Circumnavigate United States

[Farmer Folly]

My wife and I live outside Atlanta and we wish to make a large loop around the U.S. next year, stopping at significant sightseeing locales along the way with perhaps a week stay in our 25’ class C at each place. Could anyone provide an itinerary that worked for you? Would love to stay in National Parks. Any info would be greatly appreciated, and the more detail the better. Is it too late to begin booking RV sites?

[MLP]

It depends on your rout and just how many of the one million new RV owners are quicker at filling up the national parks. Suggestions can be given, but you got to be quick at getting a reservation as soon as the park opens the reservation window.

[ducksface]

This is a you thing, not an us thing.
Where I stayed in october of last year or this month last year or even two days ago has no bearing on whether you have the wherewithal to make a reservation, or hang out for a day prior to wait for a cancellation, or if you're intetested in Grover Cleveland or if you'll settle for an out of way rv park and then drive 10 minutes to the place you want to be. There sure ain't diddly squat to see from most national park rv camps.
And
Many of those parks have you crammed in tight with someone elses septic hose 10 feet from your front door.
Tonight we're staying at an antique store with a nice flat parking lot. Tomorrow we drive 14 miles to the Henry Ford Museum. There isn't anyone else in a 20 acre lot here, no dog is barking, no inept fool to douche my folding chair with their slinky, no backing into some silly narrow spot....

Start looking.
Start booking.

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Farmer Folly

My wife and I live outside Atlanta and we wish to make a large loop around the U.S. next year, stopping at significant sightseeing locales along the way with perhaps a week stay in our 25’ class C at each place. Could anyone provide an itinerary that worked for you? Would love to stay in National Parks. Any info would be greatly appreciated, and the more detail the better. Is it too late to begin booking RV sites?

Researching and planning the route is half the fun.

[lwmcguire]

Flexibility in your route and timing have to be factored in

Just ask the folks that planned on going across CO on I70 and had a bit of a detour

Like Ducksface noted we tend to stay out of the parks a bit and drive to attractions or places we want to see as well as driving into and around the parks

Everyone has different takes on the entire adventure

We have a general idea and change it at will

[Bob Denman]

When would you be leaving for this epic journey?
You probably don't want to be crossing the Northern part of the Country during the cold Months...
... And Summer in the Deep South might be just as unpleasant.
Once you have the timing figured out: the rest is just a mountain of details...
Good luck!

[JamieGeek]

Might want to take a look here:
https://thelonglongroad.com/

Since 2016 she's been driving around the US (in 2016 she did all National Parks in the continental US in one year). She doesn't make reservations, just finds open spots where/when she can and is still wandering around the US. In a Thor Axis.

She is/was a member on here but hasn't posted in the forms for quite some time.

[Farmer Folly]

Thanks everyone for the incite. We are newbies, so we appreciate guidance.

[MLP]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

When would you be leaving for this epic journey?
You probably don't want to be crossing the Northern part of the Country during the cold Months...
... And Summer in the Deep South might be just as unpleasant.
Once you have the timing figured out: the rest is just a mountain of details...
Good luck!

Wow! A good point. We had to go through Vcksburg Mississippi in late July once. The most humid place we have ever stayed at. The condensation at 8 AM was running off our old class C hood like a hose was on slow flow! I just took a shower and wondered why when I stepped out of the rig. We did not say to see the Civil War sites. I wish we could have, but could not take the humidity.

[RVwife]

Originally Posted by MLP

Wow! A good point. We had to go through Vcksburg Mississippi in late July once. The most humid place we have ever stayed at. The condensation at 8 AM was running off our old class C hood like a hose was on slow flow! I just took a shower and wondered why when I stepped out of the rig. We did not say to see the Civil War sites. I wish we could have, but could not take the humidity.

A little digression here. Our, at that time just out of college, daughter was an Americorps volunteer based out of Vicksburg. Her assignment started in August. She opted for the south "to escape our horrible northern winters." (She'd gone to college in Maryland and thought she "knew" the south; ha, ha.)

Her first text home upon arriving in Vicksburg... "it's so humid here, the minute I step outside my glasses fog up so badly I can't even see." After a year of relief work during hurricanes Harvey & Irene, guess where she has now been happily settled for about 3+ years --- yup, back to the great white frozen north of Michigan.

Do consider the seasons as you plan your travels. Spring and fall are decent just about everywhere. Summer and winter both bring their own curses and delights based on what you enjoy. Then there are the seasons of hurricanes, tornadoes, polar vortexes, wildfires, and fickle mother nature's dealings to consider.

Have fun. As said, planning really is it's own pleasure and anticipation!

[GaTripster]

We live in Paulding County (Nw Of Atlanta) and are planning to head up to Kentucky in 2 weeks. I was able to book reservations - a few days ago - at a state park in TN as well as at the campground in KY. No trouble at all. Based on our experience, it might not be too bad. Juat don't wait till the last minute to book. [emoji4][emoji106]

[morningglory]

We have had a little better luck using state park reservation systems in some areas... but it has still required booking many months in advance. We relocate from Minnesota to Arizona and back in October and May and we will make our May plans in October as we put off making the October plans until June this year and found most parks fully booked.

[mikeae123@att.net]

Originally Posted by Farmer Folly

My wife and I live outside Atlanta and we wish to make a large loop around the U.S. next year, stopping at significant sightseeing locales along the way with perhaps a week stay in our 25’ class C at each place. Could anyone provide an itinerary that worked for you? Would love to stay in National Parks. Any info would be greatly appreciated, and the more detail the better. Is it too late to begin booking RV sites?

We did that last year, left Ala April 1 Returned July 1
Had a great time. No problem with the !!! 1 million new campers. All kinds of weather, wind, rain, snow, 20 to 90 degrees. We had a great time. Would do it again. Federal parks???? They don't open till June. Camp grounds are opening sooner because weather is getting warmer earlier.

[KUDZU50]

Like Bob Denman said, stay out of the south during July, August & Sept.
Too Hot & Humid. Also, I tend to avoid any big, big city, looping around when I can.
Do Florida in the winter along Hwy 1.
See the Kennedy Space Center.
Camp at Flagler inlet. (great fishing)
St. Augustine, FL. (oldest city in America)
Hwy20 Hwy 26 Go to Gainesville, FL. see the botanical garden (great Bamboo forest)
Hwy 98 Camp on St. George Island.
Destin Florida
Bay St. Louis, MS ( The pirate festival)

[Chateau_Nomad]

Good for you!! This is a dream of ours in a couple years... wife still working. Remember... it's the journey, not the destination! Have fun planning... but take detours in stride!

[larrysfixit]

Originally Posted by Farmer Folly

My wife and I live outside Atlanta and we wish to make a large loop around the U.S. next year, stopping at significant sightseeing locales along the way with perhaps a week stay in our 25’ class C at each place. Could anyone provide an itinerary that worked for you? Would love to stay in National Parks. Any info would be greatly appreciated, and the more detail the better. Is it too late to begin booking RV sites?

If you do't have one get a Passpost America card and check out their parks. The psices are normally good to great. Use their web site to plan your stops along your trip I found most Parks are within reasonable distance of each other for a single days drive. Reservations will also be required but excess is often better than National parks. Be sure to watch the restrictions like prices higher in prime times (like leaf colors, tourest times and such). Oregon coast is a grate week long trip. Of course Yellowstone and Glaicer, Mount Rushmore parking is a real pain (you have to buy a years pass to park one day). I See the Crazy Horse if in the Black Hills and The devels Tower is OK too. Most of the National parks in California are real good to see (I'd camp outside the park though) Lots of stuff in the southwest (grand Canyon, Crater, Tumbstone, Carlsbad,. I personall like the Colorado National Park. Plan 2 to 3 days for Mesa Verda another for the smaller things in that area (some nice ones). Silverton is a great place too (but I would take the Train from Darango If you are not good at mountain driving). And Utah is a must for anyone from back east. Everyone likes The Arches , Zion, and Bryce but also look at Monumet Valley while in that area. The trip up Hwy 191 from Petrified Forset to Flaming Gorge Has a lot to see or just I 70 acrost Utah is very interesting.

[TurnerFam]

we did this back in 2014 - no reservations, no big deal - just drove where we wanted to: you can 'try' to schedule and reserve, but the problem is: that takes away the ability to stop WHEN you want to, versus WHERE you HAVE to... some will never travel without a reservation, some of us others will hardly ever want to have to be pressured to arrive at any destination at any given time. The joy of travel is being able to go at your own pace.

[ProsperTrail]

I enjoy traveling without reservations and having time for side-trips along the way. My copilot ( wife ) on the other hand, she rather know exactly where we are staying, does it have nice grass area for our dogs, not to crowded, not to empty, and most importantly "Are we there yet?"

Consider that most GPS or Google maps will give you the time it takes to travel from point A to point B if you drive exactly at the speed limit all the way and all the light are green and you don't stop for gas or direction or lunch or nothing.

I usually path time by 20% at least.

And watch for Google maps taking the "Shortest" route, which may lead you thru small rural roads or back roads which are less well maintained. which will make you drive even slower.

Above all, enjoy the trip as well as the destinations. both will give you great memories and stories to tell.

[Elite Washington]

I would pick a couple places that you just have to see and then plan your trip around those. Like Bob said watch the weather as well. The west doesn’t get humid like the south but in the summer it’s toasty warm. And depending where you are you could get snow as late as May.

[Vegasmailman]

Originally Posted by EA37TS

Researching and planning the route is half the fun.

. Dave, as a military retiree myself, I definitely understand research and planning. Especially for a mission. But now that I’m retired I love the freedom of discovery as I go. Now I settle for the unknown as much as possible in military terms I know mission objective, but definitely open to change at anytime. Enjoy