Road Trip

[eyeguy 54]

thinking of heading out with the pop up this summer. The plan is to hit Arches Natl Park, Yosemite and then up to the redwoods before heading back. Anybody ever do this? Thinking 2 weeks?

[bbfenatic]

Absolutley...Go West Young Man! Been to all and highly recommend the trip...might want to spend a day or two in Yellowstone, not that far out of the way. 2 weeks is doable but you'd need to drive hard in-between destinations but traffic moves fast out west till you hit CA but even then not too bad. Tahoe is a must IMO out in the area too and lots of fun, the lake is indescribable. Plenty of nice camping parks all along the way....and people are MN nice out there.

[LindellProStaf]

I have always wanted to just take the time and do a trip like that. Do you need to have a campground reservation ahead of time for each night? That has always been my main concern. A friend of mine took a family trip a few years ago. They left north MN, spent a day in Seattle, went to see the giant redwoods, went to southern CA., turned around and drove back. Did it in 10 days. That is with the wife and 4 kids in a minivan. lolol Unreal. What an ordeal. I asked him if it was fun? He said it was alright. Loved the giant redwoods. They stayed in motels and drove all night through some nights. No way would I want to rush it that much. It would be nice to stop for a day or two at places and cook and have a little break. Eye Guy, let us know how you are going to set this up. I have never done a long trip like that with a camper before.

[Powerstroke]

I've never taken that trip, but I'll tell you my method for planning trips like this. My family takes a long distance trip every other year. Last year we did Yellowstone and returned through Wyoming and Nebraska. Before that we did the Badlands/Mount Rushmore, Southern MT, Glacier Nat'l Park and Teddy Roosevelt Grasslands. We did both trips in 10days.

Its definitely a valid argument that 7-10 days is not enough time, but some of us still have jobs that we have to go to. 2 weeks would be a great timeframe for this trip.

I go into google maps and pick the stops I want to make. Google will let you plant multiple stops. Decide if you're a person who wants to view lots of things on the road and make little side stops or if you like to get to your destinations ASAP. Don't forget that directions like google maps don't account for food or gas stops. Gas stops are always 15-20mins.

I did a quick check of this and you're talking about 5-6 days of travelling minimum. 10 days would be the minimum I would take. Since the drive home from the Redwoods is 3 days you can take at least one campsite to rest.

Once you've got your travel plans figured out then decide how you want to enjoy your destinations and how many days that will require. Be honest with yourself about what you want to do and how much time it will take. Don't forget about travel time in the area. Driving around large national parks can sometimes mean 1-2 hours of drive time per day.

Next plan on WHERE you will stay. Lots of options there. There are usually lots of facilities outside of the parks that provide lots of options with varying levels of privacy and amenities. At some point you'll want to do laundry. Since you've got a pop-up you'll likely want places that have a bathhouse. Outside of that, the sky is the limit. You can stay very primitive or find a campground resort and relax in a pool in California one day.

Go for it. You won't regret it. In fact I'm getting jealous just thinking about it.

[eyeguy 54]

thx all, with this body I decided no way to do it in 2 weeks. Thinking maybe arches and canyons in Utah and relax more. Maybe yosemite and then backtrack.

[leech~~]

Absolutley...Go West Young Man! Been to all and highly recommend the trip...might want to spend a day or two in Yellowstone, not that far out of the way. 2 weeks is doable but you'd need to drive hard in-between destinations but traffic moves fast out west till you hit CA but even then not too bad. Tahoe is a must IMO out in the area too and lots of fun, the lake is indescribable. Plenty of nice camping parks all along the way....and people are MN nice out there.

All are great and Yellowstone as well. If you go to Yellowstone in a soft sided popup, there are some camp spots you cannot camp in without a hardside because of the griz in the area.