HikerBob
Well-known member
I went on the RV forum before we left on this trip, and it helped. Some were interested in the outcome so here it is.
I'm sure I over did it.
The trip was 92 days,34 campgrounds,13 national parks,7664 miles. Almost got rear ended and side swiped by the same truck on the first day, hit a tire that broke the step. Front end out of alignment and I still cannot get all the bugs off the front. Our RV is a 2016 Thor Hurricane 31S pulling a car. We left May 3rd and got back on Aug 3rd. We were prepared for something to go wrong on this trip mentally and hoped for the best. I started planning for this trip 7 months in advance. The trip was amazing.
We wanted to miss the fires out west. Some campgrounds were empty cause we started this early. In glacier N.P, July 13th, the going to the sun road opened the last day we were there. There is no great time weather wise to do this trip, but I think we did pretty good. It was a little cold at first then when we hit the desert it was 103 degs some days. When we hit the coast, the weather was perfect. I thought the length was ok, but my wife thought it was 3 weeks to long. This thing is kind a long I'm just proud of our trip.
The plan was to cook in the RV. We brough food to make meals. Well after a long day of being busy or 95 deg heat, that did not happen. We made most our breakfast, made some lunches and most meals we bought we would get 2 meals out of it. Gas was $4 per to $7:54 per gallon. The rv break down $1336 plus hotels $2036.
Camp Reservations and hotel $6129.01
Gas including car------------- $7164.26
Grocery and dining-----------$4.412.29
Supplies and souvenirs-------$5638.16
Grand total-------------------$23.343.72
Per day----------------------$253.73 minus RV break down $217.07 per day
We are in our 60's and like to hike. Being a hiker means you can stay in a place longer. It is better to hike in colder weather than hot. In hotter weather you get up early to miss the heat. Our RV is 30 amps and our air conditioner could barely keep up in 103 heat. We put towels over the windows and pizza box in the roof vent to help. The map I like to get for hiking is( hike 734) of the N. P's.
It is hard to figure out how many days to stay at each place. Sometimes when you get to a place you have lots of energy, In one day you did everything you want to do. Sometimes you need a down day but never know when that is going to happen. One thing that I learned is that some N.P's are so big that I would rather camp in 2 or 3 spots in the park then drive 2 hours to hike then drive back.
We use Google maps for our directions knowing in a RV it will be longer. KOA's are not my first choice but you know what our getting and it is to easy to book.
This almost ended our trip. The first day on our trip it was raining a little. We came across a cop car ahead of us alongside the road. Everybody slowed down and that got the vehicles closer to each other. When I passed the cop car it was making a noise. The only thing I could think is that it sounded like a broken motorcycle horn. I looked for 2 seconds and when I looked back the mac truck in front of us slammed on its brakes and was sliding. I slammed on my brakes, and I was sliding too. I said I don't think I can stop. My wife said I don't know. I looked in the left mirror and nobody was there. I let off the brake and turned the wheel. Just as I did that a mac truck pulled into that lane and was doing about 25mph faster than us. I punched it to the floor and waited to get rear ended. I hung on the wheel as hard as I could, WAITING. About 4 sec went by and nothing happened. I looked at the mirror and the truck driver was on the shoulder of the road driving. When the truck driver passed us later I opened my window waved and thanked him. Man, we were lucky that day.
Our first stop we stayed 1 night at a harvest host called Sky Dive Chicago. They have a nice flat parking lot. We went to Buffalo rock state park and did some hiking.
The 2nd stop was Starved rock state park in Illinois. We did a lot of great hiking. We walked our legs off. We planned on spending 2 nights here, but it was going to rain the next day so went to a harvest host.
The 3rd stop Harvest host was Cellar Winery @ white Oak. Parked in large parking lot. This is near Des Moines, so we walked the waterfront and walked around the Capital buildings. The next day went to the huge framer's market in Des Moines.
The 4th stop 3 nights was Ledges State Park about 50 mins from Des Moines. Lots of hiking. The water goes over the road and the kids wait for a car to go by to splash them. Will go back.
The Fifth stop Indian Cave S.P,2 nights, Should have been 1 night. Hackberry Hollow campground. The campground is nice. The hiking hard, would be slippery when wet. Nothing to see here.
The 6th stop, 1 night Harvest Host Pal's Brewing Co in North Platte
We were still in Denver and broke down at this time for 14 days. This is a good place to break down for repairs. Our AC pump seized up. We have Good Sam's repair insurance. They left us on the side of the for 24 hours and cost us valuable time. You can see what happened if you go to (Good Sam's not so good.) We still have not gotten our money from them. I guess they need more than 3 months. We were not going to get our money back from KOA so we changed our reservation to a cabin. Because of the break down we lost Bryce Canyon and the north side of the Grand Canyon and some the south side.
The 7th stop, 4 nights, Denver West/ Central City KOA. In the cabin. The reason for this place was it is close to some Casino's ,But would have preferred to stay closer to Denver. It's a nice campground but is in the mountains and was very cold.
The 8th stop, 10 nights because of break down. Arches N.P, Canyon land and Dead horse point. It was planned for 5 nights. I think I would do 7, You must get a entry permit, you can get them the night before online. If you're going to break down this is the place to stay. We stayed at a hotel right in town. There is lots of hiking and I liked these the best. The Firey furnace which needed a permit. The Devils Garden, and one not in the park Hunters Canyon.
I drove back to Denver to pick up the RV and on the way there I was told that the hose had a hole in it and would take a couple of days to repair. I figured that this was a bad idea, but I picked it up and headed to Moab.
We planned to go to Bryce canyon but skipped it cause of the break down.
The trip from Denver to Moab,( Arches N.P).You must get a entry permit on I70 said it would take 5 hours. It took 8 hours. This has the most mountains on the whole trip. If I was to do this over, I would disconnect the car in Denver and drive separate until the 2nd tunnel, it's the long one. There is still 1 big mountain to go up after that. The V10 365 H.P. is a work horse. You might be doing 3700 RPM's at 35 MPH. But most mac trucks are going even slower well not the empty ones they fly by.
The 9th stop. Zion N.P, 7 nights. We were able to get a camp site in the park at watchman campground. Weather was in the 90's. This place was fun. The hikes I liked the best was Watchman and the narrows, I wasn't able to do Angles landing. You need a permit and because of the break down I could not. I also did the subway hike. I got the permit months in advance. This hike you should not do alone. You need to repel with ropes and swim in very cold water. I went on Alltrails and left my phone number and got a couple to hike with. This place uses shuttles, and they work great.
I would have liked to go to the place called the wave. You need to get it 4 months in advance or 2 days. If you don't win the lottery, then you can't go. It is between Zion and the Grand Canyon.
The 10th stop. The north side we lost and went to Trailer Village on the south side. This should have been 3 nights on both sides. I was hiked out at this time. We only hiked the rim trail.
I would have liked to hike Angles trail or even better hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and spend a night in one of the cabins. You would need to get these months in advance.
The 11th stop. Laughlin AVI Casino KOA. nothing to see here.
The 12th stop. Joshua Tree. 3 nights 2 nights would be enough. Jumbo Rocks campground. Did hiking and scrambling over rocks.
The 13th stop. Huntington beach 2 nights. Nice beaches around.
The 14th stop Sequoia N.P. Stayed at Sequoia RV ranch. 22 minutes from Sequoia. The trails I liked the best. Congress,Cressent Meadow, Big tree. General Sherman ,Tokopah falls and Marble Falls trail. We hiked all of Moro rock trail but just drive and do the end up the rock its only 400 steps. It was 100 deg at the campground but 80 deg in Sequoia N.P. The drive there will make you dizzy.
We wanted to stop at the underground garden on the way but did not.
The 15th stop Yosemite, Indian Flats campground just outside of Yosemite, Good campground, you can go to the indoor pool and hot tub, but they don't tell you. 7 nights, We should have stayed at least 10 days. We really wanted to camp in the park, but I couldn't get one. You must get an entry permit. The shuttle system works really well. The hikes I liked valley loop to mirror loop trail. This morning I put in to get a permit for half dome. Then we hiked Vernal, and Nevada falls via the mist trail and came down the John Muir trail. This is a very hard trail. When I got to the RV I found out I got a permit for half dome which meant I had to rehike Vernal, and Nevada falls via the mist trail again but took the longer route John Muir trail up. Half dome hike was 19 miles long. In curry Village they have great pizza. Lots more hiking we wanted to do.
My wife got locked out of the RV while I was hiking half dome all day. When I left, I locked the door from the outside and the only way you can unlock it is with a key. We did not know this so check you locks. When she went to throw the garbage out in her short shorts and skimpy shirt she got locked out. She sat in the hotel lobby reading a book she bought and borrowed money from the clerk. I can only laugh at this when she is not in the room.
The 16th stop San Francisco, North Petaluma KOA, 3 nights. Go to Pier 39. If you want to go on a cable car, go early or the wait is 75 mins long.
The 17th stop Surf Wood campground in Fort Bragg. 3 nights. Russin Gulch S.P. was nice.
The 18th stop Redwood N.P. Elk Country RV resort. elk running everywhere. 4 nights. 16 is a great site. Hikes we liked. Lady Bird Johson trail, Trillium falls trail and Sue-meg S.P. One of the best trail we both liked is at fern canyon parking lot which you need a permit . James Irvine to the Clintonia to Miners Ridge trail and road loop, 8 miles.
These are on the Oregon coast
The 19th stop Bandon/port KOA.2 nights Tony's crab shack. Historic town
The 20th stop Waldport /newport KOA 1 night
The 21st stop Nehalem bay S.P. 2 nights
The 22nd stop Olympic N.P. 3 nights stayed at the Hoh campground. We had camp site 29a great site. The problem with this entry point is it takes 2 to 3 hours to get in the park, so it makes it hard to go hiking elsewhere. We changed our plans a few times here I'm going to write down what I would do. 2 nights at the Hoh. 3 nights near ozette triangle trail and 3 nights near hurricane ridge trail.
The 23rd stop Pot holes S.P.
The 24th stop St regis area Huckleberry shake
The 25th stop Glacier N.P. Mountain meadow RV park. 3 nights, Ok park, I would spend 5 nights here. Hikes we loved. McDonald creek trail and Avalanche Lake trail. The going to the sun road opened up the last day we were there. There were trails not open cause of the snow and late opening.
The 26th stop. Harvest host K&J Ranch and sheep creamery. 1 night. These people are super nice. We took the tour of ranch and was interesting. When visiting Harvest hosts we like to buy something. Goats milk and cheese.
The 27th stop Yellowstone 3 days at Grant Campground. We planned 2 days to camp at Mammoth C.G but flooded out so we went to The Tetons instead. We hiked 8 miles just around Old Faithful area then another day we hiked near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
The 28th stop Tetons. 2 nights, Colter Bay RV park. The drive from Yellowstone is only 1 hour. Hikes I liked Jenny Lake Hidden falls and inspiration point. Went to Jackson hole they wanted $35 for a ball cap shopping was done at that time.
Stop in Cody Wyoming Karen went to the Old Trail Town.
The 29th stop Billings MO 2 nights Should have been only 1 night
The 30th stop Deadwood, Fun place Whistlers Gulch C.G.3 nights Should have been 5 so I could do hiking in the black hills.
The 31st stop Bad Lands, 3 nights. White River KOA. Great hiking no foliage.
The 32nd stop Sioux Falls Sioux Falls KOA. Beautiful and fun place. 19.5-mile bike ride around the town.
The 33rd stop Wyaising S.P. 2 nights. Has big camping spots. Great hiking all around
The 34th stop Coloma/St Josph KOA 1 night
Home
This was a amazing trip. If I was to change things I would have spent more time in Olympic N.P. Knowing it is to far away from Michigan that I may never get back in a RV. The next big trip we take will be down south up the east coast.
.G'
I'm sure I over did it.
The trip was 92 days,34 campgrounds,13 national parks,7664 miles. Almost got rear ended and side swiped by the same truck on the first day, hit a tire that broke the step. Front end out of alignment and I still cannot get all the bugs off the front. Our RV is a 2016 Thor Hurricane 31S pulling a car. We left May 3rd and got back on Aug 3rd. We were prepared for something to go wrong on this trip mentally and hoped for the best. I started planning for this trip 7 months in advance. The trip was amazing.
We wanted to miss the fires out west. Some campgrounds were empty cause we started this early. In glacier N.P, July 13th, the going to the sun road opened the last day we were there. There is no great time weather wise to do this trip, but I think we did pretty good. It was a little cold at first then when we hit the desert it was 103 degs some days. When we hit the coast, the weather was perfect. I thought the length was ok, but my wife thought it was 3 weeks to long. This thing is kind a long I'm just proud of our trip.
The plan was to cook in the RV. We brough food to make meals. Well after a long day of being busy or 95 deg heat, that did not happen. We made most our breakfast, made some lunches and most meals we bought we would get 2 meals out of it. Gas was $4 per to $7:54 per gallon. The rv break down $1336 plus hotels $2036.
Camp Reservations and hotel $6129.01
Gas including car------------- $7164.26
Grocery and dining-----------$4.412.29
Supplies and souvenirs-------$5638.16
Grand total-------------------$23.343.72
Per day----------------------$253.73 minus RV break down $217.07 per day
We are in our 60's and like to hike. Being a hiker means you can stay in a place longer. It is better to hike in colder weather than hot. In hotter weather you get up early to miss the heat. Our RV is 30 amps and our air conditioner could barely keep up in 103 heat. We put towels over the windows and pizza box in the roof vent to help. The map I like to get for hiking is( hike 734) of the N. P's.
It is hard to figure out how many days to stay at each place. Sometimes when you get to a place you have lots of energy, In one day you did everything you want to do. Sometimes you need a down day but never know when that is going to happen. One thing that I learned is that some N.P's are so big that I would rather camp in 2 or 3 spots in the park then drive 2 hours to hike then drive back.
We use Google maps for our directions knowing in a RV it will be longer. KOA's are not my first choice but you know what our getting and it is to easy to book.
This almost ended our trip. The first day on our trip it was raining a little. We came across a cop car ahead of us alongside the road. Everybody slowed down and that got the vehicles closer to each other. When I passed the cop car it was making a noise. The only thing I could think is that it sounded like a broken motorcycle horn. I looked for 2 seconds and when I looked back the mac truck in front of us slammed on its brakes and was sliding. I slammed on my brakes, and I was sliding too. I said I don't think I can stop. My wife said I don't know. I looked in the left mirror and nobody was there. I let off the brake and turned the wheel. Just as I did that a mac truck pulled into that lane and was doing about 25mph faster than us. I punched it to the floor and waited to get rear ended. I hung on the wheel as hard as I could, WAITING. About 4 sec went by and nothing happened. I looked at the mirror and the truck driver was on the shoulder of the road driving. When the truck driver passed us later I opened my window waved and thanked him. Man, we were lucky that day.
Our first stop we stayed 1 night at a harvest host called Sky Dive Chicago. They have a nice flat parking lot. We went to Buffalo rock state park and did some hiking.
The 2nd stop was Starved rock state park in Illinois. We did a lot of great hiking. We walked our legs off. We planned on spending 2 nights here, but it was going to rain the next day so went to a harvest host.
The 3rd stop Harvest host was Cellar Winery @ white Oak. Parked in large parking lot. This is near Des Moines, so we walked the waterfront and walked around the Capital buildings. The next day went to the huge framer's market in Des Moines.
The 4th stop 3 nights was Ledges State Park about 50 mins from Des Moines. Lots of hiking. The water goes over the road and the kids wait for a car to go by to splash them. Will go back.
The Fifth stop Indian Cave S.P,2 nights, Should have been 1 night. Hackberry Hollow campground. The campground is nice. The hiking hard, would be slippery when wet. Nothing to see here.
The 6th stop, 1 night Harvest Host Pal's Brewing Co in North Platte
We were still in Denver and broke down at this time for 14 days. This is a good place to break down for repairs. Our AC pump seized up. We have Good Sam's repair insurance. They left us on the side of the for 24 hours and cost us valuable time. You can see what happened if you go to (Good Sam's not so good.) We still have not gotten our money from them. I guess they need more than 3 months. We were not going to get our money back from KOA so we changed our reservation to a cabin. Because of the break down we lost Bryce Canyon and the north side of the Grand Canyon and some the south side.
The 7th stop, 4 nights, Denver West/ Central City KOA. In the cabin. The reason for this place was it is close to some Casino's ,But would have preferred to stay closer to Denver. It's a nice campground but is in the mountains and was very cold.
The 8th stop, 10 nights because of break down. Arches N.P, Canyon land and Dead horse point. It was planned for 5 nights. I think I would do 7, You must get a entry permit, you can get them the night before online. If you're going to break down this is the place to stay. We stayed at a hotel right in town. There is lots of hiking and I liked these the best. The Firey furnace which needed a permit. The Devils Garden, and one not in the park Hunters Canyon.
I drove back to Denver to pick up the RV and on the way there I was told that the hose had a hole in it and would take a couple of days to repair. I figured that this was a bad idea, but I picked it up and headed to Moab.
We planned to go to Bryce canyon but skipped it cause of the break down.
The trip from Denver to Moab,( Arches N.P).You must get a entry permit on I70 said it would take 5 hours. It took 8 hours. This has the most mountains on the whole trip. If I was to do this over, I would disconnect the car in Denver and drive separate until the 2nd tunnel, it's the long one. There is still 1 big mountain to go up after that. The V10 365 H.P. is a work horse. You might be doing 3700 RPM's at 35 MPH. But most mac trucks are going even slower well not the empty ones they fly by.
The 9th stop. Zion N.P, 7 nights. We were able to get a camp site in the park at watchman campground. Weather was in the 90's. This place was fun. The hikes I liked the best was Watchman and the narrows, I wasn't able to do Angles landing. You need a permit and because of the break down I could not. I also did the subway hike. I got the permit months in advance. This hike you should not do alone. You need to repel with ropes and swim in very cold water. I went on Alltrails and left my phone number and got a couple to hike with. This place uses shuttles, and they work great.
I would have liked to go to the place called the wave. You need to get it 4 months in advance or 2 days. If you don't win the lottery, then you can't go. It is between Zion and the Grand Canyon.
The 10th stop. The north side we lost and went to Trailer Village on the south side. This should have been 3 nights on both sides. I was hiked out at this time. We only hiked the rim trail.
I would have liked to hike Angles trail or even better hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and spend a night in one of the cabins. You would need to get these months in advance.
The 11th stop. Laughlin AVI Casino KOA. nothing to see here.
The 12th stop. Joshua Tree. 3 nights 2 nights would be enough. Jumbo Rocks campground. Did hiking and scrambling over rocks.
The 13th stop. Huntington beach 2 nights. Nice beaches around.
The 14th stop Sequoia N.P. Stayed at Sequoia RV ranch. 22 minutes from Sequoia. The trails I liked the best. Congress,Cressent Meadow, Big tree. General Sherman ,Tokopah falls and Marble Falls trail. We hiked all of Moro rock trail but just drive and do the end up the rock its only 400 steps. It was 100 deg at the campground but 80 deg in Sequoia N.P. The drive there will make you dizzy.
We wanted to stop at the underground garden on the way but did not.
The 15th stop Yosemite, Indian Flats campground just outside of Yosemite, Good campground, you can go to the indoor pool and hot tub, but they don't tell you. 7 nights, We should have stayed at least 10 days. We really wanted to camp in the park, but I couldn't get one. You must get an entry permit. The shuttle system works really well. The hikes I liked valley loop to mirror loop trail. This morning I put in to get a permit for half dome. Then we hiked Vernal, and Nevada falls via the mist trail and came down the John Muir trail. This is a very hard trail. When I got to the RV I found out I got a permit for half dome which meant I had to rehike Vernal, and Nevada falls via the mist trail again but took the longer route John Muir trail up. Half dome hike was 19 miles long. In curry Village they have great pizza. Lots more hiking we wanted to do.
My wife got locked out of the RV while I was hiking half dome all day. When I left, I locked the door from the outside and the only way you can unlock it is with a key. We did not know this so check you locks. When she went to throw the garbage out in her short shorts and skimpy shirt she got locked out. She sat in the hotel lobby reading a book she bought and borrowed money from the clerk. I can only laugh at this when she is not in the room.
The 16th stop San Francisco, North Petaluma KOA, 3 nights. Go to Pier 39. If you want to go on a cable car, go early or the wait is 75 mins long.
The 17th stop Surf Wood campground in Fort Bragg. 3 nights. Russin Gulch S.P. was nice.
The 18th stop Redwood N.P. Elk Country RV resort. elk running everywhere. 4 nights. 16 is a great site. Hikes we liked. Lady Bird Johson trail, Trillium falls trail and Sue-meg S.P. One of the best trail we both liked is at fern canyon parking lot which you need a permit . James Irvine to the Clintonia to Miners Ridge trail and road loop, 8 miles.
These are on the Oregon coast
The 19th stop Bandon/port KOA.2 nights Tony's crab shack. Historic town
The 20th stop Waldport /newport KOA 1 night
The 21st stop Nehalem bay S.P. 2 nights
The 22nd stop Olympic N.P. 3 nights stayed at the Hoh campground. We had camp site 29a great site. The problem with this entry point is it takes 2 to 3 hours to get in the park, so it makes it hard to go hiking elsewhere. We changed our plans a few times here I'm going to write down what I would do. 2 nights at the Hoh. 3 nights near ozette triangle trail and 3 nights near hurricane ridge trail.
The 23rd stop Pot holes S.P.
The 24th stop St regis area Huckleberry shake
The 25th stop Glacier N.P. Mountain meadow RV park. 3 nights, Ok park, I would spend 5 nights here. Hikes we loved. McDonald creek trail and Avalanche Lake trail. The going to the sun road opened up the last day we were there. There were trails not open cause of the snow and late opening.
The 26th stop. Harvest host K&J Ranch and sheep creamery. 1 night. These people are super nice. We took the tour of ranch and was interesting. When visiting Harvest hosts we like to buy something. Goats milk and cheese.
The 27th stop Yellowstone 3 days at Grant Campground. We planned 2 days to camp at Mammoth C.G but flooded out so we went to The Tetons instead. We hiked 8 miles just around Old Faithful area then another day we hiked near the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.
The 28th stop Tetons. 2 nights, Colter Bay RV park. The drive from Yellowstone is only 1 hour. Hikes I liked Jenny Lake Hidden falls and inspiration point. Went to Jackson hole they wanted $35 for a ball cap shopping was done at that time.
Stop in Cody Wyoming Karen went to the Old Trail Town.
The 29th stop Billings MO 2 nights Should have been only 1 night
The 30th stop Deadwood, Fun place Whistlers Gulch C.G.3 nights Should have been 5 so I could do hiking in the black hills.
The 31st stop Bad Lands, 3 nights. White River KOA. Great hiking no foliage.
The 32nd stop Sioux Falls Sioux Falls KOA. Beautiful and fun place. 19.5-mile bike ride around the town.
The 33rd stop Wyaising S.P. 2 nights. Has big camping spots. Great hiking all around
The 34th stop Coloma/St Josph KOA 1 night
Home
This was a amazing trip. If I was to change things I would have spent more time in Olympic N.P. Knowing it is to far away from Michigan that I may never get back in a RV. The next big trip we take will be down south up the east coast.
.G'
