Potential RV trip from California to Yellowstone

[jrmint2]

Hi, 10 years ago I lurked around here for months and planned an amazing road trip that included Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelles, Red Rock Canyon, Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest and then San Diego before looping back.

I'm back now because that trip was so memorable :)

But I'm planning late and not sure if its doable for this summer, so I'm going to go direct!

My SIL is offering to lend us her RV (she's so lovely!) She lives in the Napa Valley area, so we would fly in and start our trip there. So, I am thinking of taking it to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in August. Are there other places to see that should be on that list? Is it too late to try and RV? I guess my main worry is where we will be sleeping each night?

Any tips would be helpful!!

Thanks!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Hi, 10 years ago I lurked around here for months and planned an amazing road trip that included Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelles, Red Rock Canyon, Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest and then San Diego before looping back.

Always nice to hear from one of our long-term lurkers. Welcome, again, to the Trip Planning Forums!

But I'm planning late and not sure if its doable for this summer, so I'm going to go direct!

This is the beginning of May. There is still plenty of time for planning.

So, I am thinking of taking it to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons in August.

The much more important question is how long are you planning to spend on the road? Also have you driven a RV before? What is the condition of your sister's RV?

There are hundreds of things to see and explore between Napa Valley and Yellowstone.

What sort of things interest you on this anticipated trip?

Mark

[Lifemagician]

If/When you have your dates, get onto the national parks website and book camping sites a.s.a.p. If you can not find any vacancies, keep checking back, as people's plans change and vacancies come up. It is also a good idea to book sites at different campsites, as the park is large, and it can pay to spend some time in the northern area, and some in the southern.

Accommodation in Yellowstone in particular, with its short summer season and popularity, is much sought after and books up many moths ahead, as do the sites in the surrounding area.

Lifey

[DonnaR57]

The things about borrowing a relative's RV, other than it's a lot cheaper, is how to deal with any repairs that have to be done along the way, and the insurance issue. Make sure you work that out with your SIL in advance, so that it won't cause you a family squabble down the road.

As has been said, it's hard to offer any other suggestions for places to go, things to see, until we know how long you plan to be gone. Yellowstone and Grand Teton will take a couple of travel days to get to, 3 to 4 days to see, and then there's the return back to Napa. If you have a couple of weeks, you could also take in Craters of the Moon National Monument (interesting, but not especially "scenic"), perhaps go up to Glacier NP, the Sawtooth Mts in Idaho, and more.

Do book your NP area places FIRST.


Donna

[Southwest Dave]

As has been said, time is the key here. To create a nice loop and given the time, after Yellowstone and the Tetons, I would look at heading across to the Oregon coast and back down through the Redwoods. Craters of the Moon, [as mentioned above] the Columbia river Gorge, and Crater Lake are a few options you could consider along the way. If you didn't fancy the coast you could instead go from Crater Lake down to Lassen Volcanic park, Lake Tahoe. Whether it be on the way to Yellowstone or coming back, Yosemite NP is wonderful !