Travel Distance

FatTire

Senior Member
Joined
May 22, 2013
Messages
177
Location
Florida
My wife has always wanted to camp in the mountains. We were able to get a site at Cloudland Canyon SP in Georgia which for me is an 8.5 + hour drive through Atlanta going north on 75. Taking 285 around Atlanta adds another 1.5 hours. I'm not really sure I'm up for that long of a trip in one shot. Taking expected breaks, traffic and fuel stops are going to put it over 10 hours. She has no experience pulling any kind of trailer, so shared driving duty is out. Does anyone else have experience driving this long?
 
Why can’t you do it over a couple of days?

I would never travel that long

Is your estimated time include towing and stopping for fuel very often?
 
Is there a specific reason you can't take an extra day? I've driven 10 hours and more in the past, and while it's not enjoyable, it can be done. I always felt that after that long, one's attention drifts, and it's just not as safe.
 
There's a KOA in Forsyth Georgia we like. Right off I75 easy off easy on. Going there ask for the new section in the back they are all pull throughs and fairly level. On check in they give you big home baked chocolate cookies that are really good. It's about an hour south of Atlanta.

I'm going to chime in on Garys' reply. The cookies used to be big and deliccious, last visit they gave us smaller cookies and not that great. Cost cutting at it's worst, they should have left the cookies alone LOL . But it's still a good overnight spot. Tight spots and rows but maanuverable and easy to get to and from
 
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For that trip if possible I'd break it up in two days. Much more relaxing and there's always something interesting to look at or do at different places.
 
Sounds absolutely horrendous to me. I would be doing that in two days at least and three if there are things I want to see along the way.
 
I have a four-hour travel limit. After that, I start to lose the ability to pay attention.
 
I have a four-hour travel limit. After that, I start to lose the ability to pay attention.
When I 1st started camping with a popup rv back in 79 , some old heads at spots would allways talk about the 442 rule. 4 hours or 4pm which ever came 1st, then 2 drinks of your choice.
We usually run about 4 to 5 hrs a day but going to our Ar land its a 7 hr run thru the Kiamichis & Ouachita mountains and Im tired when I get there but we always stay 5 or more days. My Wife can't drive anymore so its all on me but years ago she could tow with the best of us.
 
I don't recommend long days such as the OP is suggesting but have done them. If you have to do it, I suggest leaving as early as possible in the morning as possible. For me that is between 5 and 6 am. This way you have a chance to get to your destination and get set up by diner time.

Oldcow
 
Everyone has different circumstances. My wife works in the corporate world with fairly restrictive time off polices. I have a bit more flexibility owning my own business but for us everyday traveling is 1 less day on vacation. So I'm pushing as hard as possible. Heck, sometimes I'll drive out to our destination and she'll fly out to meet me to maximize our time.

I have no issues driving long hours. Pop in an audiobook and go. On a long trip 10 hours is probably average. I've gone as long as 16. I'll do as much as possible over night when the traffic is much lower. Less stress and slow downs and I prefer night driving.

We stop every 3-4 hours for fuel and don't rush the stop. Fill up, get something to eat, take the dog for a walk, and stretch out and relax for 15/20 min.

Last trip coming back from Charleston on my own I did it a bit differently, about 1100 miles after going around the closures in TN. I stopped twice but only for about a 2/3 hour nap at rest areas.
 
We don't have a set number of hours we will drive but we do our best to limit the distance to 300 - 350 miles per day. With this distance we don't have to be up at the crack of dawn and we arrive early enough to have time to unwind at the end of the day.
 
We're in the "only 225-250 miles a day" group. I'd break up an 8-10 hour trip into at least 2 days.
 
I’ve routinely done 12-15 hour days over the years, but as those years have clicked by I’m much less likely to do so now. I simply get more tired these days. However, the question of how many hours you can safely do in a day is a personal one that only you can answer.
 
Our typical travel day when we are going a long distance, is 300-350 miles. We have done close to 500 miles to get home, but really try not to do that often.
 
Rule of thumb I use for planning is an average speed 60mph for the drive. This usually ends up being pretty accurate after fuel/food/bathroom breaks.

We’ve done 730 miles from Colorado to home. About 12ish hours. The last few hours sucked. Every other driver was terrible, every bump felt like a bomb under the truck, the dog’s breath was deadly, etc. It was just me getting fatigued and irritable.

I wouldn’t plan that journey non stop unless it’s a must. It won’t kill you, but it may not be the best experience. Plus, I’ve learned that setting up/parking with the sun up is way easier than doing so in the dark.
 
Lots depends on what type of roads that are traveled. Out on the interstate where speeds run (For us) 65-68 mph we can make 300-350 miles fairly easy. Can't do that very easy on hwys with mtn passes or routes that take you through towns or other congestive areas. We like to leave around 9:00 am and arrive around 3:00 pm.
It's not always the case but thats our comfort plan. Other factors come into play as well like potty breaks, food stops, fuel and too many times they don't line up right. It always seems like one of them is not with the other 2. That always adds some time.
But we're retired so it's not a big deal unless we have a deadline.
 
We often travel from our home in the twin cities to the Hill City area in the Black Hills. Right at 600 miles and usually takes us 11 hours. All interstate and no large cities to drive through or around. We have done this trip many times in one long day but the next day we are still tired from the drive and don’t do much. Last year we did it in 2 days and it was so much more relaxing.

I would not want to make a long drive that included going through large unfamiliar cities. We will be going to Colorado this coming summer and will take 3 days to get there. Being retired we have no time constraints.

Good luck and have fun!

Mark
 
When we made our trip out west back in 2021, I had one day that totaled 475 miles. I learned then and decided that there would NEVER be another day of miles traveled, that long. My typical day is 300 to 325 if needed and that is a lot more doable for us. Fortunately, the day after my 475 mile adventure day, the next day was a "short" travel day of about 225 miles.
 
My only advice is to know your limits. My family calls me "Mr ADHD" and I go bonkers after about 7 hours in a vehicle. That results in me being grumpy, but not less attentive. For most long trips, towing or not, we always try to have one very long day in order to put miles behind us. We prefer it to be the first day, but sometimes due to locations of overnight stops it could be the second day. Those long days can be anywhere from 9-15 hours depending on the destination. It's not enjoyable but gets you where you need to go.
 
I can do 16 hours to my daughter's home in NC but that is with nothing in tow and I am tired at the end - one of those things where I,m too spun up to fall asleep. When we take the RV down, it's 3 travel days with an overnight in PA and VA. Averages out to roughly 330 miles per day and that's about the max I want to do. It is tiring pulling and I am the only driver also. As other's have said when we traveled out west, on rare occasions (twice), I'd be over to 400 miles and I did not like it at all. On the longer days, more frequent stops at pull-offs and travel plazas but it would get us in later where I felt rushed to set up and was tired - recipe for making mistakes. The interstates are not fun, especially if you have to drive around the beltway of a large city and there is ALWAYS construction delays.
 

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