South West Road Trip any ideas?

[kelly**]

Hi Hope you can help. I'm off on a road trip at the beggining of March - starting at Los Angeles, then onto San Diego then finishing in San Francisco. Does anyone have and ideas/suggestions of time scales I could aim for so my trip could include the grand canyon, Las Vegas, Death Vally and Yosemite. I will be travelling with my 8month old and parents who are in there 60's and 70's in a 32ft RV. Also does anyone have any tips about which RV camps to stay at. There so much to see, do and stay, I have to admit it's all become a little overwhelming so any suggestions would be great.

Kind regards

Kelly

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

I realize that planning a RoadTrip can be stressful, but it is, after all, a vacation. It's supposed to be fun, and it will be if you just set aside enough time for the journey. Depending on where you're coming from in LA, where you're going in San Diego, and what traffic is like, that portion of your trip could take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours (or more), but is certainly an easy day's drive. San Diego to the Grand Canyon is about 550 miles, so more than I'd recommend you try to do in a day with the companions you'll have. You could make it very comfortably in two days and see a few things along the way such as in this recent thread. Grand Canyon to Las Vegas is roughly 275 miles and can be done in 5 to 6 hours of driving. Your last leg, Las Vegas to Death Valley is only 200 miles, but Death Valley to Yosemite is another 450 miles, because you will have to drive around the snow-blocked Sierra Nevada Mountains. Again this is more than I think you should plan to do in a day, but that's your call. And finally, Yosemite back to LA is just under 400 miles. So altogether you're looking at around 1925 miles. Over the long haul you can expect, realistically, to average right around 53 mile per hour including rest, gas, and quick food stops, so you've got to set aside 38 hours for driving on this trip. At least 5 days. To try to do your trip in a week would not leave a lot of time to visit along the way, but two weeks and up starts to get very nice.

Hopefully, one of our contributors who knows more about RVing than I do (not hard since I know less than not much) can help you out on that end.

AZBuck

[kelly**]

Thanks for that Azbuck. Your right I should chill a bit and see where the road takes us. We will end our journey in San Fransisco (I forgot to mension that bit) and will have a total of 18 days on the road. With the RV camps, is it best to pre book all the stops?

kind regards kelly

[AZBuck]

Pre-book or play-it-by-ear is a topic that has been debated at length on these forums. Although the discussion has mostly been about motels, the general points on both sides would apply as well to RV camp sites. Some people like the security and lack of on-the-road hassles that pre-booking allows, while others like the freedom and ability to change plans on the fly that not having reservations allows. It's really a matter of personal choice. In your case, you also have to weigh the needs of your companions and the likelihood that some parks may be booked solid. If your parents will be helping with the driving and/or navigation, and you at least have good information on where the RV camps are, then I wouldn't think that March would be a terribly busy time of the year, and you might want the freedom to heed the baby's needs, But again, it's your call.

AZBuck

[Mark Sedenquist]

and will have a total of 18 days on the road. With the RV camps, is it best to pre book all the stops?

Kelly, since you will be driving a RV -- you will have your lodging with you -- so even if a park were full, you would still park over-night just about anywhere. Here are some tips about choosing among the types of RV parks that are available. If you pick up one of the RV campground guidebooks we recommend, you will see that you have huge range of possiblities and for that reason, I would suggest that you see what the road brings you and not fret about trying to pre-book your trip.

Also, I couldn't tell if you are renting this RV, but if you are, read this article and print this article and take it with you when you pick it up! And I also wrote some ideas towards the bottom of this thread for another RV-user traveling from LA to San Francisco, that you might find helpful.

Mark