Planning for a long route. Need help

[Flkeyseyes]

Hello

We are planning a 1-2 months from Florida to the West ( including Co -Utah- Wy)
The idea includes boondocking while possible but also longer stays in campsites
Should we plan ahead and reserve the campgrounds with months in advance or just wait till we are on the road within a few days of arrival
Or even on the same day getting the destination

In the pass we had done many long( east and west) road trips however it works very different when going in a car than Rv

My wife is worry we can't find decent places for our 37 rig (Tiffin Allegro open road)
So she rather to plan ahead
On my side I don't want the rush of having to follow a schedule cause I have a reservation thousands of miles away

Btw we been rving for 10 years ( short trips with some long stays ) but just now have the time to spend a few months out on the road
So even we have some experience, things like boondocking or no having a plan is new for us
Thank you for any input in advace
Any other suggestion are also very much appreciated

 

[Larry N.]

Should we plan ahead and reserve the campgrounds with months in advance or just wait till we are on the road within a few days of arrival

A lot depends on the area where you want to stay that night, as well as the time of year. Extremely popular areas might need a lot of advance notice (a few need as much as a year or more), but we've found that, at least during the week, that we can call ahead when we are two-four hours from where we wish to stay and usually one or two nights are available at some RV park. For destinations where you wish to spend several nights, it's usually best to check at least a week or two in advance, and many places you might need to start talking months ahead.

So perhaps if you mentioned a few places that you want to spend more than a single night, along with approaximately when you'd want to be i that area, you might get some advice from folks who've been near each of the spots recently.

 

[garyb1st]

We just returned from a month long trip visiting some of the big parks in Utah. As Larry says much will depend on when you'll be traveling. We reserved in Utah since that was a stay we couldn't miss. Other than that, for private campgrounds, we didn't reserve ahead. That said, finding parks is getting a bit more challenging.

This year a big surprise was changes to the Lake Mead National Rec area campground. Previously we've always stayed without reservations. Now they have 9 FCFS sites out of about 150. Reservations are needed for everything other than the few FCFS sites. However, like before the parks are only full or close to full on weekends. We were always able to reserve spots. Even when doing so on the same day.

We also like boon docking. If you're in the Northern Nevada area, spend some time on hi way 50, the loneliest road in the country. Lots of great BLM spots. A few developed that are quite nice. None required reservations when we were there.

 

[jackiemac]

We spend 6 months in the West (May to November) and only book Gros Ventre in the Tetons as its a favourite. We found spots elsewhere fairly easily. We hardly ever camp in the National Parks mostly because of the need to reserve so far in advance and because of our 31ft length.

 

[LMHS]

You apparently pretty much know where you want to stay. I have noticed that some public CGs only have online reservations with no FCFS sites. I think some places have realized that doing this thru the COVID Pandemic resulted in fewer hassles using prepaid online reservations. I have also discovered that I can make (and pay for) a site a few days, or hours, before I'm to show up. But I don't go to the "popular" places. I also have no problem with spending the night in a parking lot and, in fact, I prefer to spend single nights in parking lots.

 

[Flkeyseyes]

Thank you everyone for the detailed explanation
I got the idea. Basically I would plan within 1 weeks for private campground unless I get lucky and find a cancelation in a NP

The RT would includes Tennessee Colorado Utah Wyoming and probably Nevada ( will check the hi way 50)

The trip would start from FL in Early March , hopefully catch some snow but nothing crazy

 

[Domo]

Find your key locations (Nashville, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Redwoods, etc.) and book those locations as you don't want to miss those. Then, work backwards or forwards and find interesting places that can be secondary and might be missed with disrupting your trip too much.

DW and I did a three month trip from end of May through August. We reserved in our key targets and then worked out wonderful stays in other campgrounds where we'd stay for a few days to a couple of weeks on the way. We also could be spontaneous between pivot locations and get those places on the fly - including boondocking, walmart and other one-nighters.

 

[8Muddypaws]

We prefer to have a plan and reservations. My 'navigator' pretty much insists on it.

Don't travel with a nervous navigator!

 

[Larry N.]

The trip would start from FL in Early March , hopefully catch some snow but nothing crazy

All of the mountains in those western states that you mention are likely to have a huge amount of snow on the ground in March. And you'll want to carefully check weather before venturing into the mountains, since it can change very quickly and sometimes be very mean indeed, even forcing you to spend a night somewhere (gas station? Side of the road?) that you don't expect, even though there can also be some wonderful weather there.

There's always the potential for avalanches (yes, even on the Interstates), and other causes for road closures, such as in Glenwood Canyon (western part of I-70 in the Rockies), but there's also some gorgeous scenery.

So when your route is better defined you will want to start checking weather at least several days before you get there, just to note trends and the changes in the forecast (a 7-day forecast of clear could overnight turn into 6 inches+ of snow). And the "chain law" is also something you'll want to know about -- basically when snow is even possible you'll need good snow tires and/or chains, by law, as well as by good sense.

You'll also want to be aware that on weekends some of the routes to ski areas (often major through routes) can have major traffic jams.

Now that I've cautioned you, you can usually make it through if you're willing to wait for a day or so should the bad stuff be there. If it's not, you'll have a beautiful drive.

 

[Isaac-1]

It is not a bad idea to plan several weeks to months in advance for key locations you might want to visit as some have limited numbers of nearby camping options, and if you are going to be there early in the season many campgrounds may not yet be open. This is something we ran into when visiting the Grand Canyon in October of 2019, we found a number of public camping options, ie National Forest campgrounds, Desert View campground, etc. closed for the season on Oct 15th. This did not impact our trip, but did limit some of our options, and we ended up spending a few nights in commercial campgrounds where we might otherwise have dry camped.

 

[tanglemoose]

One thing we have discovered, if you make an effort to tell Forest Service recreation staff that we need both reservations and FCFS sites. They will do some adjustments.. to serve the public.

That being said. The Shoshone forest does offer both! Around the Cody, Wyoming area. IF you are wanting to stay in Yellowstone, Grand Teton, NP, etc. Make a reservation! If you need any Wyoming ideas, let me know, that's our back door.

We try to do very little reservations, but when we want to visit a certain place, we book 7 to 10 days... check out the area, and find some "other" places.... happy camping!

 

[jackiemac]

We have managed to get cancellations in Yellowstone or RV park every time. Maybe just lucky.

 

[Isaac-1]

The problem with Yellowstone is that it is so busy, and so isolated that if one gets there and does not snag a no reservation spot they very well may find themselves a great distance from even a boondocking location for the night.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Don't be too concerned about length,, we at 38 plus towed have seldom ran into that problem in 50 years of travel,, the west is better that way than east..>>>Dan

 

[Isaac-1]

This really depends on where you plan to stay, at just under 30 feet, we have been able to snag a vacant available site that larger RV's would not fit into a number of times.

 

[Domo]

Thank you everyone for the detailed explanation
I got the idea. Basically I would plan within 1 weeks for private campground unless I get lucky and find a cancelation in a NP

The RT would includes Tennessee Colorado Utah Wyoming and probably Nevada ( will check the hi way 50)

The trip would start from FL in Early March , hopefully catch some snow but nothing crazy

Sorry - in my prior response I had missed that you're leaving during the rest of the world's WINTER (i.e., early march).

We don't leave Florida (Fort Myers) until the END of May. Anything earlier is COLD as soon as you hit the border.

Yes, you'll catch some snow out west (LOL) - bring layers of clothing.

 

[jackiemac]

The problem with Yellowstone is that it is so busy, and so isolated that if one gets there and does not snag a no reservation spot they very well may find themselves a great distance from even a boondocking location for the night.

I usually book Fishing Bridge or an RV Park in Gardiner about a week or so before we want to go.

 

[DutchmenSport]

We also venture out for several months at a time. We always have our primary destination points scheduled ahead of time (sometimes as much as a year).

Depending on how far the distance is between campgrounds, we plan travel time for around 200 miles a day. So, if Destination A is 500 miles from Destination B, we'll plan to leave destination A (today) and drive to a KOA, Good Sam, or some other park for an overnight that is about 200 - 250 miles (somewhere in between of both parks). Those overnights are usually booked a few days before our departure from Destination A. We know, (if we absolutely have to), we could drive a 500 miles day, or just do a lot of horsing around to expand the travel out for those 2 days in the event we absolutely cannot get a campsite for an overnight (However, that has NEVER happened). We've always been successful in getting a campsite without having to go more than 10 or 15 miles at the most off our planned travel course.

So, my suggestion.... if you have absolute-must destination campgrounds, then YES ... make those reservations. Plan on travel time, and then between the destinations, willy-nilly "it" as the time approaches closer for overnights or shorter stays.

The longer your intended stay at a specific campsite, the farther in advance you need to make the reservation to safeguard the allocated time you want there. That's the rule to follow.

 

[LMHS]

Book your holiday weekend reservations early. I seriously doubt that you can walk in anywhere for Memorial Day Weekend, July 4th Weekend & Labor Day Weekend.

As for the "popular" Parks, you might want to stay a little farther away or at the "less popular" entrances. This is where a 2nd vehicle comes in handy.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I agree with LMHS (above) on scheduling holiday weekends out as far as humanly possible. For example: Indiana State Parks, reservations cannot be made more than 6 months out. This is now December. Memorial Day week end is 6 months out. I just tried booking Memorial Day week end (5 days) at one of our favorite Indiana State Parks, and it was already completely booked. I expanded the search and selected another Indiana State Park (not quiet as popular) and they had only 3 sites remaining for the week end for my criteria ... 41 feet. I grabbed one of them. So we are booked for Memorial Day weekend.

So if your planned travel journeys include ANY holiday date, you really do need to make those reservations as early as possible and then work the rest of the trip around those dates and locations. You WILL NOT be able to walk in on any campground on the big holidays. Even the walk-in sites will be taken as those who use them arrive real early on the day they want a site too. By the time you arrive (in the afternoon), those sites will be gone too ... on Holidays.

Bottom line, book as much as you can and discipline yoursel with realistic driving distances to make those the drive and the journey a pleasant experience ... not stressful as an attempt to beat the clock and see how far you can travel just for travel sake.