Hello everybody, We hope you're all save & healthy! Or at least we wish you are! We are real Dutch RV-newbies (father/daughter) coming June 12th to July 5th. We have rented a 24" RV and asked for good weather. We planned a route of which people stated that it had to many 1 night stops. We would be travelling 80% of the day time and would have far too little time to look around and do fun stuff. Here's our original travelling plan: 1. Las Vegas - 2 nights (hotel booked) 2. Grand Canyon - 2 nights 3. Oljato Monument - 1 night 4. Moab Arches - 1 night 5. Bryce NP - 1 night 6. Zion NP - 1 night 7 Las Vegas - 2 nights (hotel booked) 8. Death Valley - 1 night 9. June Lake - 1 night 10. Yosemite Park - 2 nights 11. San Francisco - 3 nights 12. San Luis Obispo - 1 night 13. Los Angeles - 2 nights 14. San Diego - 2 nights (hotel booked) So yeah, a one way drive with July 4th in San Diego After the feedback we scratched Oljato Monument and Moab Arches and placed a 1 night stop in Wahweap near Page. Now we're hesitating between 2 nights in Bryce NP or in Zion NP.... Maybe you people have some suggestions? Our other hesitation would be over June Lake and Yosemite Park, in which park should we stay 2 nights? Or would 1 night be more than sufficient in both? All answers are more than welcome! Finally, if you know of a good camping place in SF to stay/park the RV, please tell us. Might you have 1 or more suggestions of doing things/going places than please let us know also. When we arrive we plan to buy 2 bikes (we're Dutch), so we will not be completely stuck to/with the RV when we arrive at places. We would love to hear from you! I know, lots of questions from 2 enthousiastic Dutchies! We still hope you can help us with answers and good advise! We hope to hear from you soon! With love, Iris & Reginald
I tried to map out your proposed trip, wow, you are really trying to see a lot in a very short period of time. I think your going to be very tired trying to keep a schedule like that. When we go to just one stop on your list, we try very hard to spend days there, if we can. Your going to miss much more than your going to see in my opinion. If the weather is good, and the roads are decent, you can drive, but what if? We have been stuck for hours in a traffic jamb, been weathered in for days when it is just too cold or rainy to enjoy any outside actiivty. Wish you all the very best, and have nothing but a GREAT time. Another issue might be even finding a rv park opening. Last year I was too slow to get into Moab, every single park was booked full they said, and I called at least 15 of them.
Dear Weighit, Thank you for your reply! And yes, you're right, we're trying to see the lot of SW USA. But as stated, we were advised to go for lesser stops. That's why we dropped Oljato and Moab already and, yes, maybe it's better to drop Bryce or Zion NP also. Please help me choose . And maybe it's better to drop June Lake or Yosemite NP also..... we don't know the pro's and cons of them, can you help? We have an open mind for all suggestions and love to be advised, thank you!
ive been to some of your destinations, but not all. some suggestions: get reservations now if you plan on staying oveenight in any of the national parks.they may already be booked up, and you may have to stay in a park outside the NP. This is a very ambitious schedule, and i would suggest on trying to be flexible if you come accross something you want to spend more time at. how old is your daughter? if she's under 21, she may not find Las Vegas very interesting after the first day, since many of the attractions are geared towards adults. In Bryce or Zion (can't remember which), there is a restricted tunnel that RVs need to be careful with. you need to drive through the center of tge tunnel due to low clearance. check the websites. In San Francisco, Fishermans Warf is fun to visit, and try to squeeze in a tour of Alcatraz, but 3 days may be too much time devoted to this area. just my thoughts. hope you have a great trip. regards, Chris g.
Dear Chris, Thank you for your reaction! I'm already in the stage of booking reservations, heard that argument too. For that matter, I had to cancel my reservations for Oljato and Moab, they were already made Iris is 30 years old, so no problem there, she wants a taste of Vegas also! Thank you for the tunnel tip, that's new to me, I hope we get through without a scratch. As for 3 days SF, we are flexibel there, it might become 3 days in LA, since my daughter asked for 2 days in Disneyland. We'll see what happens. Thanks for mentioning Alcatraz! Kind Regards, Reginald
it is so hard for any of us to suggest what to drop, as all the spots you listed have some redeaming feature that you would probably enjoy seeing. We have always spent more than 1 day in any location we stop at, and your only having what amounts to a short time I would knock out Death Valley and June Lake giving those 2 days to add to Moab at least one day where you could rent a Quad/Side by Side to roam the area trails. Add one day to Disney area, or use that exta day as a "rest" day that your probably going to need. No matter what you end up doing your going to be amazed at the beautiful country we have here.
here is the info on the Zion NP tunnel restrictions: https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvi...cle that is 7,before proceeding to the tunnel. enjoy, chris g.
Dear Weighit, I see the problem, that's why I'm asking , but eliminating (even) Death Valley (alone) and June Lake would cause a too big a leap from Las Vegas to the next stop. On a daily base we would like to drive 180 miles max., approx. up to 5 hours. At this moment we already have 3 days with a greater mileage, going to Grand Canyon at the top with 276 miles, 7-8 hours. So Moab will be off limits for us. I understand the extra day at LA, think it's a wise thing to do! Thank you for the tips! Kind regards, Reginald
Looks way too ambitious mate. check out Abom Adventures on You Tube they went to a lot of the same areas and give good advice as well as ideas for stays etc. Good luck so many bloody awesome spots you are looking at though
Well hello @The5goodwins, Thank you for the tip, We'll surely look into that! And yes, so many bloody awesome choices to be made Kind regards, Reginald
Have a question about Truck Stops. Is there an app to be used by RVers traveling with a Class A NON diesel pusher? My husband is concerned there won't be enough room to maneuver around the short spaces in the front where the unleaded pumps are located. I'm thinking they MUST always have an unleaded pump in the rear where trucks fill up with diesel for RVs. We're upgrading to a class A from a Class C.
i dont believe there is an app to help you find gas stations for class A gas coaches, but one thing to look for is Flying J truck stops. they generally have seperate gas pump lanes for RVs as well as a dump station.
Normally no gas pump at the area where the diesel big trucks go. I had a gas motorhome towing a car and even though there were some pretty tight spots to fuel up out front, never got stuck and had to disconnect. Used the old eye ball to scope out where i needed to be to get out.
If you plan your route, plan your fuel stops. Use google earth to actually scope out the fuel stop. Use ground level view and see your entry and exit points. You may also be able to see the fuel pumps.
Definitely check out the Flying J Truck Stops. They have good lanes for RVs. And luckily we also have never gotten stuck in a "regular car lane" where we had to unhook. How long is your Class A and will you be towing a car?
Indeed, a long list! Anyways, Samuel Taylor State Park is best recommended in SF. Have a safe travel!
