Ideas for a 2011 road trip

[AMink]

Instead of 80 through Nevada, drop down to 50. Stop at Great Basin National Park (on the UT/NV border), then over to just south of Ely to Ward Charcoal Ovens State Park. From there, you can stay at Cave Lake State Park, which is also right out of Ely. If you've never driven out west, it's really big. 5 hours of straight driving will not get you across Nevada. Also, there are only 5 or 6 towns on 50 and Eureka and Austin are pretty small, so fuel up in Ely. You'll make it to Reno or Carson City in one shot, but stop in Fallon and fuel up again anyway. If you take 50 into Carson, you can head into California going right past Lake Tahoe where there are a bunch of places to stay. As you cross Nevada, it will be warm. Same driving tips as AZ--good a/c, good coolant, good tires. If you get a chance while in the Reno area, unhook and head out to Pyramid Lake. It is really amazing to see so much water in the middle of the desert. Don't forget to pay the tribe the daily fee. It's worth it.



How long are you planning on being gone? You'll need at least a few months to cover everything that's been suggested so far!:-laf

 

[jgillott]

How long are you planning on being gone? You'll need at least a few months to cover everything that's been suggested so far!:-laf

We were thinking 6-7 weeks. Thats not even going to put a dent in all of the great places to see, :-laf



Ive driven 50 through Tahoe in the past. I certainly plan on it this time.

 

[RVTRKN]

jgillott, I can say my purchase at Thunder RV was an awesome experience, when I purchased my used 05 Arctic Fox from them. I had to drive from So. Cal to look at it, and they held it for me without a deposit. They are family owned and are very friendly and will help you in any way to make your experience a positive one. I had to make a big decision to purchase a used RV so far from home, when I left, I felt at ease and the AF has been as good RV.



Go for it, then swing by Mt. Saint Helens and come down the Pacific coast and then go back through Utah, as I have mentioned earlier in another post, and go through Zion and Brice National Parks then connect to the I 70 from the US 89 and make sure to stop at the bad lands rest stop/scenic view on your way through. There are a couple of RV parks on 89 between Brice and Zion that are above the tree line and should be cool at the time of year your going.

 

[AMink]

If you're going to be up north anyway, Glacier National Park in Montana is a must see. Come across to Grand Coulee Dam in Washington then over to I-5 in a variety of ways.

 

[Grizzly]

If you're going to be up north anyway, Glacier National Park in Montana is a must see. Come across to Grand Coulee Dam in Washington then over to I-5 in a variety of ways.

I did mention Glacier NP on Post #9 as well as Yellowstone NP. Another NP, which is a must is Crater Lake and the Rogue River through Grants Pass in Southern Oregon. Also take the scenic Redwood Highway, US 199, from Grants Pass to Crescent City, CA at US 101. From there South on US 101 through Redwood NP, then I'd cut across California through Redding and into Reno and Lake Tahoe.



Just my 2 cents, george

 

[jgillott]

jgillott, I can say my purchase at Thunder RV was an awesome experience, when I purchased my used 05 Arctic Fox from them. I had to drive from So. Cal to look at it, and they held it for me without a deposit. They are family owned and are very friendly and will help you in any way to make your experience a positive one. I had to make a big decision to purchase a used RV so far from home, when I left, I felt at ease and the AF has been as good RV.



Go for it, then swing by Mt. Saint Helens and come down the Pacific coast and then go back through Utah, as I have mentioned earlier in another post, and go through Zion and Brice National Parks then connect to the I 70 from the US 89 and make sure to stop at the bad lands rest stop/scenic view on your way through. There are a couple of RV parks on 89 between Brice and Zion that are above the tree line and should be cool at the time of year your going.

Thanks. It's good to hear your of experience with Thunder RV.

 

[NIsaacs]

Just an opinion from a non-camper person, but you might want to wait on the camper for a different type vacation. It sounds like you will be all over the country this trip, maybe towing everywhere will be too much work? Not to mention the wife might want to get away from cooking and cleaning for a few weeks I can see the advantage of a camper if you are going to park for a week at a time and venture from there. A 22ft. bumper pull should be as easy to pull as a larger 5th wheel.



You might consider stopping in Williams, AZ. and taking a day trip from there to the Grand Canyon via the old railroad. You can go as a round trip or stay overnight. In the summer they fire up the old steam engine for power.



I work in Holbrook, AZ (I-40) go to lunch about 1100 every day, you or any member traveling through will be welcome for lunch, my treat.



Nick

 

[JMetzger]

If you are going through Grants Pass you have to take Jet Boat ride on the Rogue River, it is a blast. We use Hellgate, also a great campground is Valley Of The Rogue State Park. It has full hook ups + 50 amp & is shady. I recommend reservations at both Hellgate & Valley Of The Rogue.

 

[Grizzly]

If you are going through Grants Pass you have to take Jet Boat ride on the Rogue River, it is a blast. We use Hellgate, also a great campground is Valley Of The Rogue State Park. It has full hook ups + 50 amp & is shady. I recommend reservations at both Hellgate & Valley Of The Rogue.

Valley Of The Rogue is a great State Park. Everything on the Rogue is awesome. I have a brother who lives in Grants Pass. We've been there many time.



george

 

[ringneck]

get a 30ft 5th wheel at least. you want be happy with a small pull behind,you want like it in the wind. you want know the 5th wheel is there,knotts berry farm and such are mostlee rides,a bigg rip off. you will get a wild ride with a pull behind and dont for get the la gangs on the freeways. good luck,been there done that. when i went through winslow the wind was bad bad.

 

[jgillott]

Just an opinion from a non-camper person, but you might want to wait on the camper for a different type vacation. It sounds like you will be all over the country this trip, maybe towing everywhere will be too much work? Not to mention the wife might want to get away from cooking and cleaning for a few weeks I can see the advantage of a camper if you are going to park for a week at a time and venture from there. A 22ft. bumper pull should be as easy to pull as a larger 5th wheel.



You might consider stopping in Williams, AZ. and taking a day trip from there to the Grand Canyon via the old railroad. You can go as a round trip or stay overnight. In the summer they fire up the old steam engine for power.



I work in Holbrook, AZ (I-40) go to lunch about 1100 every day, you or any member traveling through will be welcome for lunch, my treat.



Nick

Thanks for the suggestion of the railroad. That's something that I think my daughter would love to do.



Also, as I said in my original post, I'm personally a little torn on the RV idea. I've always wanted to take a trip like this with one, but it's not completely necessary. We are also looking at hotels around the areas that we want to see to keep our options open. Money wise, it looks like we can stay on the road much longer with the RV than in hotels which is one of the reasons we are considering it.

 

[gtoli]

get a 30ft 5th wheel at least. you want be happy with a small pull behind,you want like it in the wind. you want know the 5th wheel is there,knotts berry farm and such are mostlee rides,a bigg rip off. you will get a wild ride with a pull behind and dont for get the la gangs on the freeways. good luck,been there done that. when i went through winslow the wind was bad bad.

Yeah, but it's a dry wind.

 

[RVTRKN]

Jgillott, If it's for a one time use or part time (once every couple of years) then you should go the Hotel/Motel way. There is an expense with an RV, even when not using it, and if you buy it new, there is a huge depreciation on it, when you go to sell it when your finished with it.



Now back to your trip, if you come into the LA area, avoid going through LA, the roads are rough and at times narrow. My last trip through LA with my Arctic Fox is my last trip through LA with an RV. I had to pick up my wife where she works in El Monte and we went up the I-5 through the Grapevine Pass. Even with shocks on the RV, we had a lot of stuff end up on the floor, due to the very rough roads and constant hitting the brakes when someone cuts in front of you and there is traffic up ahead which means your heavy on the brakes. If you don't need to go through LA, don't! You can bypass LA via the 210 to 605 or 57 south freeways and then to Disneyland. Don't go through LA on I-5

 

[Grizzly]

jgillott,



If your not sure about buying a TT or 5er and you want to camp at the National Parks, consider renting a Motorhome. It may be spendy, but cheaper than buying one if you're not sure you want to buy one yet.



Another thought is making a trip to Alaska with all the time you have. We met many families on our two trips that flew to Alaska and rented a Motorhome for two, three or more weeks. These Motorhimes come fully equipped with everything except food.



george

 

[jgillott]

Jgillott, If it's for a one time use or part time (once every couple of years) then you should go the Hotel/Motel way. There is an expense with an RV, even when not using it, and if you buy it new, there is a huge depreciation on it, when you go to sell it when your finished with it.



Now back to your trip, if you come into the LA area, avoid going through LA, the roads are rough and at times narrow. My last trip through LA with my Arctic Fox is my last trip through LA with an RV. I had to pick up my wife where she works in El Monte and we went up the I-5 through the Grapevine Pass. Even with shocks on the RV, we had a lot of stuff end up on the floor, due to the very rough roads and constant hitting the brakes when someone cuts in front of you and there is traffic up ahead which means your heavy on the brakes. If you don't need to go through LA, don't! You can bypass LA via the 210 to 605 or 57 south freeways and then to Disneyland. Don't go through LA on I-5

Thanks for the advice on the routes around LA.



Your point about buying an RV is exactly what we are tossing around. I have no problem spending the money on one, but I'm just not sure that we are going to have the opportunity to use it on a regular basis. I would hate to buy one, use it for the summer, and just have it sit after that. If we go without one, we will probably choose some basic locations to stay and then sight see from there. Either way, it's going to be a great trip with all the ideas we are getting.

 

[jgillott]

jgillott,



If your not sure about buying a TT or 5er and you want to camp at the National Parks, consider renting a Motorhome. It may be spendy, but cheaper than buying one if you're not sure you want to buy one yet.



Another thought is making a trip to Alaska with all the time you have. We met many families on our two trips that flew to Alaska and rented a Motorhome for two, three or more weeks. These Motorhimes come fully equipped with everything except food.



george

What part of Alaska do you travel to? It's another place that I would love to see sometime. On a side note, what type of documentation do you need now to get in and out of Canada? I haven't been there in years.



Renting something is a very good idea. I'll have to look in to that.



My best friend offered me the use of his trailer for the trip. I'm a little uncomfortable putting that many miles on his unit though.

 

[Grizzly]

jgillott, First of all, you'll need a passport. We travel the Alaskan Highway (Alcan Hwy) from the start, Dawson Creek to Tok, Alaska. From there to Fairbanks, which we used as a base camp for about 1. 5 week and did a lot of things around there. From there we drove to Denali National Park, spend three days there. Lot of wildlife and breath taking scenery. Then on to Anchorage. We spend about two weeks in and around Anchorage. We also went to Homer and the Homer Spit. We flew from Homer to Katmai NP and Preserve to view and photograph Grizzlies. We spent time in Valdez, Haines, Skagway, Dawson City, Yukon and many many other places. We took three or four catamaran cruses to see glaciers and wildlife. We took a train trip. We came back by way of the Cassiar Highway and spent time in Stewart, Alaska on the most Southern tip of Alaska to view and photograph Grizzlies.



I could go on and on. If you should decide to go to Alaska, I can tell you much more and so will many TDR members.



george

 

[jgillott]

Thinking about adding the Denver area in to the trip in some way. I'd love to see a game at Coors field.

 

[RVTRKN]

I-70 through Utah from Grand Junction, CO to I-15. It will take you through the North East end of Brice Canyon and every bend in the road is another great picture, you can also detour to Brice and Zion National parks. You will also know what kind of power your cummins has, when you climb out of the Green River Gorge.

I 70 will take you strait into Denver.

 

[jgillott]

I 70 will take you strait into Denver.

That's exactely what I am thinking.



On a side note, we took a little trip through upstate NY and back over the weekend. It was just 750 miles or so round trip, but sure was good to get away.