From Colorado Springs to San Fancisco and beyond?

Hi, We are planning on a big 75 day trip exploring the USA with our two preschoolers, before heading to New Zealand .

As it stands, our trip is divided into three parts, and any thoughts, or advice you may have would be appreciated.

Part 1: Arrive New York, then hire a car to travel down to Washington DC via Lancaster, Amish country, etc.

Part 2: Fly to Florida and spend time down there with a hire car.

Part 3: Fly to Colarado Springs, and hire an RV. Travel across country: Moab, Monument Valley, Tuba City, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Las vegas, Yosemite NP, Morro Bay. Take coastal route up to San Francisco and beyond. Possible end point Portland?

It is Part 3 that we are not sure of.... Our main problem is we do not know where to finish so that we don't have to do much travel to either get to LAX, or Vancouver to fly to New Zealand? Thinking possibly cutting out Las Vegas (maybe not the best place to see with preschoolers in tow!?) and taking a more direct route to the coast?

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

Your trip sounds like quite an adventure! There is much to see and do on your road trip in 'Part 3' of your journey, but you don't say how much time you are setting aside for this section.

There are so many options for routes and attractions, it would be best to look around the forums, road trip planning pages and the Map centre to see what else takes your fancy. There are things around Colorado Springs, such as 'Garden of the God's' and 'Cave of the winds, and 'just up the road' is Rocky mountain NP, plus much, much more !

Las Vegas isn't too far from GC on route to the coast/Yosemite and could be fun for a couple of day's, Lot's going on besides the Casino's, including some pretty cool street shows along the lines of the Bellagio water fountains, including an 'erupting volcano' and 'Pirate ship battle'.

Where to end ? Time will be a factor in your decision, but from Yosemite you could head to SF and then drive down the coast and drop the RV off in LA and spend a little time there before going home.

Let us know how long you have and any other info/ideas you might have after looking around and then we can help piece it all together. It would also help to know when in Spring you are travelling, as some high elevation routes may still be off limits when you travel.

I'd suggest that you drive from DC to FL - otherwise you will be paying for 2 rental cars and you will have another set of airfares. There's a lot to see on the way, and even if you just drive straight down without sightseeing it's only a 2 day trip. It should not cost more than $200 for petrol to get from DC to FL.

I'd also suggest you fly into Denver instead of COS - airfares will probably be less and you will have a wider choice of RV rentals. You will not be able to drop the RV off in Canada, so keep that in mind. I'd look at LAX, and finish the trip driving south along the coast, so the scenic pullouts will be on your side of the road.

Thanks so much for your replies, you have helped hugely already ... and also created more questions!

• Sorry forgot to mention that as it stands we are looking at 45 days for "Part 3". I realise I have not explained our plan very well, which is to travel to Colorado Springs (Thanks for the Denver flight tip - will pick up an RV there?) travel across country: Moab, Monument Valley, Tuba City, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Las vegas, Yosemite NP, Morro Bay. Then take coastal route (139) to San Francisco. We would then like to continue up to Redwood country - which ends at Brookings. So do we go up through Oregon and end in Portland or Seattle to train/fly to Vancouver OR drive back to San Francisco and fly to LAX?

• I have been looking at Colorado Springs today and it looks like so much to do. But trying to focus on the overall plan at this stage.

• Re-looking at the map, Las Vegas is on the way anyway, and I think you have convinced me with talk of 'erupting volcanoes' ... my three year old would love that!

• Looking at our itinerary, we would be in Colorado Springs right at the end of May. Not sure if that should count as spring or summer, so hope i am not in trouble for being in the wrong section :o

• We were originally going to drive from Washington to Florida, but have weighed up taking the train or a flight. A flight seems our best option for travelling with two young children. There is lots we want to see on that route, but will have to put that on the wish list for return trip.

Wow, 45 day's, I'm so jealous !! Just kidding, that will make for an awesome trip with so many possibilities. You could consider doing a complete loop, starting and ending in Denver for instance. You have time to do so and it would save on a one way drop off fee, and with a route more to the South towards Grand canyon and back from the North after heading up the coast, a visit to Yellowstone and the Tetons becomes a possibility.[?]

Keep searching around the forums and planning pages and as you start to piece your plan together, keep asking questions and we will help to 'fine tune' your trip.

Enjoy the planning !

Hi, well there is lots of planning going on here. Have been on here most days looking up different threads for help. We are trying to finalise RV quotes at the moment. Just wondering if anyone can advise what our fuel budget should be for 4000 miles? Also, when it comes to booking campsites is there a particular book or website to use? I have come across a few different ones, and not sure where to start really. Would like to book as much as I can from this end, as would feel a bit nervous ending up in a Walmart carpark with the kids. I have heard good and bad things about KOA sites? Any advice would be appreciated.

For fuel you can reckon on a return of 9/10 mpg and allow extra mileage fro drives through the National parks etc. You can check prices on sites like 'Gas buddy,' but for a 'ball park' figure and to be safe[ish] reckon on $1500.

For RV parks it depends on what experience you are looking for. I tend to think of KOA's as feeling as though you are in the same place night after night with familiar surroundings but perhaps the resort type facilities will suit you. There are many private campgrounds that have all the amenities and by simply putting in a City/Town name followed by 'RV Park' into your search engine, you will come up with many results. The best places to stay in an RV, in my opinion, are right in the middle of the National parks at the heart of nature. No you won't get swimming pools or 'Hook ups' but the RV's come equipped with a generator for power when needed, [you have to observe silent hours] and most sites have a fire pit for evenings around the camp fire. A lot of the parks do have shower/loo blocks and 'dump stations' to empty your tanks and a fresh water filling site. With an RV NP campgrounds have limited numbers of sites and I would be looking to book them as soon as possible. Go to nps.gov and you will find info on every NP, campground info included.

In the Roadtrip field report section of the forums you will find a couple of our RV trips that covers much between Denver and San Fran between them where you might find some campground choices of use.

We have an entire section of campground guides, although there are likely newer versions of many of them. Woodalls is probably the "gold standard" with practically every campground in the country listed. The downside is that it actually might be overwhelming because it has so much information.

I liken KOA to the McDonalds of the camping world. They are the biggest and most well known, but its a pretty cookie cutter experience and you certainly pay for the name. There's nothing wrong with them specifically, but I personally tend to stay away from them as they aren't my idea of ideal camping (but I'm also a tenter, and not an RV traveler.)

I personally lean towards public facilities. National Parks are certainly hard to beat, but don't overlook National Forests and other similar lands. State Parks are also a good possibility, and they are more likely to have full hookups for the RV. Recreation.gov covers reservations for Federally run camping sites, while Reserve America handles them for many state facilities.

Hi Nikna! Where are you from? This is so exciting! I am doing a bit of it my self with a 3.5 yr old boy and 1.5 year old girl. I wanted to share with you, as an experienced mother and toddler fun lover, the interesting things we are headed towards. We seek adventure, but also family which sways the location a ton. We are planning on flying into SF from Honolulu, spending one day, rainy it will be with food and sunny it will be spent at the Golden Gate playground and Bison pasture, butterflies in there too. Staying at an AirBnB place that has "Family friendly" checked and sends very safe "Aunty" vibes from the boarding digs, read great things about it. I wish I could spend more summer time here, but can't. Maybe leaving March 14 or April 1. We are taking the "Coast Starlight" Amtrak train that is pretty neat on board and part coastal to LA. We are staying with a friend. Picking up our car and then checking the weather. You won't need to but I think Spring is so beautiful almost anywhere, but would love to see it on the West Coast soon! We will be driving back through the fun scene city of Austin, TX and staying with a friend. I would love to see this part of the country, haven't in years, But I would love to see the natural beauty of Montana and other middle states some day too. We are going to fall in love with the warmer climates and people coming across and I have found great guides for food in eatwellguide.org (I promise I am not spaming them! Just a mama!) They got the goods on routes.. Also U-pick.org is going to be awesome to check out as well! Any summer climates in May should have a lot more to pick! Playgrounds.. not doing so great on getting photos for the respite. Seems more malls have merry go round indoor pics for rainy days, but Goodness the Play museums! Top ten on Parenting.com! Makes me want to find any though..

I agree with above members that having a small RV (Class B, Roadtrek, Sprinter) and staying in State, Federal or close to any WLR viewing areas are the best way to do this! I also hope you get a festival or two in on the way. Toddlers are a wonderful simple audience and I love the meadow space that makes them happiest (or at least mine). If I were dreaming, I would do all the pristine coastal areas and some well known tourist lakes and put in some time at WLF in the middle too. Mountains call me as well. The cluster of industry and big cities are fun too, but I like it more when something for my toddler is going on, like Dr. Sueus Birthday, or like a top Children's Museum.. My kids aren't extremely happy going to water parks, zoos, or art museums yet. Ponyrides and fireworks are a whole other story. Eatwellguide.org really surprised me when I found "Farmstays" and I went with my sister and her homeschooling group to a Ranch and had a fun time feeding all the animals from the back of a "Hayride" truck, it was fun.. most websites say "Call ahead and we will fit you in with another group" and that is what we did, had a great time. Gardens, walks, and best playgrounds are high on my list, I did find a public garden website or two, but the playgrounds I am having a not so great time.. San Fran has major public playgrounds, like the Golden Gate's Huge long slide poured from concrete into a hill... wow.. So if you find any, I would love any clues!!! Aloha!

PS. We are heading towards VA for family and friends, trying to relocate in an Organic Area and we are aiming to stay close to our family, but they are moving soon too. We are looking around Asheville, NC and staying on the mountain range or coast line and heading on up towards Maine. We hope to find a little walkable town themed around a little lake and walkable town with an organic co-op and lots of small town gardening spirit far away from a major city life, but within driving distance of about 3.. It looks like New England is growing organic food really well, here is an interesting map and will help you on the West Coast! http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/20...f01.ready.html

Happy Travels!

Thanks for all the tips. Sounds like they are certainly thirsty vehicles! I like the KOA - McDonalds analogy, I kind of got that feeling from visiting the website. It isnt really our cup-of-tea either. We are tenters usually too, but like I have the odd sneaky McDonalds, I guess we might end up in a KOA the odd night :)

Your trip sounds great 'greenacresmama', and thanks for the organic food tips. I too want to try and be as healthy as possible on this trip, and was wondering if there is a camping recipe ideas forum on here? Have not had a chance to look yet.

I have one more question, this time regarding RV sizes. We had planned on getting around 25ft, but our quotes have all come back with C30 options that are all a lot cheaper. I am guessing it is because it is not a popular size.

Any advice on this. I am worried a C30 is too big. One of the travel agents said if you can drive a C25 you can drive a C30. Which is all well in good, but she won't be the one out there in it. It sounds huge to me, and I also understand alot of camping grounds have a size restriction under 30?

I kind of agree with you and your travel agent, yes, if you can drive one you should be able to drive the other, but he should also be advising you on the other downsides you are discovering. Some NP campgrounds have size restrictions and the number of sites available are fewer and would book up very quickly. If the trip is this year[?] it could be too late already, you can go the nps Website [nps.gov] and see what is available in each park. Parking places may also take longer to find in the larger vehicle, reversing a little more difficult in tight spots and so on. Although the widths are the same, you will have a lot of 'swing' on the larger vehicle to the rear of the vehicle behind the rear axles. You have to be careful not to turn sharply if there is a vehicle alongside you or you are close to the fuel pumps etc, in an exaggerated sort of way, think of it as you spinning around with a short plank of wood on your shoulder. Having said all that, as a family of Four travelling we always opted for the larger one for extra space and it has never been a concern. Although I used to drive trucks and I am used to the larger vehicle, if you can manage one you should be able to manage either. Check out 'Cruise America' where you can see floor plans of the vehicles and you will notice that it is at the rear where the main difference is, having a larger bedroom with storage space and a larger shower/toilet room.

I am very surprised that you are coming back with results showing the smaller ones to be much dearer, I have found them not to be much [if any] cheaper but not more expensive, perhaps shop around some more.

Hi everyone, I have not been on the forum for awhile as have been busy planning and looking at campsites, campsites, campsites! We are getting prepared, but have a spanner in the owrks as we planned on doing the Big Sur coastal route in July.
I have now read advice that there has been a massive slip and road repairs will be emergency only (for up to a year) and have weight restrictions - so will not be suitable for a RV.
It looks like we will have to rethink our route. We could just take the detour and skip the Big Sur section of the coast. But I also think our itinerary has us spending too much time along the coast (14 days) - especially as it is so expensive.
Needing to rethink things. Before going down the coast we are booked to stay Yosemite then San Francisco.
Any thoughts appreciated, thanks.

If you are booked into Yosemite NP then I guess you are going to be stuck with those dates as I would imagine all RV sites will be booked by now. Sequoia NP would be a possibility, either by changing your SF dates [if possible] or visit there afterwards. Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley are other options, but as we don't know how your itinerary looks it's tough to make meaningful suggestions. With regards to the coast, there is no reason that you can't visit Monterey/Carmel and take 101 down to Cambria, San Simeon and visit some State parks North of there and Hearst Castle etc.

Thanks. Sorry to be vague in my last post (it is late night typing). I was thinking along the lines of Napa Valley also.

Looking over everything today we are thinking of changing our route (back to our original idea to go north of San Francisco). Three reasons: 1. Road closure at Big Sur, 2. Campsites being booked out, 3. And high price of campsites which is going to get expensive with number of days we want to spend (and we are stuck with this number of days due to bookings we have already made :o )

Our current route plan is:
Denver - Colorado Springs - Gunnison - Moab - Mesa Verde - Monument Valley
Monument Valley - Grand Canyon - Wahweap - Zion NP - Bryce Canyon - Las Vegas
- Trail of 100 Giants - Yosemite - San Fran - Point Arena/Manchester State Park -
- Medocino - Standish Hickey State rec Area - Eureka - Patrick point state park - Redwood National Park - Sonama Valley - Monterey - (Pismo Beach) to LA

A few queries...
- Any advice on traveling the coastal route above San Francisco in an RV would be great.
- Also does anyone have any experience of "First come, First served" campsite availability?
- Where to stay the night before our RV drop off in LA (I have marked down Pismo Beach, but think we need something closer?

Are you referring to NPS 'First come, first served campsites' ? I know that they can get booked up really quickly in the mornings at popular spots, plus a lot of them are aimed at tent campers, so you would need to double check RV site availability.

Santa Barbara could be a possibility for your last night, or in LA near to the RV depot. LA traffic is notoriously bad especially during peak times, [work traffic] so you will have to keep that in mind if the drop off time is between 10 and 11am. Time flies by on the morning of return and if you have to get through LA traffic as well as empty all your water tanks, fill the fuel and propane tanks, pack up and clean through the RV etc, it could become hectic.

I haven't been North of SF in the RV [or in anything else as of now] but many go up to the Redwoods etc so you shouldn't have any real problems. If there is an RV site, you must be able to get there in an RV !

Are you sorted out for Campgrounds prior to Yosemite ? If there are any places you are struggling in particular I might be able to make some suggestions.

Hi, Thanks for the good advice re drop off morning. I am waiting to hear back from a campground near Santa Barbara.

Yes, I have noticed quite a few of the State parks have 'First come, first served campsites'. Not sure whether to give it a go or not - would obviously need to be there early as spaces become available.

I have spent today looking at places to stay North of SF. Noticed a couple of warnings about roads not to go on in an RV - I assume (hope) there will be a big sign on the road warning of unsuitable roads too.

Any campground suggestions would be great... still on the 'to-do' list are:
Moab - Monument Valley - Grand Canyon - Wahweap - Zion NP - Bryce Canyon - Trail of 100 Giants

I am not sure if it is best to book everything due to it being June / July, or whether it is best to leave a few unbooked in-case of unforeseen circumstances. Although I guess most cancellation policies seem reasonable. What are your thoughts?

Thanks again for all the help :)

A lot of people 'wing it' and always find a place to stay, but I tend to book most places in advance when travelling with the RV for peace of mind. I don't let it totally rule the trip though, it rarely happens, but if I want to spend more time in one place I just forfeit the booking and let them know so that it makes the site available for anyone else who might be looking for a place and 'winging it'. I would prefer to lose $20 or so, and not have the need to be adding miles [and burning gas] driving around looking for somewhere, when I could be spending that time relaxed and sight seeing. For the odd night I leave 'open' I usually research possible places to stay and take a note of the phone number/address and call ahead.

I'm presuming the NPs' are already booked, but for Moab/Arches NP 'The Devils Garden campground' in the park is fantastic ! Grand canyon > Mather campground > Zion > 'Watchman campground'. For non NP RV places, near Zion is the 'Virgin river resort', Bryce canyon is 'Rubys Inn' and Grand canyon you could try the 'Cameron trading post' just outside of the East entrance on route from Monument valley. You could use this place also for MV if 'Gouldings lodge' is booked out. Cameron Trading post has a good store and dining, but the RV park is basic and more suited to an overnight stop only. Depending on your timing there is an RV park on Lake Isabella called Lake Isabella RV park [unsurprisingly] that is quite basic but again, OK for an overnight stop and a short walk to the lake shore. There are other options I believe in Kernville.

This is quite a good review site with lists of parks. Click on the State in the drop down list and the same again for the place name and check them out.

Thanks for these campground tips. I need to get busy sorting all this out!
Cheers :)

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU for all your help on this forum. Our trip was fantastic and I have wanted to get back on here to share it. It has been a big year and we have moved to the other side of the world. Hope to post soon :)

I'm pleased to hear you had a great trip and I am certainly looking forward to checking out your report and [hopefully] seeing some of your photos. It's always a treat to take a 'virtual trip' with other members.

Dave.