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jamesonb · 04-23-2017, 05:34 PM

Hey gang! We are first timers and so excited about our new 16' Bambi! That said, I have a huge amount of anxiety about towing and about how to plan our various routes. How does one even know if a road on the map is drivable with an AS?? How do I make sure I don't find myself on one of those crazy mountain passes that go on for days? What's your route planning process? That sort of thing.

Any tips, tools, resources, help, kind words, etc... are appreciated.

In the meantime, we are specifically looking at driving from Boston, MA to Yellowstone and then from Yellowstone heading up to the Little BigHorn area and from there down to Badlands, probably in early to mid September. If anyone has any thoughts about best routes (or routes to definitely avoid), I'd love to hear them.

Bill M. · 04-23-2017, 05:42 PM

I think you can probably tow a Bambi almost anywhere. But I would still be careful of the routes. We use a old Tom Tom GPS that can be set for a car towing a trailer. Not perfect but some help. Look at the routes ahead of time. Pay attention to the elevations. Ask locally if you need to. In the Bighorns there can be some surprises(tunnels) so be careful there. Not to worry too much. Even a bit rig is pretty nimble. More trouble for us around cities and urban areas with one way streets and dead ends. Not so much trouble in the mountains. But we are pretty careful and sometimes have not bee careful enough.

65CV · 04-23-2017, 05:45 PM

See your Private Message with my phone number.

We've done multiple cross country trips from Mass.

John

Piggy Bank · 04-23-2017, 07:04 PM

FYI we went to Yellowstone from Kansas City last year. We went across I-80 across Nebraska on our way out. Here is a write-up I did on our trip.

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

With your smaller 16 unit you would also fit well into the spaces in the Grand Teton National Park. We stayed at Signal Mountain. It was a tight fit for our 22, but you would be fine as far as space in the 16. Signal Mountain does not take reservations so you would need to arrive between 8-9 am to get a spot. It had very nice clean pay showers, a laundry facility, and access to a gas station, upscale convenience store with wi-fi and espresso (really good) and light groceries, a restaurant, and boat rentals. So that would be a great place for the Tetons if you find that on your schedule. NOTE to other readers. I would not recommend this place for any unit longer than a 22.

EscapePod · 04-24-2017, 01:00 PM

It's good to be prepared, but high levels of anxiety can spoil an otherwise great potential experience. I recommend you spend an hour or so at a vacant parking lot and practice tight turn-around maneuvers to see the capability of your rig (and you). You'll feel much better when you realize you can get out of just about any tight situation. I've been in some tight places with my 22' that if I hadn't practiced might have freaked me out.

Just an observation on your travel dates. When you get into late September near Yellowstone you may find weather as a greater obstacle than your ability to maneuver. Some campgrounds are closing for the season around then as well.
Prepare, relax, enjoy.
Escapepod 68

jennian · 04-24-2017, 01:51 PM

join the club and access their app which includes a trip planner that gives miles and time between stops, points of interest, rv sites and low bridge and restricted road info. we use it on every trip and love it.

candyk · 04-24-2017, 02:39 PM

In sept be prepared for snow. Do not tow over beartooth pass until you are very very comfortable. Enter Yellowstone through Cody or gardener MT

Are you planning to use interstates? And cross Wyoming before heading north? Crow then Hardin, to billings and Livingston, then south into Yellowstone?

SeeMore · 04-24-2017, 02:42 PM

The America's Independent Trucker's Association has a web site where Low Clearance & Bridge Heights (14' and below) are listed by State for reference.

http://aitaonline.com/information

VT Wanderer · 04-24-2017, 05:49 PM

We head west regularly from VT to Yellowstone & Tetons. I would take Mass Pike west to NY Thruway (I-90) - Get an EZ Pass (check on line) to avoid toll booths - I-90 gets to I-90/80 west in Ohio - (AAA can route you to some twists off the basic route) First night we usually stay at the Ohio Service Plaza on I-90/80 outside of Amherst OH - they have dedicated RV parking with hook-up for electric - Day 2 we stay basically on I-90 but try to stay south and west of Chicago on I-94 and I-294 back to I-90 -We stay at Walmart in LaCrosse Wis. Day 3 we - stay on I-90 to Wall SD - This is right near the Badlands, and may be easiest to see them on the way out. Badlands camping is cheap,but no hookups - if you want to stay in Wall SD Sleepy Hollow CG is a good place. Day 4 - we go from Wall to Buffalo WY and get on RT. 16 to go over the Powder River Pass - Steep pitches and switchbacks - just use your lower gears and there's no problem. Cody WY for the night - Absoroka Campground - get your supplies in Cody - see the Buffalo Bill Museum - Next day 90 miles to YS. Tetons are about 1.5 hours south. Haven't done Little Big Horn but it's on our bucket list. Enjoy and safe journeys.

jamesonb · 04-24-2017, 09:31 PM

This is all SUPER helpful, thank you all so much! We are definitely planning some short, local trips this summer to practice and get to know our new AS. I'd love to hear more about mid-September conditions around Yellowstone, I think we booked a site in the park the second week of September which is just before it closes so weather/snow has been on my mind (we're also not 100% committed to going then, it's just something we've been thinking about). I think we're planning to go to Tetons for a few day after leaving Yellowstone and then head back North and East to go to Badlands. We're pretty much at our leisure for all of September and we're a little obsessed with National Parks (but like to go off-peak when we can). The genesis for this post was looking at getting from Yellowstone up to Little Bighorn and I realized I had no way of evaluating the route GoogleMaps came up with from Cody North to pick up I-90 again!

candyk - thanks for the tip about avoiding beartooth pass, I was looking at it on the map and it did NOT seem like something I want to do right off the bat! I think we are mostly planning to use interstates but have not worked out an exact route (though many of the suggestions here are definitely going to be considered!). That said, we were looking at coming into and out of Yellowstone from Cody based on info from my brother-in-law.

VT Wanderer - Thank you so much for these suggestions! This is just the kind of information I was hoping someone might share, although something about "steep pitches and switchbacks" gives me heartburn

I'm sure once we get on the road and get comfortable towing we'll be just fine.

Len n Jeanne · 04-24-2017, 11:01 PM

You should be fine on any federal or state highway, excepting that some of the really high passes get bad weather at any time of year, and can be snowy during the shoulder seasons. There are some "crazy mountain passes," but they don't go on for days.

I don't know what is your tow vehicle, but if you want to avoid really high passes, it would be the major consideration, not your Bambi. We drive all over the mountains, first with a Tacoma on our 16-footer, and now with a Tundra on our 19-footer. If you wish to avoid big passes, you can find apps or just googling them by name will tell you what they are.

One thing I would recommend for Yellowstone if you want to camp in the park is reservations for one of the campgrounds that takes them. The park just gets crazy busy, including in the fall. Most of the thermal features are on the west side of the park. Yellowstone is huge and the speed limit is slow, so do allow yourself enough time. If you can take several days, however, you won't be that far from the Grand Teton National Park, which is also well worth a visit.

Happy camping!

OTRA15 · 04-25-2017, 02:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamesonb

. . . I realized I had no way of evaluating the route GoogleMaps came up with
. . .

In this day and age, it may seem heretical to suggest that you invest in a good spiral-bound road atlas to aid in your overall trip planning, but it can be an important tool in the navigoator's toolbox!

The skill of using hard copies of maps is a dying art, but your travels will benefit greatly by doing so, especially if you want to explore off the main highways and byways. This large scale version is easier on the eyes when you are bouncing down the road at dusk, looking for the park or campground!

https://www.amazon.com/Road-Atlas-20...rds=road+atlas

Too -- a paper map works without electricity or cell signals!

Have a great trip -- your advance planning will reward you many times over IMO.

Ruffn It · 04-25-2017, 04:39 AM

Congratulations on your 16'. The only thing I can suggest in addition to what others have already mentioned is that when you're looking for route planning/travel aps - look for ones marketed to truckers. After speaking with my truck driving brother-in-law recently I discovered that there is more out there targeted to that community than to RV drivers right now. At least in the App Store for mac/iOS. Haven't tried any of them yet but from reading some of the descriptions, they offer more details about the *nature* of the route (curvy? altitude change? weather alert there now? height/weight restrictions? etc.) than my favorite apps for car-driving navigation (WAZE, Google Maps, iExit).

edit: forgot to mention the AllStays app.

Good luck on your adventures!

Piggy Bank · 04-25-2017, 05:22 AM

Good comment above regarding the paper road atlas.

Know that in Yellowstone/GTNP your cell phone will not work. Only when close to a major hotel will there be any cell or wi-fi.

So maps that don't need technology are essential.

raidergal · 04-25-2017, 10:36 AM

We were in Yellowstone last year at the same time. Labor Day weekend and after. Cool and windy but got up early every day to see the sites. It was worth it. Then we did head to Tetons, please don't miss that area. We stayed at Gros Ventre campground for 2 weeks, the fall colors were spectacular, don't miss out.

jamesonb · 04-25-2017, 04:09 PM

Yep, we have a paper atlas in addition to all the technology, wouldn't go anywhere without it. We're also planning on having each day's directions printed out with us before we leave.

Tow vehicle is definitely part of what is giving me heartburn. At present we only have a Ford Explorer with a class III tow package. We're planning to see how it does near home and then make a decision about whether it's up to the task or if we'll need to get something bigger. Based on the math alone it "seems" like we might be okay but everything I read makes me concerned it won't be great at elevation.