Please help with our travel plans, traveling out west

[eubank]

Only sort of. We've got the roads plowed to about 30 yards into the park and have two sites at the front free, one of which is used for the truck and tractor. Maria's little car is just stuck out there, along with the Airstream. I don't figure we'll be able to dig out to the house; it's just going to have to melt, probably some time in March, if we're lucky.


Lynn

[genearnold]

Very interesting responses. As one who has lived his entire lifetime in the west (Colorado native, school in Wyoming, 30 years in Nebraska, 19 years in Idaho--boy, I must be older than I thought) I will tell you that many easterners and/or visitors from abroad don't fathom how vast are our states. Even leaving Texas out of the mix, most of our states have counties that are as big or bigger than some eastern states. While you can chart the distances on a map, the map doesn't give a true picture of how crooked a mountain road is, how steep are the inclines, etc. In the case of California travel, traffic congestion needs to be factored in as well. I echo those who advise a smaller chunk of territory, selected carefully, and enjoyed to its limit.

Gene

[glassman]

I live in Florida and go out West every summer. To be very blunt, your planned trip via I-10 to Sad Diego then up to San Fran and back is way too ambitious. You will never see anything but the highway. I would recommend going to Santa Fe, NM as a starting point, up to Taos, then Pagosa Springs, then Durango, stop at Mesa Verde, then on to Southern Utah for the North Rim and the Utah State parks, north to Salt Lake City, hit Moab, and back through Colorado; Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Ouray, and pick a route and head back home. This is an incredible route with great sites and not nearly as ambitious.

[CaddyGrn]

Hello,

As a life long Californian... much of the advice here is very accurate. You will be exhausted once you get to the west coast! Be prepared for California fuel prices... Yosemite is doable in the summer, but you might make reservations at one of the camping areas outside of the park ~ they are anywhere from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour drive away and day visit. It is very crowded in the summer. San Francisco is delightful, but not RV friendly. Nearest RV parks are about 45 min drive into town. Don't even think of driving your trailer in SF proper... hills are steep and some roads all stop signs are at the top of the hill... absolutely no parking even for a motorcycle much less a trailer and tow vehicle. We have driven thru SF, but we are familiar with the roads and how to get in and out of the city without disaster.

Things to think about... the summer and the southern route are very hot... Driving in California from San Diego to SF and to Yosemite.... you will only be able to travel on the most horrid roads. If you want to travel the coast highway, it will take days just to get from San Diego to SF... Consider going from say Las Vegas area up Hwy 395 to Yosemite (the back route in Yosemite over Tioga Pass is very steep, however at least 7% grade or better) 395 is a nice road with areas to camp.

As far as camping places... what kind of accommodations are you looking for? Cheapie? Full hook ups? National Forest Type campgrounds? The west has wonderful National Forest Campgrounds but usually no hookups and sometimes no water, and dump stations are iffy... Let us know what you like and we can post some of our favorites.

Sounds like a fun trip, hope this post didn't sound icky... just a long way to go in a short time.

Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson
My blogs: Yreka History
Siskiyou County Camping

[Phoenix]

I second CaddyGrn's comments.

Coastal Highway 1 is beautiful, but it's like mountain driving with narrow, winding roads. It's a long, slow drive, especially towing a trailer; and in the summer, it'll be crowded. In fact, most of the National Parks (like Yosemite) will be packed; and it may be too late for reservations. We usually do road trips in California in the spring and fall, when the kids are in school, to avoid the crowds.

Most of the southwest (New Mexico, Arizona, southern California, Nevada, southern Utah) is desert, so it'll be hot. Here in Arizona, expect daytime temperatures to be 105-110+, with nights in the 90-100 range; so you may want to plan on staying in campgrounds with electrical hookups for the A/C. (By the way we love Beaudry RV Resort in Tucson, right off of I-10).

In the summer, we usually head for the Rockies to escape the heat. There's lots to see, and it isn't as crowded as California in the peak tourist season. Also, for us Arizonans that are used to camping in the open spaces, many of California's National Park and state campgrounds are like parking in the Safeway parking lot on Saturday morning. No offense meant to Californian's, who have some of the most beautiful outdoor experiences in the US; but it's just too crowded for us in the peak season.

If you come out west on I-10, Carlsbad Caverns is very interesting, but it'll be hot in the summer (cool in the cave, though). Fortunately, there are some nice campgrounds with hookups within an hour or so of the Caverns (none on site), and Ruidoso and Cloudcroft are only a little bit further; and they are in the mountains.

If you want to send me a PM offline, I'll send you a PDF of our trip to Colorado last summer.

As others have stated, the southwest is big (even after you get across Texas); so you'll have more fun if you drive to a general area and then explore within a couple of hundred miles of that, instead spending your whole vacation behind the wheel. There's lots to see out here. Check out www.nps.gov for ideas.

By the way, there are warnings about travel in border cities near El Paso, Nogales, etc. Mexican drug wars are escalating, and I would recommend avoiding those areas for the next few months.

[Pacerized]

I have to agree that you may want to focus on a tighter loop for your trip. When I think back to our trips out west while living in the South we did stretch ourselves very thin. I'd push a lot more miles per day then I'd recommend just to get past Texas in 2 days on our way to Colorado, or Az.

If you've never checked the area out I think I'd recommend going first through Southern Utah while the temps are perfect in early May. You could swing up to Bryce, Arches, and then Mesa Verde following a loop to include Durango, Silverton, and Telluride on your way to Rocky Mountain national park before returning. However I doubt if Trail ridge road in RMNP is open until later in May. You might also see the S. Utah parks, then head to the Grand Canyon before returning. What I like about the first trip is that it gives some variety of Eco systems versus only seeing the desert climate parks. If you wanted to focus on just one great location Yellowstone is awesome but it's so large and far away that it's all you could get in for one trip. The parks are busy in the summer, but you'll find it easier in early May then you would in June since most schools aren't out for the summer yet. You're on such a tight schedule that I'd recommend reservations as soon as possible for many of the parks like Arches which has only 1 small campground. I booked my site in Arches for May several weeks ago.

Charlie

[Woody.303]

On the way back, don't forget to stop in Missouri to visit some of the 6,000 caves, some of which were used by Jesse James. It will be a nice respite from the heat.

Ha Ha Tonka is also one of my new favorite state parks. There is the skeleton of a huge mansion atop a sunken cave, (called a karsk) with a huge spring in the bottom that created a nice size lake. The view from up top is amazing.

Woody

[Chief]

We are leaving Florida on 9 May, heading West, but our trip will cover 30 days. I have spent the last six months planning this adventure.

Our route includes: Branson, Denver, Yellowstone, Bryce, Zion, Las Vegas, Williams, Carlsbad and San Antonio, and a leisurely drive home. Our longest leg of the trip is 455 miles (Carlsbad to San Antonio) and most driving days are in the 200-250 mile range. With the exception of Vegas, I did not include any driving day as part of our site-seeing plans.

About 70% of the reservations have been secured. I was concerned that we would be at Bryce Canyon on Memorial Day, so that reservation was the first one I made (two minutes after they were available online). I know the big MoHo guys are going to hate me for getting the large pull-thru site....but, you know what they say about "he who hesitates....."

I would think that a three-week trip to California, on I-10, is not going to be much fun or allow much time for enjoying the sites.

Whatever you decide.....it will be an adventure....try to relax and enjoy. Hope to see you on the road.

Chief

[CaddyGrn]

Hi folks,

Traveling is great... but we enjoy getting to poke around places and "see" things. Traveling 200 - 250 miles a day, setting up the trailer, getting ready again for the road... fixing meals... all of that takes a 8 hour day. That doesn't leave much time for the fun stuff or really getting to explore. My idea of a trip is either... a couple of long drive days through places we've either seen or long endless roads (like in Nevada) or traveling about 200 miles every other day. Likely won't get to do that on a shorter holiday time, but if you can stretch out your visit you won't regret it!

Have fun on the trips! Let us know the kinds of places you want to stay (full service RV parks, or National parks...) and we can give you more info!

Mrs. NorCal Bambi traveling in S Tardis ~ from the Great State of Jefferson
My blogs: Yreka History
Siskiyou County Camping