NV to D.C.

[boss421a]

Hi, we're planning an RV trip from southern Nevada to Washington D.C. in the next month or so. We'll be traveling through CO, KS, IL, IN, OH, PA & WV on the way there and add on MI & NE on the way back. We plan on boondocking as much as possible. If anyone can give advice on what to see, good places to stay, etc. that would be wonderful. Thanks!

 

[jackiemac]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Do you have a rough route planned as that will help with recommendations.

How long do you have?

What do you like to do? Hiking, museums, wildlife etc....

 

[Larry N.]

It sounds as if you're taking I-70. If so, your list of states skipped Utah and Missouri and, perhaps, Maryland. Just south of I-70 in Utah is Moab, which is near Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Dead Horse State Park, to name a few. If you're there at the right time, the Bar-M ChuckWagon (just a bit north of Moab) has a nice western music show and chuckwagon dinner on many evenings.

There is the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction, CO, along with lots of roadside stands on the east side (Palisade) for fruit and vegetables. In September the peach harvest provides the tastiest peaches I've found anywhere. Glenwood Springs, CO has hot springs. But be careful to check road conditions, because there have been avalanches and lots of moisture, so there may be rock slides on occasion (yes, right on I-70). The Georgetown Loop RR, in Georgetown, CO, is a fun trip. A Coors brewery tour in Golden, CO (western edge of Denver Metro) interests many folks, too. There's LOTS more in Colorado if you are open to getting somewhat away from I-70.

Branson, MO is a bit south of I-70, but offers lots of music and other shows -- many, many theaters there.

I'll stop for the moment, but may be back later with more, if others don't fill in here.

 

[Pugapooh]

The Baltimore Aquarium.  The National Zoo.  Smithsonian museums,depending on interests.  Arlington National Cemetery.  Gettysburg.

 

[boss421a]

Ah yes, I did leave out Missouri and Maryland. We're from Utah, so don't plan on doing much exploring while passing through there, just visiting with family.

Yes, we will be traveling mostly on I-70, but have no problem getting off of it a bit. I've heard good things about Branson, so that would be a fun one to put on the list.

A tentative route is UT, CO, KS, IL, IN, OH, PA, WV, DC, and on the way home PA, MI, IN, IL, IA, NE, CO, UT

We plan on around 17 days, but our schedule is flexible. We have 4 kids, ages 7-13, but do enjoy hiking and sightseeing. I'm interested in any quirky things too, like "World's Biggest Ball of Twine" sort of things, just because they make me laugh. Not too big on museums, unless they're kid-friendly.
We will be hitting as many sights in DC as we can once we're there, but I'd like to have some ideas of places we can stop along the way. Also, if anyone has boondocked in any of these states and can give good recommendations, that would be great too.

 

[Larry N.]

I'm interested in any quirky things too, like "World's Biggest Ball of Twine" sort of things,

Right up your alley, then: In Cawker City, KS, on U.S. 24, is the home of the "World's Largest Ball of Twine." There's a state park near by with a decent campground.

 

[shorts]

Exit 129 on I-70 in Illinois for Casey - home of the world largest ?items?. This small town has several things that are in the Guinness Book of Records for being the worlds largest. Rocking chair, mailbox, wind chime, golf tee, pitch fork, knitting needle and others. Good for a couple hours and a nice ice cream shop.

Don?t know of any boondocking nearby but just a few miles away in Marshall, IL is a really nice state park, Lincoln Trail. $20 a night ($30 weekend) with a really great restaurant on the lake.

Vicki

 

[Gizmo100]

Welcome to the RV Forum boss421a

We use the below link for Boon docking

https://freecampsites.net/

Just use common sense when reading the reviews.

 

[Lou Schneider]

69 miles south of I-70 is Hutchinson, KS home of Strataca and the Cosmosphere.

The area around Hutchinson has one of the largest underground salt deposits in the world.    Strataca is a salt mine museum you enter by riding an elevator 650 feet below ground.  Once you arrive underground there's a conference center, walking tours, a train ride, tram rides and a display showing some of the items in long term storage in the adjacent Underground Vaults and Storage.  Things like Hollywood master movie prints, props, bank records, etc.

Cosmosphere is one of the largest collections of US and Soviet spacecraft and memorabilia in the world.  The stories behind how a dedicated group of staff and volunteers at a small town Community College built such a superb museum are as impressive as the collection itself.  For example, when they went looking for an Apollo capsule they found all of them were taken except for the ill-fated Apollo 13.  They located it's shell at a museum in France and then used the original NASA paperwork to track down the missing parts before reassembling it.  Later they teamed with the Discovery Channel to recover Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 capsule after it was located at the bottom of 15,000 ft. of water in the Atlantic.  During it's restoration they found the rolls of Liberty dimes he smuggled aboard to sell as souvenirs.  The theory is or more of these broke loose while the capsule bobbed in the waves and hit the release button that prematurely blew open the capsule door.

My planned afternoon at Cosmosphere turned into a 3 day visit.

Full hookup camping is available at the Kansas State Fairgrounds RV Park on the north side of town for $30 a night.  Except in September during the State Fair.

 

[boss421a]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

 

[Scott 3]

True boondocking in the East and particularly the DC area can be difficult.  You may find free stops along the lines of WalMarts, etc but maybe not boondocking.  You might not like museums but the Smithsonians are awesome.  The Holocaust museum is tragic but deeply moving as is Arlington Cemetery.  If your family is up to it I would recommend rental bikes because you can see a lot of things rather quickly.

Try to include DC after dark.  It is beautiful.