Hi So after a few post in other forums and tripadvisor we have finally planed our trip and route. We are a young fun couple in 30s and 40s taking this big adventurous trip for the first time and we enjoy all things life throws at us at the end it is all about experiencing it!! . PLEASE ANY ADVICE WILL BE VERY HELPFULL. We are from South africa Cape town and our first travel to USA -West Coast and very excited about it! Please give me information on RV camp grounds - nice ones with views, amenities ect. Here are the information of our travel. Arriving on the 7th and depart on the 29th Of July 2012. (23 Days ) Driving an RV which we rented from a private person in Ontario for the duration of the trip. My Partner is a Proffesional Photographer and his main aim is to take amazing photos of the national parks for magazines. TRIP PLAN ARRIVE AT 5PM - ONTARIO Pick up RV and do some grocery shopping (SUGGESTION OF A PLACE TO PURCHASE FOOD FOR RV CAMPER AND IF POSSIBLE A LIST OF WHAT WE NEED TO BUY FOR OUR TRAVEL Drive starts from Ontario * Twentynine Palms OR Joshua Tree National Park OR Morongo National Preserve (* PLEASE ADVICE WHICH IS MORE BETTER TO VISIT?nice scenery ect and best campsite for overnight stay) * Bill williams river national wildlife reserve - (Parker Dam) * Lake Havusa City ( Possible sleep over- should we book RV site? which is best to book) * Williams ( possible visit to FLAGSTAFF) Is Flagstaff worth visiting? Any interesting sites or things to see and do?(flagstaff?) as its just off our route * Grand Canyon Village which side north or south best and RV campsite to book possibly we might not stay over) * Olijato monument Valley ( will this be worth visiting? what can be seen do done there? my partner wants to drive there although its slightly of route we would then drive back down to highway 98) * Page (Possible overnight stay depends on how tired we are- RV campsite and the best one?) * The Wave ( We are aware of the Lottery for the wave but because we dont have the exact date we would arrive at the wave we have decided not to go into the lottery, i have read there are other ways of seeing the waves) * Kanab * Zion National Park * St George * Las vegas ( We will try to avoid arriving on the weekend in Las vegas, going to stay 2 nights have not booked yet) Suggest a nice hotel with view and something romantic please. Please advice of where we could park off our RV we would like to stay in a hotel for 2 nights. Will hotel parking places keep the RV (at the hotel we stay at?) * Death Valley National park Stay overnight - Please suggest RV grounds to stay overnight. Any interesting things to see or do?) * Drive on the 395 highway to South Lake Tahoe ( 338 mile) which is a long drive so possible stop over for night please advice? and on RV camp grounds) *Sacramento (Highway 50) * San Francisco Stay 2 nights - RV Camp grounds to park as we will stay at hotel or if there are nice camp grounds for the RV should we stay in RV? * San Jose Passing through *Pacific Highway ( this is a long drive and we would probably need to stay overnight but we not sure if there are any camp grounds for RV along this route where we could also sight see or go to the beach so somewhere close to the ocean) between Monterey and Morro Bay. * Santa Babara Spend the day ( suggest of Rv Camp Grounds for resting purpose and then probably tour the city?) * Los Angeles (2 days stay - RV camp ground suggestions? we will be doing some tours in the day walking and bus tours and will take a taxi and bus or train to get to the city) Back to Ontario to drop of RV and flight back to Cape town South Africa. We worked out 7 nights of stay over. Some places i did mention possible stay over so We have 3 nights stay over extra should we like a place to sleep over all depends on traffic and other possilbe incidents along the trip. We have not booked anything yet and would like to start booking RC camp sites for the trip. So all suggestions is welcome and please include a grocery list of what to buy and place in Ontario. Its quiet difficult as we may decide to stay a day extra at a place if we like it so not sure how the booking works if we go ahead and book for our whole trip. Your advice on this trip will be highly appreciated. I have tried to attach our map but cant seem to do that. I have read on many forums and posted on some but this is now our complete trip we have put together and other information here is so overwhelming i have not found a trip like ours on the forum. LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR EXPERT ADVICE AND WONDERFUL FEEDBACKS MANY THANKS!!
You did say July, right? :blink: 1)Cut down on your itinerary since you have only 23 days. 2)Anyplace south of Sacramento/San Francisco will be HOT, HOT, HOT; maybe with the exception of L.A., and that is the only exception, cause it's on the coast. Write off any places in Arizona cause you'll be facing temps over 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and/or pulling thru deserts that are hot or hotter to get there. I guarantee that Death Valley will be easily over 120 degrees by mid-day that time of year. Trust me. I'm a 'desert rat'.
I agree with the Kidd...if it were me/my family, there ain't no way we are going through that part of the country during that time of the year. I think I would just head north on the Pacific coast highway and enjoy the area north of San Francisco as much as I could. The north coast of California/Redwoods should provide an amazing amount of photo op's.
hi Thank you for your feedback i do understand that the desert will be very hot but this is only our once in a life time trip that we taking and it is what we want to see. Due to work purposes and leave it will be difficult to take off from work again for a month. So we have a month to travel. We have been to europe but its our first time in USA and its our dream to see the derserts , Grand Canyon , and the amazing cities. Unfortunately its the only time we can travel and that is July we arrive on the 7th of July. Any other advice will be appreciated.
There aren't too many options for full hook-ups in Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek Inn have a few, but you shouldn't have any trouble getting a space in July. I'd make absolutely sure that the roof air conditioner in your rental rv is in good working order and that you reserve a space that has electricity service. On your trip up US 395, you should consider stopping in either Mammoth Lakes or Twin Lakes just outside Bridgeport. There are lots of Forest Service campgrounds in the Mammoth area that are first-come, first-served, dry camping sites. I'd recommend either the Mammoth Lakes Basin area or the Devil's Postpile valley. Twin Lakes outside Bridgeport has one of the only full hook-up parks, Mono Village, that is right on a beautiful mountain lake. Either of these areas would be a good place to stop for the night to break up the drive to Lake Tahoe. Night time temperatures in this area will be very cool and you won't need the A/C to sleep. On your way down the central coast of California, you might consider Pismo Coast Village in Pismo Beach. It's a very high-end park with great ammenities and it's more or less right on the beach.
Joshua Tree: We stayed at 29 Palms. Be sure to see the Cholla forest. Will be hot, plan to take a siesta during the warmest part of the day. Lake Havasu will be hot and muggy, 110-120 degrees, and may get below 100 at night if you are lucky. You are planning to get wet here, right? Near Flagstaff: Walnut Canyon National Monument (ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings), and Sunset Crater National Monument (nicely formed cinder volcano with a walk through lava beds beneath it). Sedona area also has some beautiful red scenery. Visit Slide Rock State Park and play in the river (bring some tough shorts to slide on the rocks). South Rim of the Grand Canyon will be hot, but do as the animals and get up and out with the sun, hide during the day, and come out again in the late afternoon (don't get lost in the dark). Monument Valley: The main attraction is the loop road through the valley. Not recommended for RV, but they have guided jeep tours. Yes it is out of the way, and not much to do in between. The Wave: don't count on visiting it without a permit. North Rim of Grand Canyon: will be somewhat cooler than the South Rim, with less crowds but congested parking. It is much further from the river, so the South Rim gives better "deep" views of the canyon, but that doesn't mean the North Rim is any less scenic. May be a better option if you want to hike down in (just don't plan on going to the river in either case). Other places near here worth a visit besides Zion NP: Bryce Canyon NP, Coral Pink Sand Dunes (exactly what it sounds like). If you don't go to Monument Valley you will have more time for this area. You could spend a whole summer (or preferably spring or fall) in Southern Utah, especially if you like places like the Wave. You want more suggestions? Las Vegas: Red Canyon is quite pretty and worth a visit. Death Valley in the summer: if your air conditioner stops working, leave before you die. NPS website has good suggestions on what to visit. Do stop by Lake Tahoe (drive to Emerald Bay is nice, especially if you like skinny roads with drop-offs on both sides) if you are taking hwy 50 to Sacramento. Don't be tempted to take Monitor Pass shortcut unless you are sure your RV has very good cooling. San Francisco: I stayed at Treasure Island RV Park, description at this website is pretty accurate, was a good safe place to park for the night, nothing fancy. If you get too hot, head for the coast early and visit places like Pt Reyes, Bodega Head, Big Sur, ... You won't be too hot there. Maybe too cold. For any of the desert areas: plan on either driving or resting during the hot part of the afternoon. You won't feel like doing anything else. Yes it is hot, but the mountain lions survive somehow; so can you. I've been to all of these places, most of them during the summer (except Death Valley and Joshua Tree were over Christmas break). Not comfortable but can be done.
Hmmmmm......so if someone is bound and determined to visit Death Valley in July, it is irrersponsible to suggest that they make sure that their air conditioner is in good working order? I suppose that would be like suggesting to someone bound and determined to visit Alaska in February to be sure that their heating system was in good working order....the same irresponsible advice....
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INFO We have now decided not to go through death valley as with all the comments and feedback its going to be too hot an uncomfortable. Can you advise best route to take from Las vegas on the US 395 OR THE 95? is the 95 a longer drive? would you suggest going through death valley or is there another route to suggest but not such a long drive? ACJohn you mentioned * On your trip up US 395, you should consider stopping in either Mammoth Lakes or Twin Lakes just outside Bridgeport* what is the route from las vegas? we aslo like to visit Yosamite park can someone advice on the following Is it worth visiting Olijato- Monument Valley? we want to drive from Lake Havusa to Grand Canyon and stay over for sunrise and sunset. Is that a long drive would you suggest we do that and not go to Olijato ? From there we will go to the Wave and the to Las vegas Thank you so much
QUOTE(Fufu12 @ Apr 20 2012, 04:53 AM) [snapback]29318[/snapback] ... Can you advise best route to take from Las vegas on the US 395 OR THE 95? is the 95 a longer drive? would you suggest going through death valley or is there another route to suggest but not such a long drive? we aslo like to visit Yosamite park can someone advice on the following Is it worth visiting Olijato- Monument Valley? we want to drive from Lake Havusa to Grand Canyon and stay over for sunrise and sunset. Is that a long drive would you suggest we do that and not go to Olijato ? From there we will go to the Wave and the to Las vegas Thank you so much maps.google.com suggests ~4 hours from Lake Havasu City to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. From there to Page is another 3 hours, add an extra 3 hours driving to visit Monument Valley (plus 2+ hours while there for the tour and visitor center, etc). If I had to choose between Monument Valley and Yosemite I would choose Yosemite. A lot of it is personal preference. I would also suggest Bryce Canyon over Monument Valley. Look at the pictures and decide. HWY 95 is not a bad route from Las Vegas (to Tonopah and then 6 to 385), but then there is still the option of going hwy 160 and then through Death Valley like you were thinking (knowing that it will be hot) and then 190 over to 385. An extra hour of driving plus whatever stops you make. You could see Badwater, the sand dunes, and stop at a couple other viewpoints on the way but it could be rather late arriving at Mammoth Lakes for the night depending on how many places you visit. It would not be as intense as an overnight stay at Death Valley, and you could bail out and drive off any time you get too hot, assuming your vehicle is up to handling the heat. Either route you need to be aware of how far you can go on a tank of gas. Tioga Pass road from Lee Vining to Yosemite is steep and slow. Some RVs are not up to it. Google says 2 hours from Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite Valley, I think it could be much more. Figure on at least 3 hours. Overnight options in Yosemite (and particularly in the valley) are very limited, but if you don't mind an hour+ drive a lot more options open up. Check out the NPS website to see what is still available). Yosemite Valley will be very crowded (check the nps website for shuttle options) but beautiful. Will you be doing any hiking? What lengths are you willing to go to to get away from the thickest crowds?
Sorry I wrote this before I found out there is an Ontario, CALIFORNIA. Now your trip makes a lot more sense. Most of what I said below still stands, though. Sorry I assumed you were arriving somewhere in Ontario, Canada. So now that you know that it will be hot in July, let me bring up something else. This is a really full itinerary for 23 days. I do not see how you will fit it all in, and I hope it will not be too frustrating when you find you may not be able to see everything you’ve listed. If I understand you correctly you are getting the RV in Ontario and then driving to southern California. You do realize that is somewhere around 2500 miles. Even if you drive 70 mph (which is not advisable in a really big RV), and if you drive 10 hours a day (that is a lot of driving in a big RV), it will take you 4 days of non-stop driving to get to the west coast. And when you finish your tour you will have to drive back to Ontario—another 4 days, so now you are down to 15 days to see the things you’ve listed. I’m just afraid you have greatly underestimated the time you will need to travel to these places and the time you will need to see them. If you have never driven an RV before you need to realize that you cannot zip around in them like you can a car. By the way just how big is the RV you’re renting? You will be limited where you can go if you are driving a large vehicle. Please understand that we are not trying to discourage you from doing this trip, but we do want you to have a pleasant time and be safe. That said, here’s what I recommend: 1. From the southern California area drive over to Lake Havasu. The drive up Hwy 95 to I-40 is pretty. Go west to Williams and stay there or go up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon on Hwy 64. 2. Do not miss the Grand Canyon. Both sides have a fantastic view, but the north side will be cooler and less commercial, so you might want to skip the south side and go on up to Page or Monument Valley and then Page. If you stay at Page you can do day trips to both the north side of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Also near Page is Lake Powell with its out-of-this-world landscape. (The original Planet of the Apes was filmed there.) Also there is an incredible slot canyon nearby. I think its name is Antelope Canyon. You have to book a tour with a native guide, but ours knew all the great photo places. Horseshoe Bend, a little south of Page (on the Colorado River), is a place where lots of photographs are taken. If you stay overnight the Wahweap Campground at Lake Powell is a good place. 3. Monument Valley. We took a jeep tour during the full moon. It started in daylight and wound up with a spectacular full moon rising. We had a semi-professional photographer in the group with us, and the guide knew all the great places and angles to take pictures. I am not a professional photographer, but every time the guide pointed out a good location, I stood right behind the professional photographer and aimed the same direction he did. I have some of the best photos I have ever taken. If you stay there, Gouldings Lodge and Campground is the only thing nearby. 4. If you drive northwest from Page to Kanab on Hwy 98 (in Arizona) and then Hwy 89 (in Utah), there is some spectacular scenery, but as someone else mentioned, access to some of these areas may require a permit. Also be aware that if you try to go on to Zion National Park on Hwy 9, this is a steep, winding road with some one-direction-at-a-time tunnels. We have heard that large vehicles must have an escort to go through and that this can mean a long wait in summer. Again what size is your RV? Unfortunately I do not know a better way to go from Page over to Zion. Maybe someone else can help you with this. Zion National Park is worth seeing, but if you get short on time I would drop it in favor of Yosemite. 5. If you do go to Zion then take I-15 down to Las Vegas. If you don’t go to Zion, go south out of Page to I-40 and then northwest out of Kingman, AZ, on Hwy 93. This route will take you to the Hoover Dam. You can still drive over the dam, but they have also recently completed a new bridge that bypasses the dam. Follow the signs for parking for the bridge and you can then walk out on it for a fantastic view of the dam and a good photo opportunity. 6. Las Vegas! Everyone should see this place at least once. The only RV park on the strip is the KOA at Circus Circus. There are several other good parks (check out the reviews on this site) but they are off the strip which means you would need a way to get around as you will have trouble finding a place to park the RV on the strip. 7. Leaving Las Vegas take Hwy 95 northwest. I would also definitely skip Death Valley. It is unique, but not all that pretty. We have not been this way, but it looks like you would take Hwy 266 and then 168 to Hwy 395 which will take you to Yosemite National Park. We have not been there, yet, but it is supposed to be a don’t miss place. I am also no help with RV parks in this area. 8. After this, backtrack to Hwy 395 and take it up to Lake Tahoe. We’ve only been there when it was snowing, but summer is supposed to be nice—but crowded. The loop around the lake is a nice drive. Again check our website for campgrounds in the area. Then you can take Hwy 50 from the south Tahoe or I-80 on the north end and either of those roads will get you to Sacramento. This is as far as I can take you because that is as far as we have ever gone. The trip so far could easily take up the time you have, but there is still lots to see and do in California. I know you want to pack in everything you can, but you might consider spending a little more time in the places I’ve mentioned and then heading back to Ontario from Lake Tahoe. You would miss California, but you would see some of the best scenery the US has to offer, and this will also allow your partner more time to take those great photographs. Whatever you do I hope this is helpful to you and that you have a wonderful trip!
QUOTE(Texasrvers @ Apr 20 2012, 09:13 PM) [snapback]29322[/snapback] So now that you know that it will be hot in July, let me bring up something else. This is a really full itinerary for 23 days. I do not see how you will fit it all in, and I hope it will not be too frustrating when you find you may not be able to see everything you’ve listed. If I understand you correctly you are getting the RV in Ontario and then driving to southern California. You do realize that is somewhere around 2500 miles. Even if you drive 70 mph (which is not advisable in a really big RV), and if you drive 10 hours a day (that is a lot of driving in a big RV), it will take you 4 days of non-stop driving to get to the west coast. And when you finish your tour you will have to drive back to Ontario—another 4 days, so now you are down to 15 days to see the things you’ve listed. I’m just afraid you have greatly underestimated the time you will need to travel to these places and the time you will need to see them. If you have never driven an RV before you need to realize that you cannot zip around in them like you can a car. By the way just how big is the RV you’re renting? You will be limited where you can go if you are driving a large vehicle. Texasrvers, I suspect Fufu12 will arrive in Ontario, CA, USA, and not in Ontario, Canada!
Yes, and thanks. Someone else just pointed out that there is an Ontario, CALIFORNIA. Who knew? I certainly didn't, and now the itinerary makes a lot more sense. I stick by my recommendations except for leaving Lake Tahoe and returning to Ontario, CANADA. Sorry for mygoof up!!
Well the national parks of the Western US are amazing, so you will have no problems getting lots of amazing photographs. Arizona is very hot in July, so you should be prepared for that. As others mentioned, Lake Havasu can be extreme this time of year. I've been to south rim of Grand Canyon a few times in july, and the temperature wasn't to bad there. I think the elevation helps out, making the heat more reasonable even in july. But that is at the rim, down in the canyon it should be pretty bad in july. There are two campgrounds inside Grand Canyon, Mather Campground and Trailer Village. They are located next to each other, and you can take the shuttle bus from both, which is nice because you don't have to find parking for your RV then. In july I would choose Trailer Village, because they have hookups, so you can run the aircon. Monument Valley is beautiful, and it's something you have seen so many times in movies, so I thought it was great to visit. From a pro photographers point of view, I would guess that Monument Valley is already so heavily photographed, that it would be difficult to make a picture that really stands out. In Page I would recommend Wahweap Marina campground, overlooking Lake Powell. Just south of page you could walk the trail to Horseshoe Bend. Very nice view. And also you could take a tour to Antelope Canyon, which is also a beautiful place to photograph. The Wave, well even if you did win the lottery, make sure that you can actually get to the place. I'm not sure you can drive there with an RV? In Zion you can stay a Watchman campground. Great campground, and you can walk to the shuttle bus. I would stay several nights at Zion. It's a beautiful place. There are so many other places to see in southern Utah. So if you have extra days left, when you are done planning your vacation, there are so many places you could spend these days in Utah. Everytime I've been to Utah, I've had the idea, that someday it would be great to spend an entire month in this area. I finally decided to do it, but when I started planning, I realized that a month wasn't even enough. So this fall I'm going for 8 weeks. 7 of these are in the southern Utah. There's just SO much to see. So it seems you have been convinced not to go to Death Valley. That's probably a good idea. Since you are renting the RV privately, you might not have the restrition, but most RV rental companies actually don't allow you to drive to death valley in the summer. There's probably good reasons for that. But if you really want to see Death Valley, you could rent a car from Las Vegas, and do it as a day trip. I did that once, because of the restriction not to go in the RV. It was a long day, and obviously you don't have time to really see evertyhing in Death Valley. On the other hand it will be so hot, that you don't stand outside for hours, trying to compose the perfect image anyway. And Vegas is borring during daytime, so I thought it was ok to drive a long daytrip to Death Valley. From Vegas you could drive to Mammoth Lake on the east side of Yosemite, and stay there. Then you could make a daytrip along the Tioga Pass in Yosemite. It will be nice cooler climate, and some really beautiful views along this road. And not nearly as crowded as Yosemite Valley.
QUOTE(ACJohn @ Apr 19 2012, 06:12 PM) [snapback]29312[/snapback] Hmmmmm......so if someone is bound and determined to visit Death Valley in July, it is irrersponsible to suggest that they make sure that their air conditioner is in good working order? I suppose that would be like suggesting to someone bound and determined to visit Alaska in February to be sure that their heating system was in good working order....the same irresponsible advice....
Hi-we are new to RVing but not new to the Southwest. Your plan is great but there are 2 things we think you don't want to miss. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon will give you views you won't believe! Granted the S. Rim is easy access but you get predetermined views by where the openings are. At the North Rim, you can see both canyons and vistas. Every little crevice looks different in the sunrise, sunset and every other time of day. It's less visited as there is only 1 road in and one road out, taking 90 minutes to get there. But, oh, so worth it. Next, we'd recommend spending less time at Zion and add Bryce Canyon if you want to see some incredible red rock, gorgeous views and vistas. We took my Dad horseback riding there for a 4 hour trip for his 80th BD...he loved it! Happy Trails!
Thank you all So overwhelmed with information and so helpful Yes we are landing in Ontario califonia Our rv is 32 feet long This is what we have booked no confirmed so far with a few more advise Hi half brit we will contact the people and clarify everything with them. Thanks for that we haven't given it a thought! Thanks Val we currently busy booking a rv park site So guys so far we have got on booking the trip by days here is what we have schedule so far Day 1 - 7 th July Ontario Stay over night Day 2 Taking route 62 (is this best route) Visit 29 palms Lake havasu city Over night stay Lake havasu camp site (booked) Day 3 Grand canyon - south rim 2 day stay Trailer village rv park ( booked) Day 4 Page Morning drive Tour horse shoe bend Antelope canyon Alteria point Stay over 1 night Wahweep rv campsite (booked) Day 5 Wave visit ( 1 hour drive) if we get a permit Drive to Zion We still contemplating staying overnight at zion?????? Watchman campground Or skip Zion drive to las Vegas? And spend that night at Yosemite instead??? (the extra day) We tried to avoid las Vegas on the weekend but we have dated the drive on the 12 th July arriving in the evening should we skip Zion and leave las Vegas on the 13th July evening to MammoTh lake for stop over then yosimite. Suggestions please thanks
Since you have 23 days, I think it's very soon you think about being in Vegas on day 5. Did I overlook something in your postings, that you have to spend several days somewhere? Otherwise a quick suggestion could be: Day 1 - July 7 2012 Fly to USA and pick up motorhome. What time do you arrive? Do you arrive early enough to pick the Motorhome the same day? Day 2 - Drive to Lake Havasu City Day 3 - Drive to Grand Canyon. On the way you could drive some of the Route 66, and make stops in Hackberry, Seligman and maybe Flagstaff. Day 4 - Spend the entire day at the Grand Canyon. Stay one more night at this campground. Day 5 - Drive to Monument Valley. You could stay either at the primitive campground inside the territory, or at Gouldings. I haven't tried any of them yet, but the primitive campground inside the park, should have perfect view over Monument Valley with a beautiful sunset. Day 6 - Drive to Page. Take a look at Horseshoe Bend. Stay at Wahweap Day 7 - Start the day with the Antelope Canyon tour. This company http://www.antelopecanyon.com/ has a special photographers tour. It is at noon, when the sunrays make beautiful light in the canyon. After Antelope Canyon, drive to Bryce Canyon. You could stay at Rubys Inn Campground. Day 8 - Spend the entire day at Bryce Canyon. Make sure you also take a walk down into the canyon. Compaired to Grand Canyon, the walk to the bottom is much more doable in Bryce Canyon, even in the summer. Spend the night at Rubys Inn again. Day 9 - Drive to Zion, spend the night at Watchman. Day 10 - Soend the day in Zion, and one more night here. Day 11 (Tuesday) - Drive to Las Vegas. As for Hotels there are so many great options. Bellagio in a lakeview room, so you can watch their incredible fountains. Or maybe at Paris just across the street. Both are located very good in the middle of the street. But there are many other options. I stayed at Bellagio last time, and they didn't have room for RV's in the parking lot. I decided to book a site at KOA Las Vegas, next to Circus Circus for the RV. I thought it would be more safe there, than in a parking lot. Day 12 - One more night in Vegas. Day 13 - Drive to Mammoth Lake Day 14 - Take the drive a long Tioga pass road in Yosemite. Spend the night somewhere east of Yosemite. Maybe if there's a campground in Lee Vining. Or one more night at Mammoth Lake, but that's a bit south again, so not the obvious choice. Day 15 - Drive to Lake Tahoe Day 16 - One more night at Lake Tahoe Day 17 - Drive to San Francisco. When I was there, I stayed at KOA in Petaluma. But it's about an hours drive from downtown. So the idea about staying at a hotel is probably good. I think there's a campground called Candela or something like that, which is located more central in SF. Search this site, and you'll find it. This could be an option, whether it's for staying, or just to park the RV while staying at a hotel Day 18 - Spend the day in SF. Day 19 - One more Day in SF. Day 20 - Start driving Highway south. Maybe someone else has a suggestion about where to make a stop for the night along Highway 1. Day 21 - Drive the rest of Highway 1 to L.A. Day 22 - One more night in L.A. Day 23 - Drive to Ontaria, return the RV. Fly home. What time is your flight? Do you have time to return the RV before? Otherwise you'll have to steal a day somewhere. Maybe in Zion or Las Vegas, you could have just one night.
Wow thank you Jensb I seem to have incorrectly dated a few days Here is what we have already booked and confirmed Arrive at 5pm (to late to to pick up rv) Day 1 - 7 th July Ontario Stay over night Day 2 Taking route 62 (is this best route) Visit 29 palms Lake havasu city Over night stay Lake havasu camp site (booked) Day 3 & 4 Grand canyon - south rim 2 day stay Trailer village rv park ( booked) Day 5 Page Morning drive Tour horse shoe bend Antelope canyon Alteria point ( possibly not) Stay over 1 night Wahweep rv campsite (booked) Day 6 Wave visit ( 1 hour drive) if we get a permit Zion Watchman campground (booked) Day 7 & 8 Las Vegas Venetian hotel (booked) 2 nights Rv will be parked off at a rv park for 2 days Day 9 Looking for shortest scenic route??? From LV to Mammoth Mammoth lake or twin lake 1 night stay over Day 10 & 11 Yosemite 2 night stay A bit confused here should we rather book in Yosemite? And so that we can stay 2 days at yosemite Please advice
QUOTE(Fufu12 @ Apr 21 2012, 07:40 PM) [snapback]29331[/snapback] Yosemite 2 night stay A bit confused here should we rather book in Yosemite? And so that we can stay 2 days at yosemite Please advice It's to late for you to book in Yosemite. There's only a few campgrounds in Yosemite that takes reservations. These are in Yosemite Valley. But you have to book these the second they open for reservations. Seriously, the open for reservations for one month at a time, I think 5 or 6 months in advance, and within a few seconds every single site is reserved. But there's also first-come-first-served sites. I'm not sure how difficult they are to get, but I don't think I would count on it in July.
