First BIG trip

[MCTroy]

So this is my first attempt at a new thread on the forum. I have enjoyed reading all the advice and thought the members here would be a good place to start my quest for some travel advice. DH and I keep our Windjammer at a marina all summer as we have done previously with our other campers. The marina is in southern Ohio so there are some moderate hills there. Last year we purchased a real tow vehicle to handle the weight of the W. We have a 2011 3/4 Ton Ram with the 5.7 hemi. It doesn't care the W is even back there. So now we are ready to tackle a long trip.

We are going from the Cincinnati area in Ohio to Ashville NC. We are staying at the Bear Creek RV park in mid October. We would like to find a back road route to Ashville that won't go through Nashville. Also, we plan to only drive about 3 hours the first night and will need to find a place to stay for a short rest.

Any suggestions? I have heard there is a route that goes more towards the East that is an easier tow. Thanks everyone for any advice or suggestions. We already took one forum suggestion -- we got new D load tires on the W! MCTroy

[Jim34RL]

Are you sure it is Nashville that you will be going through? I did this trip about three years ago and we went through Knoxville TN on I75 to I40 and than over to Ashville NC. Any other route would add a lot of miles and takes you North east to get to another interstate to go down and you will end up in West Virginia and Virginia to get to North Carolina.

I would suggest that you use Goggle maps and RV Park reviews for camp sites. This is how we always plan our trips. I try to find a town that is so many hours away and then look for a campground that is highly rated in RV Park Reviews by actual RV Campers.

We try to drive no more than 350 to 375 miles a day and this is usually a 6 to 8 hour drive depending on traffic conditions.

Good luck.

[MCTroy]

Thanks, everyone just Kris telling us how bad nashville traffic is to get through.
I have a mapquest route and thought I would get a route from Good Sam Roadside too. How was Knoxville to get through? I am used to heavy traffic but not with 35 feet of camper behind me.

[dkelly]

Knoxville is not too bad as long as you can avoid rush hours. We were through there a couple of months back and there was construction on I-40 eastbound on the bridge near the Seviereville exit. Plan on delays. After that, clear sailing. We have stayed in the Maggie Valley, NC area (Exit 20 or 24 I think) which is only about 20 minutes from Asheville. I haven't stayed in Asheville. Stay safe...

[MCTroy]

Great tip, thanks!

[sherman12]

Drove through Knoxville last September mid-day and though traffic volume was heavy we moved along easily with our 35ft. class A with DW's RAV4 on our dolly behind us. Along 75 in Tennessee almost every exit seems to have a state park with camping. We used RV Parky on my Android phone and found Cove Lake SP above or north of Knoxville (we were heading to Atlanta) while driving. Also if you only want to grab a few hours of sleep use one of the many beautiful and newer rest stops vs. money spent at a cg.