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  1. #1
    Fireside Member
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    Looking for planned route tips/advice. First cross country drive

    I'm planning on leaving the first week or two in Feb. I'm trying to hit as many national parks as I can. I'm towing a GD 2150RB. I will have a 3000 Ah with solar charging, the truck has a 7.2 KW power station built in and I will also be carrying a gas/propane genset.
    26', GVW 6695 maybe less. RV is a 4-season unit, with a heated and insulated underbelly.
    TV is a 2022 F150 Powerboost with 12.5k lbs towing capacity.
    I can the northern route either first or second, makes no difference to me. Planning on making the drive over a month and a half to two months. Staying in a mix of campgrounds, legal retail lots, truck/rest stops, harvest hosts, boondockers welcome.

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    2018 2150RB/2022 F150 Powerboost

  2. #2
    Site Team Soundsailor's Avatar
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    We've found RV Trip Wizard helpful in planning trips.
    Stephen and Judy
    2022 Reflection 150 Series 260RD (Stella)
    2017 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (Blue)
    Traded - 2018 Forest River Rockwood Minilite 2104S

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor
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    Quote Originally Posted by Soundsailor View Post
    We've found RV Trip Wizard helpful in planning trips.
    X2 for RV Trip Wizard, pretty good planning tool. I would suggest going the southern route first then northern return. Its going to be cold in the higher regions this early in the year.
    John & Cindy
    2019 Reflection 303 RLS
    2018 Ford F250 6.7 PSD

  4. #4
    Site Team WhittleBurner's Avatar
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    Best advice is to take your time and enjoy the trip. If you are trying to cram it all in a 2 month period you will get tired of always being on the road and miss so much trying to get from one to the other.
    Marcy & Gary
    2014 Grand Design - Reflection 303RLS
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  5. #5
    Site Team traveldawg's Avatar
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    "...Looking for planned route tips/advice. First cross country drive..."

    You will find that traveling out on another highway than I-10 or I-20 i(and maybe I-40) is going to be a long, cold trip. So set you daily travel expectations be worse than you expect; especially since this is your first trip. So (I think this is what your are asking) maybe the southern route out is the best and then the northern route taking all those National Parks in the higher elevations later in the trip.

    I can't tell how often you expect to stop on your way out west and back again. But if your run between St Louis and the east coast is an expected single, non-stop run, you may want to reconsider that.

    You'll most likely want/need reservations for just about all the NPs you expect to get into. For example: Zion and now Moab require a reserved time slot for certain days/months/times. And campgrounds in those NP areas fill fast. Make reservations now.

    Since this is your first trip I'd suggest you may find you have bitten off a lot and will come across many surprises (how well/bad you truck tows in winds, how your rig does on long steep grades, road conditions, etc.). But if you plan to be gone for 6 or 7 months then you should have time.

    If you only have a set amount of time maybe pare your trip down to fit within that timeframe. You don't need to do it all at once.

    Finally- like others suggested - you should be using a trip planning tool like RV Trip Wizard or maybe myscenicdrives.com; Google maps is somewhat useful for planning stops but for details on parks, etc. find an RV planning too.

    oh - please - leave the overnight stops at truck stops and rest areas for truckers - they need them more than you.
    Last edited by traveldawg; 01-26-2023 at 10:34 AM.
    Larry KE4DMG
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  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper
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    I-40 in New Mexico feels a bit like driving Mario Kart and avoiding turtle shells with all the road craters. Some are unavoidable. Every bridge approach is like hitting a curb. We actually had our freezer burst open on one of those craters last summer. I'm going to install Morryde or RoadArmor before making that trip again.
    Matt, Irene, and Ruby (our Golden Retriever)
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  7. #7
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Good points above, also consider when you are traveling through the mid-West, it can be very windy at times causing you to either stop for the night or slow down considerably. Make sure to leave extra time for this to either modify your route or wait it out.
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
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  8. #8
    Site Sponsor ExNihilo's Avatar
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    1) Definitely RV Trip wizard
    2) South first due to cold
    3) Take your time get off the big roads a bit.
    4) Be careful of the wind

    Enjoy the trip!
    Ex-Nihilo
    2022 2970RL (Fabricated 1/4 Inch Bumper w/ RV Generator Boxes)
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    Chattanooga TN

  9. #9
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    Unfortunately RV trip wizard isn't available to me. (I'm on Android)

    Good to note about the mid west. TBH gateway arch is low on my list. I could go a bit farther south on the way out. Then make a call on trying to hit St. Louis on the way back.

  10. #10
    Site Team Soundsailor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chaostactics View Post
    Unfortunately RV trip wizard isn't available to me. (I'm on Android)
    With the paid version you get RV Life Pro which includes RV Trip Wizard. I'm on Android and it works well.
    Stephen and Judy
    2022 Reflection 150 Series 260RD (Stella)
    2017 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (Blue)
    Traded - 2018 Forest River Rockwood Minilite 2104S

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