Pittsburgh to LA and Back

Hello everyone! I am new to the site. I graduate from college in April and plan on taking 4-6 weeks driving cross county before real life starts. I was going to go westbound across the northern part of the country, head south on the Pacific Coast Highway, and head back east through the south, and back north along the coast. I want to make sure I hit the best spots. The plan is to camp along the way.
Do all campsites charge to camp (in a tent) or just the national parks?
What does everyone recommend seeing?
Thanks

Welcome aboard RTA!

Sorry to burst your bubble, but there are very few free campsites left today because of the current economy. About the least expensive campsite will set you back $12, and that's at national forests. National parks will run about $15, and some state parks can cost almost as much as a cheap motel ($32 in California).

As far as "what we recommend seeing", our favorite suggestion is to get a good USA map or road atlas, spread it out on the table, and look to see what interests you. After all, YOU know YOU best, and we don't know very much about you at all. Then poke around on this site to see what's in the area that strikes you. Once you figure out what interests you, and you need help piecing it together, let us know.

But first you better figure out how to camp along the way and pay for the sites.


Donna

As Donna said, first you are going to have to work out where to camp, and how to pay for it. The nearest you can come to free camping, is at truck stops. And then only if you have your vehicle set up with proper sleeping facilities.... seats removed, a mattress and sleeping bag, etc. But you would not want to do that everynight. So some nights will still be tent and campsite fees.

But more than that, you are planning a trip which (conservatively) will cover 9000 miles. Probably more. Assuming your vehicle gets 30 mpg, that is going to be a minimum of 300 gallons. If the average price of fuel were to be $4, that is $1200 for fuel alone. You will have to eat. By buying all food at the supermarket, you could keep this cost way down... let's say $15 per day. For five weeks, that is another $525. But of course, you will get pretty sick of that, and end up eating out... at least some of the time.

And don't overlook an emergency fund. What if you happen to breakdown, or, heaven forbid, were involved in an accident? It all takes money. For more ideas on budget planning, you might like to check out this forum. Living on the road is not cheap.

Good luck with your planning.

Lifey