My trip of a lifetime- or am I nuts?

[dually mike]

Background info for reference- Wife and I retired, traveling in a 42' toyhauler and taking our Trike along. Towing with a CCLB Dually. I can take the genset along or leave it home. Probably taking my waste tote in case I can't find hookups.

Trip info- Leaving PA, probably sometime around April/ May. Have friends near Dayton, OH so plan to spend about 3 days at their place. Another friend is in Flushing, MI and will only spend a day or 2 there. Would like to go to Mackinac KOA for about 3 days. Want to see Mall of America. Head to Custer State park for maybe 3 days. Head to Buffalo Gap KOA for a couple days, then on to Glacier Natl park. Imagine we'd stay for about a week. Undecided if I want to head back from there or go down to Yellowstone NP and then further down to Zion. No timeline for this- retired and have no responsibilities LOL! Looking for insight as to what to see and how is traveling. I've been up and down east coast, but never traveled out West so give me some ideas! Thanks in advance.

 

[DougW9876]

When we went to Glacier a couple of years ago the Going To The Sun road opened on July 14th. You don’t want to get there too early in the year. Also keep in mind you need reservations to get into a lot of the national parks these days so be sure to check their websites to see when the dates are to get the passes, there can be different lead times for different parks. A good plan might be to go to Zion first then work you way north.

 

[reubenray]

Background info for reference- Wife and I retired, traveling in a 42' toyhauler and taking our Trike along. Towing with a CCLB Dually. I can take the genset along or leave it home. Probably taking my waste tote in case I can't find hookups.

Trip info- Leaving PA, probably sometime around April/ May. Have friends near Dayton, OH so plan to spend about 3 days at their place. Another friend is in Flushing, MI and will only spend a day or 2 there. Would like to go to Mackinac KOA for about 3 days. Want to see Mall of America. Head to Custer State park for maybe 3 days. Head to Buffalo Gap KOA for a couple days, then on to Glacier Natl park. Imagine we'd stay for about a week. Undecided if I want to head back from there or go down to Yellowstone NP and then further down to Zion. No timeline for this- retired and have no responsibilities LOL! Looking for insight as to what to see and how is traveling. I've been up and down east coast, but never traveled out West so give me some ideas! Thanks in advance.

Don't miss your chance to take this. My wife and I was going to take our trip of a lifetime that I had already booked. Then covid hit and I had to cancel everything. By the time this was over with I had some health issues preventing us from doing it.

 

[traveldawg]

Background info for reference- Wife and I retired, traveling in a 42' toyhauler and taking our Trike along. Towing with a CCLB Dually. I can take the genset along or leave it home. Probably taking my waste tote in case I can't find hookups.

Trip info- Leaving PA, probably sometime around April/ May. Have friends near Dayton, OH so plan to spend about 3 days at their place. Another friend is in Flushing, MI and will only spend a day or 2 there. Would like to go to Mackinac KOA for about 3 days. Want to see Mall of America. Head to Custer State park for maybe 3 days. Head to Buffalo Gap KOA for a couple days, then on to Glacier Natl park. Imagine we'd stay for about a week. Undecided if I want to head back from there or go down to Yellowstone NP and then further down to Zion. No timeline for this- retired and have no responsibilities LOL! Looking for insight as to what to see and how is traveling. I've been up and down east coast, but never traveled out West so give me some ideas! Thanks in advance.

At first I was going to suggest that you need to make reservations for places like Glacier, Yellowstone, Zion, etc. While I feel it is probably the wiser thing to do you are going to get advice from some that you can just wing it.

So, you need to first decide if you are the kind of person(s) who are OK making plans on the fly, possibly missing out on places you want to see in lieu of finding alternates that can accommodate you, and making the most of those opportunities.

A 42' toy hauler and large truck are not the easiest things to randomly pull into locations without either reservations or some serious investigation into whether-or-not you will fit. As it is, we've run into issues when changing plans on the fly finding something big enough to fit our 36' rig at locations we want to see. Usually we manage to snag something, occasionally we have to alter plans due to no "room at the inn"; or we have to settle for some less than desirable campground.

We've been traveling since the mid 80's. Most of the time we plan well ahead and make reservations. Sometimes they have gaps we know we can fill in. We tend to travel west a lot (CO, UT, WY, MT AZ, NM NOR, WA, etc.). On our return (back to FL) most of the time we don't make reservations or plans, we just travel day-to-day and plan a day or two ahead making reservations. But we always make reservations well ahead of time since we know what we want to see/do and don't want to miss something we planned on.

I'm not going to make any specific recommendations as to where you should travel or what you should see. But I will tell you that the west is HUGE compared to the east. You'll get it once you get out there. So there are tons and tons of places to see. Heck, after all these years we still go our there almost yearly; sometimes to places we've been, sometimes to new spots we want to explore.

I guess my bottom line is back to whether-or-not you are a day-to-day, take it as it comes kind of couple, or one who would sleep better know your next stops are saved for you.

Enjoy your travels. oh - I'm hoping this is not the trip of a lifetime but the first of many, many more adventures after your retirement.

 

[Riverbug]

Sounds like a pretty fantastic trip to me! Congrats on retirement and enjoy every mile!

 

[el Rojo]

We're the opposite of Traveldawg. We like to travel on the fly. I feel pressure having to be somewhere on a certain date, where Larry probably feels pressure not having a known spot waiting for him. I will say, if I was going to Glacier I would have to book ahead for a spot and that's OK. What I would do then is be within 50 to 100 miles a week before that date to take the pressure off. Both ways are fine, you just have to see what works for you.

We leave about 8:30 to 9:00 in the morning and stop around 2ish. That's 250 miles and is far enough for us and the dogs. When we travel a known route and know the RV park we're staying at, we will travel 350 miles a day and get in later. That's just us.

 

[John612]

Background info for reference- Wife and I retired, traveling in a 42' toyhauler and taking our Trike along. Towing with a CCLB Dually. I can take the genset along or leave it home. Probably taking my waste tote in case I can't find hookups.

Trip info- Leaving PA, probably sometime around April/ May. Have friends near Dayton, OH so plan to spend about 3 days at their place. Another friend is in Flushing, MI and will only spend a day or 2 there. Would like to go to Mackinac KOA for about 3 days. Want to see Mall of America. Head to Custer State park for maybe 3 days. Head to Buffalo Gap KOA for a couple days, then on to Glacier Natl park. Imagine we'd stay for about a week. Undecided if I want to head back from there or go down to Yellowstone NP and then further down to Zion. No timeline for this- retired and have no responsibilities LOL! Looking for insight as to what to see and how is traveling. I've been up and down east coast, but never traveled out West so give me some ideas! Thanks in advance.

I would recommend Reno, NV to Lone Pine, CA, prettiest drive in America, but then I’m biased.

 

[el Rojo]

We have traveled from Reno to Susanville CA on a trip to Oregon. Very pretty area.

 

[Johnww]

I would add Devils Tower and Little Big Horn Battlefield, perhaps Bryce Canyon if going to Zion. So many great places out west, take your time and explore.

 

[SolarPoweredRV]

Background info for reference- Wife and I retired, traveling in a 42' toyhauler and taking our Trike along. Towing with a CCLB Dually. I can take the genset along or leave it home. Probably taking my waste tote in case I can't find hookups.

Trip info- Leaving PA, probably sometime around April/ May. Have friends near Dayton, OH so plan to spend about 3 days at their place. Another friend is in Flushing, MI and will only spend a day or 2 there. Would like to go to Mackinac KOA for about 3 days. Want to see Mall of America. Head to Custer State park for maybe 3 days. Head to Buffalo Gap KOA for a couple days, then on to Glacier Natl park. Imagine we'd stay for about a week. Undecided if I want to head back from there or go down to Yellowstone NP and then further down to Zion. No timeline for this- retired and have no responsibilities LOL! Looking for insight as to what to see and how is traveling. I've been up and down east coast, but never traveled out West so give me some ideas! Thanks in advance.

I would just like to add to what has already been said...

Try not to make your schedule so tight that you don't leave room for serendipity to change your plans. Often we get some where and we want to stay a few days longer, this would be especially true when visiting friends.

Try to leave some "down time" between your scheduled stays/events to allow for extra rest and/or equipment failures. We have had to blow off entire portions of our trip and drive back to back long travel days to get back on schedule.

Just remember, You ARE Retired, your schedule is your own!!!

 

[sande005]

Also, on your way to the Black Hills, leave at least one overnight, or better two, for the Badlands, the Minute Man Missel tours, and of course Wall Drug! It can be a hard push after leaving the Mall of America area, we usually break that part into one longer day, leaving for more time on the second arrival day in the Badlands. The very nearby KOA should accommodate you well, with full hook-ups vs the pretty tight and less/no hookup Park campground.

 

[ajg617]

@dually mike Was trying to find Buffalo Gap KOA and came up empty. We were at a family wedding in Buffalo Gap, SD late 2022. It's a very small town but if you are in the area of Hot Springs (there is a KOA there), suggest the Mammoth Museum there. We continued on to Devils Tower, and Little Big Horn that season. Last year, 70 days from NH to Mackinac, Duluth, Glacier, and Yellowstone before coming home through WY, KS, and staying in Chattanooga, before meandering back. Decided on I-94 through ND to go to Glacier from Duluth as we had done the I-90, Wall Drug, Sioux Falls to Rapid City the year prior. We did stay at a KOA in Buffalo, WY on the way home - very nice. I could do the whole trip over again - just beautiful.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

@dually mike Was trying to find Buffalo Gap KOA and came up empty. We were at a family wedding in Buffalo Gap, SD late 2022. It's a very small town but if you are in the area of Hot Springs (there is a KOA there), suggest the Mammoth Museum there. We continued on to Devils Tower, and Little Big Horn that season. Last year, 70 days from NH to Mackinac, Duluth, Glacier, and Yellowstone before coming home through WY, KS, and staying in Chattanooga, before meandering back. Decided on I-94 through ND to go to Glacier from Duluth as we had done the I-90, Wall Drug, Sioux Falls to Rapid City the year prior. We did stay at a KOA in Buffalo, WY on the way home - very nice. I could do the whole trip over again - just beautiful.

Fort Phil Kearny, and the Fetterman Massacre monument are north of Buffalo a few miles. But only interesting if you're kind of a Western history buff. And Crazy Woman Canyon is a few miles to the south of Buffalo.

 

[dually mike]

Thanks all! I don't expect this to happen until 2026, but I am a planner so wanted to start research. I tried to limit our travel days to no more than 8 hours driving time (Google maps), not issue for me but the wife can't take much more than that in the truck. On long travel days I planned 2 or 3 overnites for recuperation. One of the points was about adjusting the schedule on the fly. Is this possible if I have reservations? I know National Parks would be difficult to move so would have to keep that timeline. I'm not really interested in anything farther out than Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Wife has a sister in mountains of Denver, so may try to accommodate a visit. Her place is completely inaccessible to my rig so would have to plan something nearby. Saw the post about the road not opening until July-YIKES! What is the busiest time at Glacier and how long are they open? I'll have to reconsider the suggestion heading to Zion as starting point and heading North. Good info so far. Thanks for the help!

 

[DougW9876]

Over the years I have learned that 8 hours driving time on Google maps (or any other trip planning software) is going to be a LOT more than 8 hours, especially when pulling an RV. Their calculations are based on speed limits and don’t take into account traffic delays, stops for breaks, lunch, interesting points, or fuel. I think if you plan on about 11 hours from the time you turn the key in the morning until you pull into your evening campsite you will be close to what your days are actually going to be.

 

[dryfly]

@dually mike

I don't know what it will be like in two years, but three years ago we made a trip to Custer State Park, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons. My trailer would fit inside the National Park campgrounds. I found it was necessary to make reservations a year in advance to get a campsite inside the parks, as well as about half the campgrounds I stayed at on the way up there and back. Given your route will be different than mine YMMV.

I doubt your rig will fit inside the National Park campgrounds, and you may prefer full hookups, but the surrounding private campgrounds usually stay full during the summer months as well.

 

[SolarPoweredRV]

Thanks all! I don't expect this to happen until 2026, but I am a planner so wanted to start research. I tried to limit our travel days to no more than 8 hours driving time (Google maps), not issue for me but the wife can't take much more than that in the truck. On long travel days I planned 2 or 3 overnites for recuperation. One of the points was about adjusting the schedule on the fly. Is this possible if I have reservations? I know National Parks would be difficult to move so would have to keep that timeline. I'm not really interested in anything farther out than Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. Wife has a sister in mountains of Denver, so may try to accommodate a visit. Her place is completely inaccessible to my rig so would have to plan something nearby. Saw the post about the road not opening until July-YIKES! What is the busiest time at Glacier and how long are they open? I'll have to reconsider the suggestion heading to Zion as starting point and heading North. Good info so far. Thanks for the help!

Eight hours travel on Google maps is like eleven hours towing.

First, when towing, you don’t want to exceed 70 mph for very long, your tires are just not designed to handle the weight and speed, especially on hot summer days.

Second, towing a trailer, especially one as large as yours, is mentally taxing. At the end of a long travel day you are beat, both mentally and physically. You will definitely need a day of rest after a long travel day. Many people have learned this lesson, myself included, however, I must confess, I am still tempted to do a long travel day from time to time (recently, when escaping hurricane Milton, we had a near 18 hour travel day note: I pull off the road and take naps, but still 18 hours on the road)

Anyway, I recommend planning for shorter days, especially in the beginning, to figure out how you and your wife feel about longer travel days.

PS: remember towing always takes longer than what Google maps says.

 

[poohbear]

x2 on SolarpowerdRV 's advice. I learned a long time ago a good plan the "old folks" used called the 442 travel day. 4 hours travel or 4 pm off the road ,then 2 drinks of your choice.
I do break this advice when going to our Ozark hideaway (about 7 hrs with several stops) & to Freeport which takes us about 6 hrs with lots of stops

 

[RickLight]

Lots of good advice here.
We love all the National Parks and wouldn't advise skipping any "way out west." On the other hand, the don't rush comments are dead on! Learning how fast and how far to go is a constant factor in long trips. Many suggest 3 days minimum in any area. NPS says 90% of visitors only say a day, but they all have so much more to do and see. We like a week and recently spent 3 weeks in Yellowstone!

Further trips aren't guaranteed, but plan some anyway!

 

[sande005]

I use RV Trip Wizard for planning, and it has the option for you to specify an average mph, then will draw range rings based on whatever number of hours you decide. So you can see what is 4 hrs away, 6 hrs, 8 hrs, etc, I've found using an average speed of 55 mph (for primarily interstate travel) gives me a pretty good idea of the milage I can cover. Sure, you drive a lot faster - but the lower amount compensates for potty breaks, brief meal stops, traffic delays, etc. fairly well in the planning stages.