Summer Cross Country Road Trip...UPDATE page 3

[HeatherC]

We are thinking of doing a cross country road trip this summer and I am kind of lost on planning it. Our summer vacations are usually a two week beach vacation, so this is a bit different for sure and will take a lot more planning...or much less if we decide to just "go".

It will be myself and my two daughters ages 21 and 17. DH will probably fly in somewhere and join us for two weeks. We have about six weeks to travel.

Sooo...have you ever done something like this? Should I pre book lodging? Planning to use some hotel points to keep the costs down and will even consider bringing a tent and some camping mats for a few nights.

I have a minivan tentatively rented in case we decide to not take one of our cars. It's an added expense, but having the extra space would be great and we wouldn't have the wear and tear on our cars. Plus three of us could "probably" sleep in it if we had to one or two nights if we were between places and decided to stop.

Planning on getting a plug in cooler for the car so we don't have to worry about ice.
Planning on getting a National Parks Pass and maybe city passes for a few places as well.

Haven't done something like this since I backpacked across Europe after college! Part of me thinks I'm nuts, but the other part is that a trip like this has been on my bucket list and I have two great kids who want me to go with them, so I am determined to make it happen!

Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[StephMK]

You should definitely do it! Your kids are at a great age and in a year or two, your older one might not have the flexibility.

We haven’t done a true cross country but I’ve driven 1000+ miles each way every summer to visit family.

Do you have a general ballpark idea of where you want to go? If you name some places, I bet you’ll get some great advice!

Personally, I would probably make some reservations at “checkpoints” along the way and leave some up in the air. Most hotels will let you cancel the day before with no penalty. I would take a list that includes reservation numbers, cancel dates, etc. have an idea of some places on the other days because you don’t want to get stuck in an area without any good options.

Keep in mind local events this summer that will make hotels book up and raise prices. I’m assuming you will stop a few days in different spots. I get really tired of driving by the end of our trip. We usually do 2500-3000 round trip because we go to the beach and back from my parents. DH flies in for that part but I do to/from the main trip.

Driving can be a pain but I really love that time with the kids. We’ve had some really good talks, lots of singing, and reminiscing. I’m excited for you!

 

[clutter]

I did a one-way with my mom in my 20s. Now my sister and I are doing a round trip next September, hopefully. I'm not retired yet, so I can only do 3-4 weeks. There are so many great places to visit!

 

[CynBeth]

I think that is wonderful! There are so many places to see in the US and usually we do some type of 10 day trip in the summer but mostly we fly. I agree about making some hotel reservations. We are huge baseball fans so if a city has a MLB team we get tickets in advance for a game. Not sure what your plans are but in addition to many Disney World trips we have visited and enjoyed Houston, San Antonio, Seattle, St. Louis, Miami, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis, Pigeon Forge, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston/Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, Cleveland, Detroit, Canton (Pro Football Hall of Fame), Las Vegas, San Diego, and Anaheim. As a kid we did an out west tour and also San Francisco. I would love to visit those places again.

 

[bethbuchall]

We've done two similar trips, though we've only had 4 weeks. The first trip was NY to Yellowstone and back in a loop. The second was NY to St. Louis and then Route 66 to CA with a stop in the Grand Canyon. We came back a more northern route through some of the Utah National Parks. I'd love to have 6 weeks (or even more)! I always planned the full itinerary because there was so much to do and so little time, but I also left it a little flexible. I had lodging secured for every night and paid the few extra dollars to make sure that I could cancel the reservation. Some hotels let you cancel without penalty up to 6:00pm day of and others the day before.

I think it's especially important to have lodging decided near the National Parks. If you want to stay in the NPs, you need to look now, and it may already be too late for a lot of that lodging.

Have a great trip! I can't wait to do another, but I think it's going to just be WDW this year.

 

[dotfurio]

I tend to be an over planner, so take this with a grain of salt
I usually start with what destinations/attractions I want to see and pin everything on Google maps. Then I plan the route and decide how far I'm willing to drive between attractions. Sometimes I end up adding stops along the way because 8 hours in a car with kids is not fun.

I always book hotels in advance because I can't stand not having a plan and I won't stay somewhere unless I've read reviews on it first. In your case you sound very flexible and easy going, but you might consider booking hotels or campsites at any major attractions as summer can be peak season for most places. If you change your mind you can cancel most hotels with 24-48 hours notice.

I think renting the minivan is a great idea. You will definitely appreciate the space, especially if you're bringing camping gear. DH and I used to sleep in our minivan at campgrounds when our oldest was little because it was easier than setting up a tent.

 

[HeatherC]

Thanks everyone! Well it looks like we are definitely going to try and make it happen. DH is totally on board and will fly in for two weeks. (I may cut it back a week or two depending on money.)

Yesterday we mapped out a route. DH put it in a spreadsheet...so not my thing, but he has the distances and drive times listed between places and how much gas we estimate.

I spent that time researching hotels and making reservations for the places I know will be filled. So far I booked the first week or so hotels and the National Parks.

We are planning to leave central MA and go here:

Knoxville...get as far as we can first night. We figure anything between here and there we have been to or can always go back another time.

Nashville
St. Louis
Kansas City
Denver/ Boulder
Utah...Arches, Bryce, Zion National Parks
FLagstaff/Sedona
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Los Angeles/San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco
Portland, Oregon
Glacier National Park....so far out of the way, but it is THE one place both kids want to see apparently.
Yellowstone

After that will probably have to seriously do some driving to head back home. Those are the "must sees".

As far as camping, I am kind of re thinking that. Most campgrounds I have seen fill up quickly and some can be almost as much as a budget hotel. And it will be HOT in July and we are not sure we will want to set up camp after driving all day. So that part is flexible. Will bring a tent and some gear, but will play that part by ear.

I booked hotels that had decent reviews and weren't too far from the main attractions. Colorado was expensive, so I booked a hotel 20 minutes from downtown Denver and 15 minutes to Boulder. We will stay there a few nights to do hiking and exploring.

I think half the fun is in the planning! Hoping to book a few more hotels soon and then fine tuning what we want to do in each place and how long to stay.

I know if I don't do this, I will regret it. After losing several people over the last couple years and dealing with aging parents with health issues, I am not wasting a minute! Carpe Diem is my motto!

If anyone has any suggestions on hotels or attractions in these places, I would LOVE to hear them.

Thanks for your input!

 

[disny_luvr]

I think this sounds like a great trip! If you wouldn’t mind, can you share your tips when you return? We are planning on doing something similar next year, but on a smaller scale and for about 2.5-3 weeks. Next summer my boys will be 13-years-old so we are thinking a good age for a trip like this. Our tentative plan is to travel from south central PA (home) to Chicago and then onto Minnesota (Minnesota Twins game, maybe up to Split Rock Lighthouse), over to South Dakota (Mount Rushmore/Crazy Horse), then onto Denver, then head back home through St. Louis and any other place we want to stop. Obviously, we are in the really, really early planning stages and places could change, but we are definitely doing a semi-cross country road trip next summer. Our hope is to do another one when my boys are a few years older and head all the way out to California.

 

[ctinct]

Thanks everyone! Well it looks like we are definitely going to try and make it happen. DH is totally on board and will fly in for two weeks. (I may cut it back a week or two depending on money.)

Yesterday we mapped out a route. DH put it in a spreadsheet...so not my thing, but he has the distances and drive times listed between places and how much gas we estimate.

I spent that time researching hotels and making reservations for the places I know will be filled. So far I booked the first week or so hotels and the National Parks.

We are planning to leave central MA and go here:

Knoxville...get as far as we can first night. We figure anything between here and there we have been to or can always go back another time.

Nashville
St. Louis
Kansas City
Denver/ Boulder
Utah...Arches, Bryce, Zion National Parks
FLagstaff/Sedona
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Los Angeles/San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco
Portland, Oregon
Glacier National Park....so far out of the way, but it is THE one place both kids want to see apparently.
Yellowstone

After that will probably have to seriously do some driving to head back home. Those are the "must sees".

As far as camping, I am kind of re thinking that. Most campgrounds I have seen fill up quickly and some can be almost as much as a budget hotel. And it will be HOT in July and we are not sure we will want to set up camp after driving all day. So that part is flexible. Will bring a tent and some gear, but will play that part by ear.

I booked hotels that had decent reviews and weren't too far from the main attractions. Colorado was expensive, so I booked a hotel 20 minutes from downtown Denver and 15 minutes to Boulder. We will stay there a few nights to do hiking and exploring.

I think half the fun is in the planning! Hoping to book a few more hotels soon and then fine tuning what we want to do in each place and how long to stay.

I know if I don't do this, I will regret it. After losing several people over the last couple years and dealing with aging parents with health issues, I am not wasting a minute! Carpe Diem is my motto!

If anyone has any suggestions on hotels or attractions in these places, I would LOVE to hear them.

Thanks for your input!

Havent done a trip like this, unfortunately, but I have driven from CT to Dallas multiple times. Just wanted to say that you should be ok trying to hit Knoxville your first night. We usually get beyond that a little bit the first day, but we are an hour or so closer than you are from the start. It will be about a twelve hour day, though, if I recall correctly.


One thing to consider is if you rent a vehicle, your girls won’t be able to drive. I think hertz might let the 21 yr. old drive. The first time I did the ct to tx thing, I drive the entire way just to prove to myself that I could. After that, though, I have always shared with my daughter.

We went to Yellowstone last summer, and the Grand Canyon a few years ago. I HIGHLY recommend staying in the parks. I imagine the same would apply to the other parks. They will likely be booked aleady, but be persistent. I would check the Yellowstone site several times a day, and was finally able to get every hotel I wanted. They let you cancel freely with a one night deposit. At one point I was double and triple booked for several nights because I was waiting to get the right hotel on the right date, but was willing to adjust as necessary. If you can snag it, get a room in the old house at Old Faithful. No bathroom, but so pretty and historic. We only stayed one night there because I was a little afraid of the no bathroom thing, but wish I had stayed there two nights. Our second favorite was the cabins at canyon. Get up early to beat the crowds! Oh, and you won’t be alone. We ran into a couple of mom and daughter cross country travelers.

We did Arches, too. It’s basically a drive through park that you can stop and pull off for pictures and hikes. Parts of it were closed down last year for road repairs, so we didn’t get to see all the Arches up close. Be aware it’s very, very hot. Bring lots of water.

At Grand Canyon, if you’re staying there, get out one evening to see the moose (or were they elk?) on the lawn of the big iconic hotel there. Sorry, I forget the name. We were in another hotel, but one night I had to walk to my car in the dark for something and I nearly plowed into one of them!

Sedona-don’t miss the Jeep tours. So fun.

Oh, one more thing I thought of. Since you will be driving, make sure you download podcasts or music to listen to, and have good maps and directions. You won’t always have radio and cell phone reception in Utah and Wyoming. Have fun!

 

[mom2rtk]

That looks like an awesome itinerary! So glad you're including some of the Southern Utah parks. I will add that Canyonlands (and adjacent Dead Horse Point) are very near Arches and definitely worth checking out.

Any chance you'll be near Page, AZ? A stop at Horseshoe Bend is worth it, even if you have to go out of your way.

Will you be visiting Rocky Mountain National Park when you're in CO? It's definitely worth a visit.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Thanks everyone! Well it looks like we are definitely going to try and make it happen. DH is totally on board and will fly in for two weeks. (I may cut it back a week or two depending on money.)

Yesterday we mapped out a route. DH put it in a spreadsheet...so not my thing, but he has the distances and drive times listed between places and how much gas we estimate.

I spent that time researching hotels and making reservations for the places I know will be filled. So far I booked the first week or so hotels and the National Parks.

We are planning to leave central MA and go here:

Knoxville...get as far as we can first night. We figure anything between here and there we have been to or can always go back another time.

Nashville
St. Louis
Kansas City
Denver/ Boulder
Utah...Arches, Bryce, Zion National Parks
FLagstaff/Sedona
Grand Canyon
Las Vegas
Los Angeles/San Diego
Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco
Portland, Oregon
Glacier National Park....so far out of the way, but it is THE one place both kids want to see apparently.
Yellowstone

After that will probably have to seriously do some driving to head back home. Those are the "must sees".

As far as camping, I am kind of re thinking that. Most campgrounds I have seen fill up quickly and some can be almost as much as a budget hotel. And it will be HOT in July and we are not sure we will want to set up camp after driving all day. So that part is flexible. Will bring a tent and some gear, but will play that part by ear.

I booked hotels that had decent reviews and weren't too far from the main attractions. Colorado was expensive, so I booked a hotel 20 minutes from downtown Denver and 15 minutes to Boulder. We will stay there a few nights to do hiking and exploring.

I think half the fun is in the planning! Hoping to book a few more hotels soon and then fine tuning what we want to do in each place and how long to stay.

I know if I don't do this, I will regret it. After losing several people over the last couple years and dealing with aging parents with health issues, I am not wasting a minute! Carpe Diem is my motto!

If anyone has any suggestions on hotels or attractions in these places, I would LOVE to hear them.

Thanks for your input!

Be advised. Pacific coast highway has closures and one lane only alternating traffic controls on it due to slides in various locations. Pfeiffer Canyon has been reopened but the repairs at mud creek will not be complete until late summer. There is no viable alternate route around this that doesn't involve a long back track.

 

[teller80]

I know someone who planned her trip staying at KOA's, you know those little cabins with beds and nothing else? At a hotel you go to your room and thats about it. In a campground you can sit by the fire, take in nawalk around... I find campers to be the friendliest people and it's easy to start conversations. You meet the most interesting people that way, it opens it up to expand your daughters cultural perspective. I'm not saying to stay there every night, but maybe a few here and there.

I have other friends who flew to Chicago, rented an RV, and drove Route 66 to California. I believe they took 3 weeks, but their vacationtime may of been limited.

It sounds like a fun trip!

 

[bethbuchall]

No Disneyland?

I loved Arches and didn't find it to be a drive through park. I would have loved another night or two in Moab. We had two nights in Zion and could have used many more there, too. We did Bryce very quickly between the two and wish we could have seen more. There's just so little time with so much to cover. We'll definitely go back to the Utah Parks. I can't remember the name of the route that we took from Zion to Arches, but it went through a national forest and through Capitol Reef National Park, too. It was a beautiful drive.

At Grand Canyon, we stayed in the Maswik Lodge because we reserved so late that nothing else was available. Even though it wasn't right on the rim, it wasn't a bad walk. I wouldn't be disappointed to stay there again.

Have a great trip!!! And share photos with us

 

[runwad]

Sounds fun OP! My Dh and I have off and on toyed with the thought of renting an RV and making a cross country trip. I'm spoiled and like to be comfortable. Its kinda expensive though to go that route, and we fill overwhelmed trying to plan an itinerary. I'd like a book that has it all mapped out and gives us step by step instructions on where to stay and what to do.

 

[endy]

I know someone who planned her trip staying at KOA's, you know those little cabins with beds and nothing else? At a hotel you go to your room and thats about it. In a campground you can sit by the fire, take in nawalk around... I find campers to be the friendliest people and it's easy to start conversations. You meet the most interesting people that way, it opens it up to expand your daughters cultural perspective. I'm not saying to stay there every night, but maybe a few here and there.

I have other friends who flew to Chicago, rented an RV, and drove Route 66 to California. I believe they took 3 weeks, but their vacationtime may of been limited.

It sounds like a fun trip!

Completely agree. This is me!
I so prefer to stay in a campground than tucked away in a motel. As for set up - I could have the tent and air mattresses ready in 20 minutes. You can get away with just bringing a tent, air mattresses and a sleeping bag each which won't take a lot of room and a couple cheap fold in a bag chairs if you want. You don't have to cook, stop at a grocery store and grab something from the deli not only is it cheaper than eating out it's also healthier.. If you have a Costco card well you already know they're everywhere, our favorite cheap place for lunch. Fresh air and no TV, lots of KOA's will have wifi.

Yes there are good cheap motels but I'd rather sleep in my own bedding. I always have a KOA guide at hand, the camping cabins are good when it's a bit cool or rainy. As you can tell I prefer camping near cities and a KOA is often in or near a city. I see San Diego on your list - they have one of the best KOA's I've ever stayed at, so much that we actually stayed there for 7-10 days every summer for 12 years.

Don't give up on camping yet, your daughters may complain at first and then find they like it. Be careful doing this with your kids, they might like it. I did a 2 week road trip to SoCal every year when DS was 2 all the way thru 18, as well as a 1 week road trip to places closer to Calgary such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Seattle, Wyoming. And now at 21 he likes doing a road trip and camping, he and girlfriend went to SoCal for a month also to Vancouver Island. I worried a lot while they were gone until a friend told me that he learned to do this from me and would be fine.

Glacier Park isn't too far out of the way when going between Yellowstone and Oregon. I live fairly close (4 hours or so) and traveled thru the park 6 times last year. I prefer going east to west as it seems you're in the rocks and mountains almost immediately. Coming in from the west side follows the river before climbing the mountain. The first time I took my DS12 thru Glacier Park and over to Whitefish for a few days... he complained, why do we need to go there, what's there to do, etc. Well the first stop was at a gorge with incredible water falls, after seeing that he was like wow why haven't we been here before?

As mentioned get a Parks Pass, very great deal for all the parks you'll be visiting.

I wouldn't bother with a plug in cooler. not only does it cost twice as much or more you'll have to find a place to keep it plugged in every night and still supplement with ice. I leave my cooler in the back of suv all the time and cover with a towel or blanket to keep the sun off. Ice is readily available at most gas stations and grocery stores for around $2/bag. I'll make ice in a gallon sized container container at home and use ice cubes to fill in the gaps. The block should last a few days. Get a bigger cooler than you think you'll need. I use one of the Igloo cubes that holds 96 cans ( I think) yes it is big but it really doesn't take up that much room and the plus factor is you can buy a gallon of milk, a case of water and still have tons of room.
One more hint (maybe) I'm not a planner where I have every day booked. You need to be flexible, if you find something cool you want to check out for a few hours but your next motel is 8 hours away so you keep driving. Stop and smell the roses, take your time. Even tho you're all adults do some kid things, stop at the kitchy places now and then.

It sounds like a great trip. Have fun.

 

[jliehr]

Over 8000 miles

Plan for an oil change before you leave, and then consider another before you leave for the desert as summertime in Arizona/Utah/Nevada can be brutal on a vehicle. Check fluids when driving so much especially, coolant and oil are critical.

 

[2TxAgs]

Sounds amazing! My father could drive for days on end and we often traveled as kids. One thing to consider - the driving will get old, so give yourself rest days, just like what is suggested for long visits to Disney parks. Plan in some down time - maybe a day every week or 10 days where you just stay somewhere with a pool and you read a book or nap or make scrap books of what you've already seen.

 

[HeatherC]

Thank you everyone!!! I really really appreciate all your advice and tips! Will definitely consider all of them!

I keep flip flopping on the camping thing and do think we probably WILL wind up doing some. I grew up camping....long weekends and a full two weeks in a tent in Maine every July. My kids also love it. I think it would also save a bunch of money and like you said, you can sit by a campfire at night. I think the places we camp I would like to be in places where we want to enjoy the stars at night and sunrises in the morning. I just keep thinking it may just be too hot in some places.

Thanks for the heads up about the Pacific Coast Highway. We were actually talking about that because my son did a road trip last year and wound having parts of the highway detoured around. Hoping at least sections will be open because it is such a beautiful ride and I would love my daughters to be able to see it.

Also thanks for the advice about Glacier NP. After seeing even more pictures of it I am very excited to go!

Going to start researching some campgrounds along the way. I have checked some KOA ones, but the cabins are actually more expensive than a hotel in some of the places! Wasn't expecting that.

So much to figure out in a short amount of time, but that is half the fun!

And for anyone else considering doing something similar, I say go for it!!!! We only get one life to live!

 

[OhMari]

We have been doing some more driving vacations, rather than flying. We drove from the midwest to Colorado. Over Christmas we drove from Wi to NH, down to NYC then back. Please realize that there are some very aggressive drivers out there. Me and my dh had the conversion how highways were built 2 wide out of cities, but in the cities it can go as far as 6-8 wide. If you get caught in rush hour traffic, it can be brutal too. Out in the country traffic can also be very heavy. We both agreed our highway system should be 3-4 wide, there really is a lot of traffic, add road construction traffic and we saw a lot of back ups 20-50 miles long- I am not kidding.

But have lots of patience. Keep a good distance between vehicles, stay with the traffic flow, which can be as high as 80-85 mph. Don't be shocked when someone squeezes in front of you. Yes they expect you to let them in.

Get off the highway for lunch breaks, find the small town parks and take a cat nap. 20 minutes will revive you.

 

[aprilgail]

, I did a 6 week 11,500 miles road trip two years ago with my 15 year old daughter- we went from NY across the top of the US to Washington, then down through California, across to Vegas, down to Arizona, over to Texas then cut up through West Virginia Pa and back to NY- I don't recommend getting hotels, half the fun of it was no schedules! If you want to stay in Yellowstone though you would have to make reservations. If you are going to be in Arizona then do NOT miss Antelope Canyon. This year we are doing a much shorter trip, we are actually flying into Salt Lake City and then road tripping around the state of Utah and Arizona but just for 2 weeks.
So far on our list for this trip is:
Arches
Monument Valley
Camp Verde
Horseshoe Bend
Bryce
Zion
Kolob Canyon Road
Lake Powell

For our 6 week road trip we rented a mini van for 2 months for 1900.00 (that was a steal!), it cost us about 1200 in gas, 6,000 in food, tours, activities etc, and 6500 in hotels. There were other things like souvenirs, oil changes, and other things I don't recall price of but that is what we spent for 6 weeks - we also started the trip with 250.00 in cracker barrel gift cards I had gotten at my retirement party before we left LOL. It was an expensive trip but it was a trip my daughter and I had been talking about, saving and planning for since she was a toddler! Also on that trip we didn't stay in places like Motel 6's which would have saved us a ton- we stayed in ONE in South Dakota and it was so bad we wouldn't chance them again but this trip coming up is more "budget" trip so wont be Marriotts and Hiltons, more like La Quinta and Motel 6's LOL. I obviously did all the driving since she was only 15- our longest driving day was 16 hours when we left South Dakota and were heading to Yellowstone. South Dakota was one of my favorite places on the trip. Oh and if you are going to Nashville a great hotel was the Gaylord Orpyland Hotel!
We stayed in the cabins by Old Faithful in Yellowstone- I wouldn't have been able to handle that for more than the one night. Ours had a bathroom in it but the cabin is really broken down into 2 cabins and there is like a thin wall between you and the people next door, half the night was spent yelling at the guy next door to stop snoring! It was like he was in bed with us it was so loud!