30 Road Trip Across America

[rv4life]

Hello,

Thank you for all of your advice. I have refined our trip to include more campgrounds, and more time in national parks, including multiple days in some parks. I would appreciate your feedback on the new itinerary below.

Thanks again!

Shane

Day 1
360 mi — about 6 hours, 2 mins


Spending the night: Walmart Overnight Holland, OH


Day 2
388 mi — about 6 hours, 12 mins

Spending the night: Walmart in Davenport IA


Day 3
406 mi — about 6 hours, 6 mins

Spending the night: Camp at Prairie Oasis Campground in Nebraska - $30.50


Day 4
451 mi — about 7 hours, 11 mins


Spending the night: Moraine Park Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO - $20


Day 5
Spending the day and night: Moraine Park Campground, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO - $20

Take free shuttle into Estes Park, CO


Day 6
416 mi — about 7 hours, 17 mins


Spending the night: Stay at Dead Horse Point State Park, UT - $25


Day 7
386 mi — about 5 hours, 50 mins


Spending the night: Walmart Mesquite, NV

Day 8
427 mi — about 7 hours, 8 mins

Hoover Dam Visitor Center
Spending the night: Stay at Malibu Beach RV Park - $40.00

Day 9
307 mi — about 6 hours, 15 mins


Follow California Coast
Walmart Marina, CA
Spending the night: Walmart Marina, CA


Day 10
273 mi — about 6 hours, 28 mins


Follow California Coast
Spending the night: Stay at Caspar Beach RV Park - $42


Day 11
301 mi — about 5 hours, 40 mins


Spending the night: Lake Tahoe Campground - $30 a day


Day 12
Spending the day and night: Lake Tahoe Campground - $30 a day


Day 13
186 mi — about 4 hours, 24 mins

Spending the night: Lower Pines Campground, Yosemite National Park $20 a night

Days 14 through 15
Spending the day and night: Lower Pines Campground, Yosemite National Park $20 a night


Day 16
207 mi — about 4 hours, 26 mins


Tonopah Station RV Park and Casino - $30
Spending the night: Tonopah Station RV Park and Casino - $30


Day 17
388 mi — about 6 hours, 28 mins


Stay at Deseret Peak Complex - $20
Spending the night: Stay at Deseret Peak Complex - $20


Day 18
400 mi — about 6 hours, 42 mins


Stay at Grant Village Campground, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - $26
Spending the night: Stay at Grant Village Campground, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - $26


Days 19 through 20
Spending the day and night: Stay at Grant Village Campground, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - $26


Day 21
247 mi — about 6 hours, 6 mins


Driving towards Mt. Rushmore.
Spending the night: Walmart on way to Mt. Rushmore


Day 22
343 mi — about 6 hours, 18 mins


Head towards Mt. Rushmore22
Walmart on way to Mt. Rushmore23
Spending the night: Walmart on way to Mt. Rushmore


Day 23
230 mi — about 4 hours, 4 mins of driving and 2 hours of stops



Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Black Hills National Forest, 13000 South Dakota 244, Keystone, SD24
Spending the night: Stay at Circle 10 Campground - $30


Day 24
274 mi — about 4 hours



Spending the night: Walmart Sioux Falls, SD


Day 25
250 mi — about 4 hours, 4 mins


Spending the night: Stay at Cushon's Peak Campground - $28


Day 26
376 mi — about 6 hours, 18 mins


Spending the night: Walmart towards home


Day 27
404 mi — about 6 hours, 21 mins


Spending the night: Walmart in Erie PA


Day 28
148 mi — about 2 hours, 41 mins


Geneseo, NY
Stop in Geneseo, NY.

Total Trip: 7,167 miles — about 126 hours 0 minutes of driving — 28 day trip.
about $433.50 for campgrounds, $800.00 for food, and about $3,411.32 for fuel

[Southwest Dave]

With a quick read your trip certainly looks more doable on paper. A couple of things that came to mind is firstly is why not push a little further on the first 2 dyas and give yourself less to do into RMNP. It might be that you have pland for the stops or simply because of the Walmarts. Your plan to follow the coast from Malibu to Marina is going to be a full day on the road and without any real time to explore the many State parks and scenic vistas, it's very slow going in an RV and the same could be said of the following day. It would be worth considering making Point Reyes your 'end' point and splitting the journey differently.

You are probably aware that you are going past some amazing National parks on the way to Mesquite without time to enjoy them but choices have to be made.

DAY 17. This is an opportunity for a free and legal overnight stop. Just a few miles before Tonopah you will come across Millers Rest area, a search will tell you more.

[Lifemagician]

It certainly looks better and more enjoyable. As well as Dave's comments, you might like to forget those driving times. Count on all of it taking around 20% longer than computer times. Computers live in the virtual world where food, construction, red lights and traffic congestion do not exist. Neither do they need, fuel or the occasional pit stop. You live in the real world.

You might want to up that food budget. $800 for three people for 30 days is not even $10 per day. I'd suggest another $400 which will allow you to go out for a meal now and then.

Enjoy.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

You might want to add your park fees (and parking fees) to your total budget, too. I notice you have nothing down there. Mt Rushmore parking cost us $11 (entrance is $0 and they don't take the Annual Pass card for the parking). Dead Horse Point SP will cost another $10 for entrance, over and above camping fees. (Camping fees are almost always separate from the entrance fees.) Rocky Mountain NP is $20, Yosemite is also $20, Yellowstone is $25 but also includes Grand Teton. (This means that $20+20+25=65. An annual pass which covers a lot of NP's is $80.)

You should also add some mileage -- up to 25% -- and the fuel for that, for "sight-seeing mileage", if you haven't already. It adds up, believe me! Circling around Yellowstone, for instance, can add 80 miles or more in one day.

What route are you taking between Yellowstone and the Black Hills? Have you already confirmed that those WalMarts will allow you to stay? Truck stops can be a good place, too, and more of them are agreeable to overnight stays.

BTW, I will agree: add 20% to those travel times. Those are not real-world travel times. Or assume that you will make an average of 50 - 55 mph, including stops, so that a 400 mile day will be "around 7-1/2 to 8 hours". THAT'S more real world, especially with an RV.

I also agree on your food budget. It's waaaaaay too low for 3 people, even in an RV where you can make your own food. You won't be able to use the microwave oven when you are in the Wal-Marts (because you won't be able to run your generator). You'll have to be completely self-contained which means cooking on the stove or eating sandwiches.


Donna

[rv4life]

Thank you for the advice! I have called all of the Walmarts to confirm they allow rv's overnight.

[rv4life]

Hello,

I posted on this site for road trip advice back in August and received wonderful advice. I have continued to add ideas and improve the route and wondered if I could obtain valuable feedback again. If so, here is a link to the route. Please note that the costs do not include food or incidentals. I am looking for any feedback on better routes, timing, or other places to see. We are trying to stay close to thirty days in length but are willing to go a few more days than that. Our main goal is the see western states, thus we are "rushing" a bit to get out west.
Thank you!


Shane Carman

[Lifemagician]

Feel free to post your trip here and ask all the questions you desire. But I do not think it will be appreciated if you use this forum to promote your own site.

Lifey

Moderator Edit: Lifey, keep this friendly. rv4Life has earned the right to post off-site links and he/she can certainly post the trip route they've been working on. RTA has a custom mapping program -- but it's not ideal for everyone.

[rv4life]

This is not my site. Just a website I found to plan trips. Not sure how you think this is my site?