Tervetuloa! Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Just looking at the three week van portion of your trip, I wouldn't call that tight at all. I make it about 3500 miles (plus side trips), but even so that's only a week's worth of steady driving which gives you a full two weeks' worth of time to be out of the van actually hiking, visiting sites, and generally enjoying yourselves. Just a few things to note in these early stages of planning.

A one-way van rental with pick-up in L.A. and drop-off in Miami is going to be fairly expensive, so I'd price that out now and make sure that you can find a firm that will actually do it. Your best bets are the large national rental companies such as CruiseAmerica, El Monte, and others.

If you hope to camp in national parks, then you'll need to get your reservations in early. Not being a camper myself, I don't know when they start accepting reservations for next summer, but I'd make finding out a top priority and then applying early and often, and keep trying if not successful at first. Then, be aware of 'backup' camping possibilities, particularly state parks and national forests.

As for your occasional motel stays, over three weeks and with your out-of-van time at both ends of your trip you'll be spending roughly 10 days in motels. At that level it's worth your time to do some homework and research some of the major motel/hotel chains in America to find one that fits your tastes and wallet and has a rewards program that will allow you to earn a free stay or two out of all those night.

As you continue to plan don't hesitate to ask specific questions. Just remember that the more information you can give us about your interests and goals both for the trip in general and for any particular location, the more useful our advice can be.

AZBuck