West Coast January road trip

[GreenOrchid]

Dear All,

My wife and I have the last 3 weeks in January to travel around the West Coast, we have done lot of research and have put together a route that I wanted to get some feedback on.

Planning on travelling in a small Maverick Camper from Travellers Autobhan, maybe straying in a cheap motel/Airbnb every few days. This is our first roadtrip and I worried we are being too ambitious, any advice would be much appreciated.

Jan 8 - Arrive in LA
Jan 9 - Pick up RV, drive to Las Vegas
Jan 10 - Vegas
Jan 11 - Grand Canyon
Jan 12 - Monument Valley
Jan 13 - Bryce Canyon
Jan 14 - Drive to Zion
Jan 15 - Zion
Jan 16 - Zion
Jan 17 - Lone Pine via Death Valley
Jan 18 - Drive to Yosemite
Jan 19 - Yosemite
Jan 20 - Yosemite
Jan 21 - drive to San Fran
Jan 22 - San Fran
Jan 23 - San Fran
Jan 24 - Drive to Carmel
Jan 25 - drive to Pismo Beach
Jan 26 - Drive to LA
Jan 27 - Return RV

Massive thanks, really excited by the idea of doing this :-)

[Lifemagician]

Hello and Welcome to the Great American roadtrip Forum.

The trip you have outlined is probably the most discussed trip on these forums. However, there are a couple of changes which would make it more efficient.

Flying into LA from ?????

Rather than driving direct to Las Vegas, you could save yourself some miles by driving direct to the Grand Canyon, and head to Las Vegas after visiting Zion. After LV you could take a trip through Death Valley, but not up towards Yosemite.

The eastern entrance to Yosemite will be closed, so you will need to go around the southern end of the Sierra range, through Lake Issabella and head up the western side of the Sierras to Yosemite. This will also take you past Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon.

The rest of the trip looks great. As you plan in more detail feel free to ask questions which arise.

Lifey

[Southwest Dave]

This will also take you past Sequoia NP and Kings Canyon.

Although Kings canyon will be closed at this time of year and you may be required to carry snow chains and know how to use them in Yosemite and Sequoia and you will have to check your rental agreement whether they permit them to be fitted on their vehicles. We love to RV through the west but I am not sure I would fancy a camper van at this time of year as the night time temps can be a long way down below freezing. This would mean winterizing the RV, which means you would have no water in your tanks for washing, cooking and cleaning the dishes. If the pipes were to freeze and cause damage it is more than likely it would be at your expense. Given the cost of a camper, extra fuel and campground fees on top, plus the fact that you already plan to spend some [money]nights in lodgings, I would consider going with a car and Motels.

Your trip is not overly ambitious but you may have to adjust your itinerary if the weather doesn't co-operate with your plans. I agree that visiting Vegas between Zion and Death valley on a natural path would make better use of your time and mileage.

[GreenOrchid]

Thanks for the information. The research I have been doing suggest that rental for both an RV and car would be around $1000, as they were both comparable I thought I would go for the camper. Is this my naivety of not knowing all the cost associated with RV hire?

[Midwest Michael]

I suspect the reason that you're finding an RV rental so cheap in comparison to a car is because, as Dave mentioned, January isn't a great time of year to try to camp in one.

It looks like the RV you're thinking of getting is actually a van from EscapeCampervans, so you don't have the water issues that Dave mentioned, however an the van is still going to mean quite a bit more fuel and you will likely have extra mileage fees (standard fees only cover 100 miles a day, whereas rental cars are usually unlimited mileage.) And as Dave mentioned, you'll still have to think about campground fees, so you're not getting free overnights as some people tend to think when they go the van route.

Having said that, I'd be more concerned about the lack of practicality with the van at this time of year. There is a reasonable chance you'd see some snow during your trip, and a big rear-wheel drive van is one of the most challenging kinds of vehicles to drive in the snow. The chains Dave mentioned will be even more important than usual in your case. Additionally, such a van provides very little insulation from the elements, which means it will likely be too cold to sleep inside of it most nights, unless you get substantially warmer blankets/sleeping bags than what will likely be included as part of your rental.

[Lifemagician]

Michael makes some valid points. Only this last October I was sleeping in my van, not in the mountains, and it was already getting quite cold at night. I have a four season down sleeping bag, so I slept warm. It was only for half a dozen or so, nights, at the end of my trip.

As well as that, it can be most unpleasant to have to go to the amenities block in inclement weather. When it is cold as well, it could be quite miserable. And all that for much the same costs as car and a warm hotel/motel room.

Consider if it is worth it.

Lifey