Have you ever wanted to take an RV road trip across the US? A chance for camping, family travel while exploring nature, and scenic drives? Well, I did. Not only did I take an incredible road trip, but I was also able to add more destinations and activities. How did I do it?
Envision my surroundings I write this post at the end of our 18 days.
Birds are singing. Snow-capped mountains span the horizon. Nearby are lush green foothills, dotted with spring flowers. I can see the Royal Gorge from my picnic table, and I can hear (and smell) dinner cooking on the grill. How is that for a setting? Settings like this are just one of the advantages of RV road trips and family travel.
Let me be clear right up front. We chose scenic drives and activities with smaller crowds for entertainment. Hiked and selected less expensive activities.
Sure, we could have taken a helicopter ride at the Royal Gorge (average $100 pp) instead of a narrated shuttle at Garden of the Gods ($17 pp). Deciding to do less expensive and less crowded activities was a crucial decision for us.
A decision that led to an 18 day RV road trip.
How was I able to more than double the length of my RV road trip?
Nobody was more surprised than me when my 7-day road trip was extended. First, it was extended by an evening, then a weekend, then a destination that added 3 more days to our trip. How it happened is really a simple story, One that is much more simple than it could have been. The key? I always travel prepared for almost anything. But this took more than preparation.
You know the sayings. The stars aligned. Everything fell into place. We were in the right place at the right time. And all of those things are probably true.
But here is the real skinny.
Our RV road trip to explore nature at Yellowstone had been planned for more than 9 months. Then COVID happened. The planet shut down, then slowly reopened. It’s important to set that stage for our camping travel across the US.
Why is that stage important? Because it forced us to be flexible and look outside the box for our family travel. As people started to travel again, lodging was available. Many RV resorts were empty. Fuel for the RV was cheap. We were able to schedule activities at the last moment.
What was the result?
We visited countless national forests and wilderness areas, national monuments and state parks, 11 national parks, and 10 states. That all led to this glorious picnic table with its once-in-a-lifetime setting.
Here is a quick snapshot of our 18-day RV road trip itinerary.
Remember, our original destination was Yellowstone National Park.
To reach Yellowstone from the Midwest US, it was an easy jump to add Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Devils Tower on the way to Wyoming.
As we learned, this route is a common one from the Midwest to Yellowstone. Being a scenic drive with plenty of attractions along the way, I can see why.
As we planned our RV road trip, we found ourselves asking one simple question. Why would we leave Yellowstone and take the exact same route across the US to get home? For the adventurous, the answer is of course we wouldn’t do that.
So we added a slight detour to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, adding an excursion through the Grand Tetons along the way. From there, we figured in for a penny, in for a pound.
Seriously, the lack of crowds helped us to get these amazing photos. The photos in this post were all taken during this RV road trip.
The “pound” ended up being an incredible stay at Grand Canyon after admiring Monuments. How is that for being flexible?
Using the most logical route across the US to get back home, we enjoyed a side trip to Petrified Forest. From there, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Royal Gorge, and Garden of the Gods were an easy leg heading back to the midwest.
Sound like a lot? It was. And it was incredible. Life-altering. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime RV road trip. And NOW is the perfect time to do it. So here are the “deets” about how we did it.
Bear in mind, all of this works for any road trip, whether it is a long road trip, family travel, or a trip across the country in an RV.
Lodging.
You are likely wondering why I didn’t call this section “RV resort”. Read on my lovelies!
Finding places for overnight camping was less of a challenge than you might expect. First, we used our family-travel-friendly KOA guide. Then we added short-term camping in national parks and state forests. We rounded out the trip with our favorite Colorado campground – the site I’m sitting in as I write this.
Truth be told, there were a couple of nights with catnap length stays at rest areas along the interstate. Most nights we reserved our campsite on the way to that destination.
Because we spent several nights camping in national parks and forests, we were able to keep our lodging costs low. Overnight camping in national forests and Bureau of Land Management Lands (BLM) average $15 per night.
Compare that cost to an average of $50 on up for other camping resources, and a stay at BLM lands and national forests looks very attractive. That fact, and the low price of fuel, were critical in us being able to extend our RV road trip.
Do a little research, almost every state across the US will have camping in BLM, state forests, and national parks. Here is some help with campground and RV park reviews.
Wait for it – every adventure includes food.
Road trips are no exception. This family camping travel experience is no different. As we had planned this RV road trip for a while, we had the chance to be prepared.
Here is an example – my trunk looked like this a couple of times while preparing for our RV road trip.
Let’s face it. We couldn’t count on grocery stores being open or having shelves fully stocked. Frankly, I didn’t want to risk unnecessary exposure.
Our RV refrigerator and freezer were full. The pantry was overflowing. Our RV overhead bunk was loaded with extra supplies. Realistically, traveling through 10 states post-COVID, we knew there would be areas with closed restaurants. We were prepared. Honestly, at the end of all this, I will be bringing food home with us.
Supplying the RV includes food and so much more.
Here is a sample of my packing list. We had 3 people and were planning on a 15 day RV road trip across the US when we left home.
- 12 frozen meat selections
- 15 side dishes
- Lunch supplies – 6 packages of cold meat, 3 packages of sliced cheese, and 2 loaves of bread
- All the condiments we could possibly use
- 3 cases of water, 2 cases of Gatorade, and 4 gallons of coffee-pot water
- Oh, yeah – 3 weeks worth of coffee. You don’t want to run out of that!
- Sanitizing wipes
- Extra packages of toilet paper
- Disposable pans for cooking on the grill
- Extra storage bags for left-overs – those came in handy
- 2 small coolers for hiking, 1 large cooler for day trips
- 3 dozen eggs, 2 pounds of bacon (fried before we left), and other assorted frozen and fresh breakfast items
- Assorted onions, peppers, garlic, etc for seasoning
- Apples, oranges, grapes, snack bars, nuts, and trail mix for snacking
- We generously packed adult beverages and assorted mixers
- Full containers of shampoo, body wash, shampoo, etc.
- We picked up full supplies of prescriptions before leaving home
- Clothing – we packed for all temperature extremes, wet and dry weather, and everything in between. This ended up meaning we had plenty of clothes to last us through the road trip extension.
- Backpacks for hiking
- Cameras, with extra SIM cards and batteries, and extra charging cords for phones
What else did we do to prepare the RV for an extended road trip?
Papa Joe and I routinely take off in the RV for a week or 2 of camping. There are several things we did for this extended road trip that will help our camping habits in the future. For example, we added storage and organizers to all our closets. We installed a solar system in the RV for boondocking. And then added more. I expect Papa Joe will be writing a story on this soon.
We also installed a tow system for our car and towed it during this RV road trip. The flexibility this added helped us enjoy all of our destinations more. Seriously, it was a little expensive to add a tow system, but the benefit outweighs the cost. I believe Papa Joe will be writing a story about this DIY RV project too.
Did we stay busy for 18 days?
You bet your sweet bippie we did! There were lots of things we couldn’t do that we wanted. For example, I planned on writing a Cody and Buffalo Bill story, but most of Cody was still closed. National Parks were partially opened. A few had visitor centers open, and others had modified services. Now, on to what we could do.
Because fewer people were traveling, we were able to schedule activities on short notice. We rode horses near Yellowstone twice – both in the Shoshone Forest on the east side of the park, and in the Gallatin Forest on the west side.
We went extreme 4×4’ing in Canyonlands’ Needles District with Navtec – basically scheduling the excursions at the last minute. These were all private tours, which was a great side-benefit of having fewer travelers.
Almost all of our activities were available to book through Viator, otherwise known as TripAdvisor. Save up to 50% off tours and activities on Viator.
We didn’t have to fight traffic or overcrowding at national parks.
For example, this was our 3rd visit to Yellowstone. On our previous trips, Norris Geyser was so full we were unable to visit. On this RV road trip, we had Norris Geyser all to ourselves, as you can see in the photo below.
Same with Mather Point at the Grand Canyon.
Anyone like wildlife?
There are likely several reasons, but we had up-close-and-personal wildlife experiences on the RV road trip that I had only dreamed of. I’m certain the animals having free roam of national parks without visitors for several months was a significant factor.
Imagine how much fun the kiddos will have on your family travel when they see buffalo cross the road close enough to brush your car mirrors. Or watching baby prairie dogs, or seeing elk roaming free. No lie.
Part of any road trip is enjoying the scenery.
There is no better way to do that than by exploring the US’s scenic drives. Around Cody and Yellowstone, we enjoyed the Beartooth Pass, Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, and the Southfork Drive. You can’t imagine these scenic roadways until you have experienced them.
We didn’t make it to the Big Horn Basin Loop, but that also was a highly recommended scenic drive near Cody.
The Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway was amazing. You can’t get in that area of the country and not explore Historic Route 66. And believe me, we did.
The countryside across the US is so varied and beautiful, I’m certain we drove on more scenic drives and didn’t realize it.
You are probably asking what you need to do to have an RV road trip like this.
Here is where the advice is universal. What I have to say here applies to any family travel, extended camping trip, a road trip across the US, or an extended RV road trip.
Be flexible and open to exploring your options. We were prepared for almost any scenario. For example, our RV solar system came in handy and allowed us to boondock in the Shoshone National Forest. If we only had stocked up on bear spray too…
Find that perfect mesh of planning and flexibility. For example, at our favorite campground in Colorado, a 2-night minimum was required. So we stayed the first night and relaxed the second day. We started the last leg of our journey refreshed and ready for the road. It really didn’t matter to us if we got home on a Saturday or Sunday.
Make sure your home is prepared for extended family travel. We have children who live close and checked the home front during our 2nd week away. You may have friends or neighbors who can do that for you.
Here is the nitty gritty.
We had prepared to spend time on the road. Going between destinations, checking out scenic drives, and just plain enjoying ourselves. In total, we drove around 5000 miles and our fuel cost came in right at $1200 for the RV. Our RV camping costs came to right at $950. Average those 2 costs over 18 days and our average costs per day were less than $120.
If your vehicle gets better fuel mileage than our RV, your costs will be even less.
Need more incentive? We had 3 people traveling with us, which brought our cost to $40 per person per day. I just can’t calculate the cost of meals, because we cooked the same as we would have at home and ate out seldom. We spent right at $400 pp on activities.
Think about it. AAA estimates a third of American families will take a road trip this year. Hopefully, some of my thoughts will help you enjoy your road trip. Encourage you to enjoy a scenic drive. Or even better – inspire you to take that road trip you have always been dreaming of.
Believe me, there is no better time than now, just make sure you #travelsafe. Take face masks, hand sanitizer, and respect social distancing. Be prepared, be safe, and get out there and have fun!
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