Could use help to plan a trip from CA to FL

[MelGhara]

Hi everybody!
I am new to the site and to leaving help messages in a forum (so you know).
I am planning a 3 week RV trip from (Los Angeles) CA to (Fort Lauderdale) FL
with my son (renting the RV).
I need to get to FL in 8-9 days, stay there for 6-7 days (visiting relatives) and drive back in 5-6 days (want to drive 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with overnite stays at campsites).
Being my first extended road trip, I never realized that to plan this successfully and fun, would be so difficult! So please help me ... what route should I take to see the most famous landmarks? (could you list it from CA to FL and perhaps back from FL to CA).
I welcome all suggestions not only on the route, but also on anything else that an experienced "traveller" would suggest.
Thanks in advance, Mel G.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I am new to the site and to leaving help messages in a forum (so you know).

Welcome to the forum --- you are doing fine with the format.

I am planning a 3 week RV trip from (Los Angeles) CA to (Fort Lauderdale) FL with my son (renting the RV). I need to get to FL in 8-9 days, stay there for 6-7 days (visiting relatives) and drive back in 5-6 days (want to drive 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon with overnite stays at campsites).

For the trip out, driving only six hours per day will work fine. But it is not physically possible to drive back from Florida to LA in five to six days if you are only driving six hours per day. You will need to increase the hours driven to at least eight hours per day.

Being my first extended road trip, I never realized that to plan this successfully and fun, would be so difficult!

Some folks think the planning is one of the best parts. I prefer the mosey method -- are you sure you need to plan it out?

So please help me ... what route should I take to see the most famous landmarks? (could you list it from CA to FL and perhaps back from FL to CA).
I welcome all suggestions not only on the route, but also on anything else

First, read the essays and planning tips in the planning sections of this site. Next -- you have tell us what you mean by the most famous landmarks? and certainly read Alice's article about finding campsites for the RV.

Mark

[MelGhara]

Could you list landmarks from CA to FL such as Grand Canyon AND/OR must-see places, passing thru CA, AZ, NM, TX, Louisiana, Mississipi, FL?
Thanks again, Mel G.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Could you list landmarks from CA to FL such as Grand Canyon AND/OR must-see places, passing thru CA, AZ, NM, TX, Louisiana, Mississipi, FL?

Mel, There are literally thousands of places you could stop and see on such a route. What kinds of things interest you? Do you prefer fancy good or good chow? Do you prefer shopping or hiking? I am not sure anyone can start giving ideas without a little more work and/or suggestions from you.

[PNW Judy]

I agree that more specific suggestions would be helpful to give us an idea of what you're looking for. I mean....I love kitsch and looking for strange things like Muffler Men. Most people think I'm crazy. We all have our own ideas of must-sees.

As for planning your driving distance. You might want to just figure out roughly how many miles you need to cover each day to meet your timeframe. This way you can use the famous "mosey method" while, at the same time, making sure you're not getting too off-track.

[Utahtea]

Have you looked into renting an RV? It's expensive. If you can get past that and getting only about 10 MPG with the price of gas today, then you're ready for an RV adventure! We have a motorhome and drove it from San Francisco Bay area to Greenville, SC and back in 2002. We've done other coast to coast trips too.

If you want to see the Grand Canyon, then maybe a night at Lake Havasu, see the London Bridge and the second night camp at the Grand Canyon. If you want full hook up sites (water, electric, dump) then you will want to stay at the Trailer Village Campground in the park. You will need to make reservations NOW to get a site. If you don't mind not having full hook ups then Mather Campgroud is very nice. There are pay showers near by if you don't want to use the one in your rig.

From the Grand Canyon take Hwy 64 to Cameron and then drive south on Hwy 89. If you want to see some ruins take Loop Hwy 395 to Wuptaki National Monument and Sunset Crater. At Flagstaff pick up I-40 and head east. Another interesting stop would be Walnut Canyon National Monument. If you want to stand on the corner made famous by the Eagles, then get off at Winslow, AZ. They made a park so you can be "standin' on the corner in Winslow, AZ!" At Holbrook get off I-40 and take Hwy 180 and enter the Petrified Forest National Park. Take the park road back up to I-40. I-40 is a pretty scenic Hwy. In Grants, NM is a KOA campground. Just before you reach Albuquerque is Petroglyphs National Monument. Just west of Amarillo, TX keep an eye out for Cadillac Ranch....you can't miss it. It's 10 cadillacs with their noses buried in the dirt and the cars sticking out of the ground! Don't stop on the Interstate...just get off at the next exit and take the frontage road back. You can walk out to the cars.

I'm much better at what is out west than I am for the east. You might want to swing down to New Orleans but be aware that the Bourbon Street area is NOT RV friendly...been there, done that and won't ever try that again!

For the trip back I'd stay close to I-10 but on the gulf coast states it's nice to get off the interstate and take the coast roads. In San Antonio get off and go see the Alamo and walk along the Riverwalk. I don't know if you are going to have the time on the way back, but Carsbad Caverns, NM would be a nice detour. You might want to consider driving at least 7 hours per day on the return trip.

I would pick up a KOA Directory at the first KOA you see. I would also purchase a "Trailer Life Campgrounds Directory" or you might check with the place you rent the RV and ask if they give a Campground Directory with the rental. We rented an RV once and they gave us a campground directory to use.

Utahtea

[MelGhara]

Hi Utahtea,
Thank you so much for the walk thru. It is such a help to have a solid starting point. I started planning and I think I-40 route is an excellant suggestion.
Thanks agian, Mel G

[Mark Sedenquist]

I am planning a 3 week RV trip from (Los Angeles) CA to (Fort Lauderdale) FL with my son (renting the RV).

There is a wealth of information on this site about traveling and enjoying the RV lifestyle. Two of our contributors write a monthly column about traveling in RVs. I would certainly suggest purchasing an atlas and begin to write down ideas and places that you might wish to visit. Our recommendations for maps can be read here. Likewise, Utahtea, another expert RV roadtripper has suggested obtaining a free KOA campsite guide -- I would also encourage you to obtain or at least look at a new Woodall's guide to get an idea of the types of places you can park for the night enroute.

Now as far as places I would consider stopping at if I were about to embark on such an adventure... Mojave National Preserve, Saquaro NP, Kartchner Caverns, Tombstone, Chiricahua NM, the square at La Mesilla, New Mexico (chilli peppers!), Carlsbad NP, Big Bend NP, Austin (great BBQ and live music), Natchez, MS and down US-61 to New Orleans, I-10 into Mobile, Alabama and check out the whitest beaches in the country around Pensacola, FL. Don't miss Crystal River and Wakulla Springs and then zing over to the coast and down to Ft. Lauderdale. For your way home I would drive north to Nashville, TN and then on to St. Louis and then west on I-70 so you can see the amazing plains and the Colorado Rockies, eastern Utah and Las Vegas before reaching Los Angeles.