input and advice welcome, first long trip

[bluefin]

leaving on labor day from MN. spend some time at Olympic national park and the rain forest, work my way down the coast to about Fort Bragg, work my way inland to Hwy 395 and spend some time at Joshua tree national park soaking up the sun (snakes spiders and scorpions????) over to Dallas area and dinosaur valley state park, up to Arkansas to relax then home by Oct 28 (last day to put MH in storage) Any suggestion to supplies, roads to avoid or sites not to be missed are most welcomed. Just retired this year after 41 years in the sheet metal business. Had fun, but hard work throwing sheet metal around all day and dealing with young'uns who liked the paycheck but not the work

[Hugeez]

Sounds like fun. Congrats on the retirement!!

[BandJCarm]

Sounds awesome!

Honk when you come through Arkansas!

[bluefin]

We were in Arkansas for 3 weeks last Oct. It was great. Stayed at Greers ferry and hotsprings national park

[gspot01]

Originally Posted by bluefin

We were in Arkansas for 3 weeks last Oct. It was great. Stayed at Greers ferry and hotsprings national park

Just got back from Greer's Ferry today. That's my stomping grounds. Couple further recommendations: Mt. Magazine, Devil's Den, Petit Jean, Lake Ouachita, and Bull Shoals/White River SPs are real gems among an awesome SP system. And, if you liked Greer's Ferry (who wouldn't?), I can also highly recommend the other COE lakes: Diamond Lakes around Hot Springs, and in northern AR, Norfork, Bull Shoals, and Table Rock. Happy travels!

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[CaptnJohn]

Coming down the coast from?? Ft Bragg is inland a bit ~~ say Hi for me. Check out the SF museum in FayetteNam.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

Coming down the coast from?? Ft Bragg is inland a bit ~~ say Hi for me. Check out the SF museum in FayetteNam.

The OP is talking about Ft. Bragg, California, which is on the coast.

To the OP, You may not want to drive down Highway 1 South, to Ft. Bragg.
Depends on how big of a RV you have.

[5er_tom]

We have towed down HWY1 and it is not a problem. Go slow and enjoy the view.


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[wogden]

traffic around Dallas is a nightmare. search the forum for Rt35, Dallas and you will be able to read comments from another earlier post regarding the highways and the construction.

[Filterman]

Did a three month trip last summer. The most important advice I could give is have a relaxed schedule and don't plan too long of days. Enjoy and travel safe.

[Grampa Jim]

Bluefin,,,,,make sure you go to Glass Beach in Ft Bragg and see the glass and find out about the history as to WHY the beach is full of glass,,,,,,and yes, Ft Bragg isn't inland,,,,it's right on the Pacific Coast,,,,,,,also if you're an Alfred Hitchcock fan......Bodega Bay is in the area where The Birds was filmed. I've been to all the National Parks in California,,,,and I would put Joshua Tree on the bottom of my list and Yosemite on the top. In between you'd love the Redwood Forest, which includes Avenue of the Giants, Kings Canyon, Lassen, Sequoia and Death Valley. But I'm sorry to say that Joshua was our least favorite National Park. While we were at Yosemite, we thought we were in God's living room. When you're in the Dallas area at Dinosaur Park,,,go see Fossil Rim right down the road. To get through the Dallas area and keep your sanity going north, I recommend taking IH 35W through Ft Worth instead of IH35E through Dallas. 35W and 35E merge after the Dallas Ft Worth Metropolitan area. I live in the Austin, Texas area and have tried 35E several times and have torn my hair out each time wondering WHAT WAS I THINKING.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by bikendan

The OP is talking about Ft. Bragg, California, which is on the coast.

To the OP, You may not want to drive down Highway 1 South, to Ft. Bragg.
Depends on how big of a RV you have.

Did not know there were 2 FT Bragg. FT Bragg NC at Fayetteville is the largest military installation in the US. Even bigger since they annexed Pope AFB which is attached.

[TreeLady]

Originally Posted by gspot01

Just got back from Greer's Ferry today. That's my stomping grounds. Couple further recommendations: Mt. Magazine,
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OMGosh!! Mt Magazine Is AWESOME!!! Make sure you go to the lodge and see the overlook there!!!! Amazing!!

[danny4127]

Were they jumping off the cliff there? They did when we were there a few years ago.

[BandJCarm]

Para Sailing. It's the highest point in Arkansas.

[Mtelkman]

The State parks around the Olympic Peninsula have some neat historical type forts, bunkers and gunnery positions worth checking out if you like that sort of thing. In particular I liked Fort Worden in Port Townsend and Salt Creek recreation area west of Port Angeles. Both have RV camping facilities and Salt Creek has RV spots that are literally yards away from the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can easily take a ferry for a day trip over to Victoria BC from Port Angeles.
The state parks and camping facilities along 101 in Oregon are great. Lots to do along the coast and simply unbeatable sightseeing. Unlimited opportunities to hike, go clamming or crabbing, pick wild chanterelle mushrooms, etc. etc. I think the trip down the Oregon section of the 101 is possibly one of the best RVing areas in the west.

Like someone else posted above, take your time and enjoy your retirement trip!

[mtnlvr]

What size rig are you traveling with? Hwy 395 in the Eastern Sierra is designated as a scenic hwy. It's a beautiful drive from the Carson Valley in NV.( 25 minutes east of Lake Tahoe) and all the way south heading towards Joshua Tree. There are State and National Park campgrounds all along the route (many with size limitations.) The East gate into Yosemite (Tioga Pass) is on that route, also. Just south of Yosemite is the Mammoth and June Lake areas which are popular resort and recreation areas with many campgrounds. Continue south and pass more beautiful scenery and the quaint towns of Bishop, Independence and Lone Pine. After that you will hit the Mohave Desert and Red Rock Cyn. State Park. If you are into fishing, there are lakes and streams everywhere along 395. It's also very popular for hiking and mtn. biking.

[bluefin]

we have a 31 foot MH with a toad

[bluefin]

Thanks for the good Ideas. may have to reconsider Joshua park. D.F.W. area does not look like fun for a northern MN guy I was thinking of cutting across country from the dino park and hook up with HWY 31 at Corsicana to Shreveport then North

[TreeLady]

Originally Posted by danny4127

Were they jumping off the cliff there? They did when we were there a few years ago.

We didn't see any parasailers. We were just in awe of the view of the valley and all you could see. Would love to stay in the lodge one night in one of the upper rooms with a balconey. Could sit there all night just enjoying the view. And they do have cottages to rent there along the cliff also.

I have been there twice and will go back again if in the area. Well worth the time to get there.