Heading West in 2016

[D&Ro]

Hi - we are beginning to plan a big trip for 2016 - traveling northwest from OH to MN, then going west through ND, ID, MO, OR, WA, south through CA and back home through southern states - NM, AZ, TX etc. We like National Parks and museums/unusual sites. Willing/hoping to do some boondocking here & there to keep our costs lower. Can anyone give me any tips -
What to see?
Where to stay?
What to avoid?
What routes to drive/not drive?
Months to travel?

All your suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thanks from newbies Big D & Ro!

[glen1971]

How long are you looking at travelling for? There are tons of sights to see.. Do you have any already in mind?
- Grand Canyon (AZ)
- Bryce Canyon (UT)
- Zion Park (UT)
- Glacier National Park and the Road to the Sun (MO)
- Battle of Little Big Horn (MO)
- Yellowstone (WY)
- Mount Rushmore (SD)

[D&Ro]

Taking up to 6 months, so we have time to really see things/places. No kids, no pets, just the two of us.

[themounties]

Welcome to the forum from Wv

[F and E Damp]

As residents in NW Washington, I'd recommend a visit to the Anacortes area for a ferry ride through the San Juans. I'd also suggest crossing the Cascades on SR-20 rather than US-2 or I-90. It's a nicer road than US-2 and the scenery is more spectacular. Washington Pass is at 5200 ft. It depends what time of year you're coming, as the pass is usually closed from late October to early May by heavy snowfall.

[Rsharrer]

The air and space museum in McMinnville, Oregon is worth a stop. Nice RV park right next door and can walk over to the museum. Has the Spruce Goose on display.

[CJnDD]

Originally Posted by BigDnRo

Hi - we are beginning to plan a big trip for 2016 - traveling northwest from OH to MN, then going west through ND, ID, MO, OR, WA, south through CA and back home through southern states - NM, AZ, TX etc. We like National Parks and museums/unusual sites. Willing/hoping to do some boondocking here & there to keep our costs lower. Can anyone give me any tips .

glen1971 listed some great sites to visit. I would suggest to ask each states tourist center to send you maps and pamphlets. (I have a file cabinet full of information from each state we visited...41 states so far). I also gathered a lot of information from travel magazines. In the back of some of those magazines you can find info cards that you can mail off for more sites to visit.
Have fun planning and enjoy your six months of travel!

[bob caldwell]

also, interstate free-ways out here are very nice compaired to some back easterly. try to avoid rush hour traffic in yhe Portland area if you come this way, and if you like water, the Oregon coast, highway 101, is the route you'll see the most. lots of state parks but they fill-up fast. We've had good luck with KOA.

[biker2]

Hwy 101 is very scenic but slow. Oregon state parks are top notch. If in Nevada, a trip to Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire is breathtaking. The campground at Lake Mead RV park is spacious and the staff there are very accommodating. Happy travels!!

[whj77372]

As I read you post I assumed that MO should be MT? I think that if I was making that trip I would do SD and not ND. There is a lot more to see in SD. Good Luck

[frozen]

Pictured Rocks Nat. Lakeshore near Christmas, Mich., Copper Harbor area on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Mich., Porcupine Mts. Wilderness State Park near Bergland, Mich, all on the south shore of Lk. Superior. Duluth, Minn. is an interesting city and the north shore of Lake Superior has been compared to the Oregon coast although I think that's stretching the truth a little. I don't know of a lot of boondock sites along the way, but there are several national forests where camping is relatively reasonable, especially if you're 62 and have a Federal Senior Pass (half off).

[47chevy]

Red Lodge Mt ,50 miles south of Billings on hwy 212 , at the base of Beartooth Mtn. Old mining town , 60 miles from Yellostone NE entrance via Beartooth Mtn pass (small campers only) max length is 40 ft , but not recommended , 60 miles north of Cody Wy .Buffalo Bill museum and much more. and the east entrance to Yellowstone

[gtony2]

The Columbia River in OR is beautiful....




gtony2

[bigben]

Originally Posted by glen1971

How long are you looking at travelling for? There are tons of sights to see.. Do you have any already in mind?
- Grand Canyon (AZ)
- Bryce Canyon (UT)
- Zion Park (UT)
- Glacier National Park and the Road to the Sun (MO)
- Battle of Little Big Horn (MO)
- Yellowstone (WY)
- Mount Rushmore (SD)

I would add as FOR Sures:

-Yosemite. El Capitan, Bridal Veil Falls and the Valley. Simply remarkable.
-Kings/Sequoia. How do you travel through Ca without stopping in the temple of the oldest living things on earth - Ancient Redwoods.
-Plenty of cliff dwellings throughout the Southwest but I'd look for one in red rock country of Sedona, AZ.

We have meandered throughout the western US in our oversized SUV. We are RVing now and loving it. Dragging some of our grand children with us now and revisiting many of these.

A word of caution, get yourself a good dedicated RV GPS. Make sure you pay attention to oversized vehicle limitations. Some of these places have length and height restrictions - I remember definitely that Road to the Sun has some. But a GPS that shows these would be invaluable.

[bigben]

I would also look at these websites/apps to help with the plotting of places to stay.

1. Good Sams. Has a wide array of info on the website (app sucks). Lots of info along plotted routes. Things to do, festivals, history, etc. Campground info is okay - but isn't as extensive. Also doesn't show Walmarts, Camping World and other free overnight stops.

2. Allstays. Downloadable app is very good for finding places to stay. Lots of filters that can help find free stays.

3. RVParkReviews (RV Park Reviews - Trusted Reviews of Campgrounds & RV Parks). Great info direct from users.

My method for finding a good, clean, well maintained and safe campsite.

1. Plot the route with Good Sams
2. Locate places to stay and stuff to see.
3. Validate places to stay with Allstays and RVParkReview.com.
4. GasBuddy. Not sure of your vehicle/RV but planning with GasBuddy to find the lowest price gas along your route will save you hundreds of $ - literally. With a V10 and 80 gals of gas, I can plan my fill ups to find fuel that is the least possible. Take a look at fuel along your route. HUGE.



Prior planning makes the trip easy to do. Plan,Plan, Plan

[D&Ro]

Thanks for your all great suggestions! We are grateful for your tips.

Oy, yes, whj77372. I meant MT. We have been to all the eastern , southeastern and central states, so we want to make a big loop of the northern, western, and Southwestern states. We are hoping to finish the rest of the continuous 48. We've been to SD, CO, WY, UT out west, so unless we have extra time we're skipping those states.

All your suggestions are going into our planning notebook. I have a feeling 2016 will be here before were done with the plans!

[Hiker12]

Freecampsites.net will often find you off the beaten path or along major roads to overnite at Roosevelt St Park. September found us the only ones there...right along the Columbia River. Googling free camping in towns will find you a spot on BLM land right on outskirts of Tuscon Az or a roadside visitor center for watching UFO's near Roswell NM. Many state rest areas allow free overnite camping; Washington has family friendly rest areas which allow RV stopovers for 8 hours or so. The visitor center in Douglas Az advised using their municipal golf course's campground. ..full hookups for $15. We use Internet on the road to find our campsites. Walmarts are occasionally used and most managers are so welcoming. Best campground was in Oakridge Ore at a national campground. We sat within 30' of a river/waterfall; 12 secluded sites; clean outhouse; no hookups. )

[tommie.graves]

I would like to remind folks heading out west to remember about altitude sickness, it can hit u like a ton of bricks, and the only cure is getting below about 5000 feet above sea level... don't ask me how I know!!!!!

[bigben]

Not just sickness but physical exercise (like hiking down to lower Yellostone River Falls) will be much more difficult.

[tennlady]

We went out west in 08 and started with Glacier NP (fantastic hiking trails and beautiful scenery. We stayed in the park at Many Glacier,Two Medicine, and at Apgar. We stayed two weeks. In the campground deer walked through camp all the time At Many Glacier we had a moose walk within 10 feet of our fifth wheel. We then went to Yellowstone although we stayed in the Grand Teton NP which is next to Yellowstone, again great hiking trails and beautiful scenery. Spent another two weeks there and left for Mt Rushmore. Last year we did the west thing again and went to Texas up through Arizona to the Grand Canyon then to Vegas to Utah where we went to Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP(The Most Beautiful Place on Earth), then over to Arches National Park. This year we are headed back to Glacier NP for more sightseeing and hiking then doing the Grand Teton NP again, as you can never get enough of the beautiful west, then we are headed to Cheyenne Wy, for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo for a few days. After that on to the Rocky Mountains for about a week before starting to head east ending up in Goshen Indiana for the Forest River Rally starting August 9th then heading home to Tennessee. Ohhhhhhh I can't wait