 2009 27FB Classic, sometimes the two of us and others with teen age grand children.

Typically we cross Texas in a single dawn to dusk day and limit mileage to about 200 miles per day after that. The first day is Dallas to Santa Fe, great forest service camp , Black Canyon, on the ski road. We typically have some idea where to stop when we start the day but frequently, just take our chances.

If we know we want to stay at a national park, or some place likely to be crowded, we will plan to arrive about noon when people are leaving. We have never failed to get good sites this way, even on weekends. Some parks where this has worked include Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur Monument, and more.

Have a great trip

[dcasr]

Originally Posted by racer57

I am in the beginning of planning a trip from Pennsylvania to Colorado and Wyoming. I have never taken my rig more than 70mi from home. I will be traveling with 2 young kids (3 and 7). I have a 34' International travel trailer. Looking for any advise or tips.

_____________________________
When my wife and were young, as in the 1970s, we traveled back and forth across the USA with a shorter trailer (23') and three kids. You don't say whether there will be one adult or two, with the two small children. If there are two adults, you will manage, but if you are driver, navigator, and child care superintendent, I would suggest you borrow another adult to accompany you. The 7 yr old isn't old enough to manage all of the 3 yr olds needs, and you can't be turning your head and trying to manage whatever is going on in the back seat, and drive a 34' triple axle Airstream at the same time. Just saying.

The second issue is your tires: check them or have them checked for age, condition, air pressure, and if you don't have a tire pressure monitoring system for both trailer and tow vehicle, spend the money and get them. Have you had your AS bearings lubed recently, and your brakes checked? If not have both done. You don't want to break down in Wyoming or Nebraska or Western Kansas or...you get the idea. If you have a GPS with a larger screen great, if not your navigator will need good eyesight, and you should have maps as well.

You don't say what your tow vehicle is. Your tow vehicle will need HP and Torque, but if you pull the mountain grades in Western PA you should be alright. As your elevation rises in the West, the HP of your vehicle drops. If you are in Eastern Colorado and Eastern Wyoming less of a problem, if you are going over 7000 it is more noticeable.

The other advice from Posters you have been given is right on: limit your total driving to 300 or less, take many stops and exercise the kids, insist that they go potty every time the vehicle stops, fuel, rest stops, whatever. I don't have to isn't an acceptable answer. Have finger food in small baggies to keep them busy, along with iPads or equivalent, preloaded with their favorite games and diversions and cartoons.

Good Luck, and have two adults. I'm in my 70s and I've done this for a long time; kids and grandkids, and pets.
+dcasr

[Hittenstiehl]

Having just finished a long trip the below tips are spot on.

We fueled mostly at Loves, Pilot and other truck stop types of stations for ease of entry and long fuel islands.

Lots of snacks in small plastic bags. Small bin of food and small cooler in vehicle, bigger cooler in back. Each child gets water container and fills it at each fuel/potty stop. Ditto to all people potty at all stops!!!! Each child gets a tote bag or backpack for their fun stuff. They pack it they carry it. Headphones if they do electronics it can get noisy.

National parks are very kid friendly.

Have down time and let each person pick an activity, event or item to see.

Buy a Rand McNally, teach map reading, show them where you are going, what's in between, what do the symbols mean.

Do a daily recap on 3x5 cards at dinner. Whst did you do, see, was it warm, funniest moment of day. Each person gives their favorite thing if the day.

Each person has logistics so all are involved in the trip, from planning, research, daily set up, water run, windshields etc.

Enjoy making your memories.

[3wd67rg]

SeeMore hit the nail right on the head up there!

Chris and I made boil in the bag meals with a seal-a-meal type thing I have. Lots of brown rice in the freezer seal-a-meal boil bags. These can be either boiled or 'nuked', (as we call it), in your microwave. Then we pour various cans of nice thick soups over them. Fast and easy. Bags of Salad we pre-made ourselves, Sandwiches are easy too. Cereal or boiled eggs or bagels/cream cheese for easy breakfasts.

Our snacks were usually Potato Chips. Mostly because we like chips is all. He does tortilla chips, I like cheddar cheese and sour cream chips with the ruffles have ridges thing. Beef jerky is another snack we like. Cheese is good too.

I don't normally do this because our world is in so much trouble, but you may consider paper plates, bowls, and cups just for the driving part. With just Chris and I, we don't dirty much, but there are four of you.

Have a plethora of games, little toys, crayons, colored pencils, paper, deck of cards, little books, etc, on hand for the kids. Hand them out one at a time. If they are all new, the kids will be delightedly surprised as each one is presented. Teach them new songs, play the road games with them that your parents played with you. When my kids were little I did not have a car or a license to drive; we took buses and trolleys everywhere. Most trips were one to three hours long. They have great memories of these trips, and all their friends were jealous of that. I used to memorize poetry to recite to them so I wouldn't have to carry a load of books with me.

As long as you remember the journey is just as much part of the experience as the destination, you will very much enjoy yourselves. Have fun!

[fwjumper]

We've taken several long trips out west with 34' trailers. Tips above are all great. Making sure your rig is up to the task is foremost. Tires, brakes, hitch, capacity, etc. Planning such trips has always been a joy for us. Slow down, take your time. Don't set such a tight schedule that you can't stop and enjoy a spot longer if you want to. Don't obsess about having reservations everywhere. Even with a 34, you can usually find a spot. If not, it adds to the adventure. I envy you. We've been many places, but the area you are visiting is high on our list, along with the Glacier NP area and Alaska.

[Lumatic]

Royal Gorge (Canon City) Co and Devil's Tower WY are great kid places.

[dbj216]

racer57, you gotta have a real compelling reason to plan a trip like that with two young ones. The drive half of the way across this beautiful country of ours isn't worth the hassles you will endure. You're talking nearly 4000 miles round trip. I've crossed the great plains many times and find it very flat.

The Rocky Mountains are majestic for sure, especially after two days on the great plains. But you have beautiful areas much closer to home, such as the Adirondacks, White and Green Mountains, western Pennsylvania, and Appalachian mountains. If you have visited those areas, you may find the Rockies just another beautiful place. Some folks think Glacier National Park is one of the better places to visit in the Rockies.

However long grueling trip notwithstanding, you would be most welcome. We are heading out soon from the Denver area to Yellowstone and plan on seeing some beautiful scenery. Likewise, we will always fondly remember our trip to Acadia National Park, it was just as nice as the Rockies.

David

[Gneiss Guy]

I just remembered a couple of other things we did when traveling with our kids. Prior to the trip, I made "Treat Bags" for the kids. I put lots of penny candies, small candy bars, packs of cookies ... whatever I found that I knew they would like. That was for the trip out. Of course my son, "Mr. Immediate Gratification," would have his devoured before we got out of town, while his sister would save hers and torture him with it for the rest of the trip!

The other thing we did was to give monetary rewards for good behavior. Back in those days, it was $.25/day on a travel day and $1.00/ day while backpacking. That was their souvenir money. Your 3-year-old is probably too young for these, but it may help with the 7-year-old. Enjoy these years. They will be gone before you know it.

[cavitycop]

We just got back from Jackson Hole Wy and Yellowstone. Since we are new to airstreaming we decided not to pull "Thelma" that far without a little more experience. That whole area is amazing. The Grand Tetons just outside of Jackson are the most gorgeous range I have ever seen. Do not miss Grand Teton National Park. Obviously a must see if you are in that area is Yellowstone. We were there for 3 days after Labor Day and I could easily spend another week. The scenery and wildlife is spectacular! If your young travelers like to see animals in the wild they will love this place. I was talking with a fellow airstreamer while we were in stand still traffic waiting for 2 large Rams to cross the road and he said that the only problem he had pulling his airstream out there was that the campgrounds in Yellowstone were completely full and that he was going to have to go outside of the park to camp. I thought the camp grounds would be less crowded after the holiday but apparently not. We saw moose, hundreds of bison, lots of elk, mountain goats, mule deer, 4 black bears, coyotes and numerous other small game. Do not miss this place. The town of West Yellowstone is a neat little town with shopping and great restaurants. It's only a mile or so from the West Entrance to Yellowstone. Safe travels!

[Len n Jeanne]

racer, you've gotten some great advice here!

Just one more thing I noticed is that you have a BIG rig.

If you hope to get a National Park CG site on a first-come first serve basis, please be aware that a lot of the in-park sites were built a long time ago, when the typical RV was a lot smaller. (We decided on a petite Bambi in part for that reason.) When you make a reservation, the concession reservation services have a record of the length of each site and can make sure you get a long one.

Also, first-come, first serve in-park campgrounds can have line-ups of site-seekers starting early in the morning.

Alternatively, most RV parks these days are set up for the big MoHos and monster 5th wheels, and can more readily accommodate the long, long trailer.

[Phoenix]

The following are Colorado attractions that are geared for families, and that both adults and small children will enjoy:

Colorado Springs & Manitou Springs, CO:

• North Pole Colorado - Home of Santa's Workshop (Amusement Park)
  
  
• Pike's Peak Cog Railway

Durango & Silverton, CO:

• Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
  
  
• Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour

[Ray Eklund]

Phoenix offered some very good attractions. Even the Royal Gorge near Canon City, Colorado and Cog Railway down to the Arkansas River is worth investigating.

Some of the biggest one day snowfalls start... you guessed it... September and October in Colorado High Country. Pikes Peak had snow on top this year, late August. Even in July on Pike's Peak it can... SNOW and the wind... well, reminds me of Wyoming. Along the East Side of the Front Range... we can get the up slope and get socked in with blizzard conditions at the same time!

Eastern flat land Colorado and western Kansas... find a Walmart when the snow flies. Do not try to out run or drive through a Snow Storm. Been there, done that. Doughnuts at WalMart at Goodland, Kansas are soggy in the packages... so try something else.

The Fall Colors are beautiful. Trees drop their leaves, not for the beauty of it all but to prevent having their limbs stripped off during these early WET snows!

Just follow Colorado and Wyoming weather reports. You most likely will be camped at campsites in the valley's where the roads are plowed. Avoid getting into areas that are predicting SNOW... often it can be one inch or three feet.

Residents of Wyoming will tell you... snows an inch, drifts a foot.

This is that time of year when High Country weather can be pleasant one day, cold and raining the next and only to repeat itself.

Our mid August in Wyoming High Country had high wind, rain, hail, fog and snow on the higher peaks... all within three days of arriving. Later to become sunny and warm once down elevation in the 6,000+ range.

If you hear the Ski Resorts are 'making snow' for the coming holidays. Take notice.

By mid October you are in the 'danger zone for being snowed into an area for a few days'.

It may be hot and humid in the under 2,000 feet elevation parts of the USA... but out here it is a whole different climate.

Not all is gloomy for Wyoming snow. Saratoga, Wyoming has Hobo Hot Springs. It can be Below Zero and you can soak in these very hot springs with a dense Fog rolling off their surfaces. The swimming pool next to the Hobo Hot Springs also is naturally heated... or it appeared, as we used the free hot springs and showers next to the pool.

Enjoy your Rocky Mountain trip, but... just be careful. Snow is only pretty if you are not stuck in it.