Illinois to California Road Trip in RV
 

My husband & I are going on a road trip with our 5th wheel camper leaving in June from central Illinois. We plan on being gone 4-6 weeks. Our only definite plan right now is we have reservations at a campground just outside of Yellowstone for the 3rd week of June. We eventually plan to visit our daughter in very northern California before heading home. Any ideas of "must see's" along the way? How about campgrounds, unique restaurants, off the beaten path places to visit? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

We've also tow a 5th wheel and have been to Yellowstone. I've got a couple of suggestions for campgrounds to stay in along your way. Just outside of Yankton South Dakota is Lewis and Clark Lake State Park. The lake is on the Missouri River. This is one of the nicest state parks we've ever stayed in, with lots of shade, green grass and bike paths. Another nice state park we stayed in about 15 years ago is Custer State Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Near Mt Rushmore. Another possiblilty is the Bad lands also of S.D. We went to Wall Drug and wern't impressed. Just a bunch of tourist shops selling stuff. We were heading to New England when we stayed at Lewis and Clark Lake and you can read about that trip (and others) on my blog at this link:

http://tinyurl.com/yabcb7n

So much to see...redwoods in northern California, Crater Lake National Park, the Oregon coast, Badlands National Park, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, and more. Suggest you check www.drivecrosscountry.net for more ideas of places that can be toured with a RV.

Thanks for the information! We will check this all out :)

I agree with the statements about wall drug! What a disappointment that was.
Custer State Park of South Dakota TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!

In Tennessee you can Pick up the Natchez Trace Parkway
50 MPH speed limit, so beautiful it is the most peaceful serene road I have ever been on. NO off and on traffic, no billboards, hardly any traffic. We took it almost all the way from beginning to end, not sure how or if you can work it in your trip, but it is great. There are also FREE campgrounds on the route, some even with electric! 7 to 14 day maximum stay.

We have a 42 foot fifth wheel, and had no problems with length or height.

If this is your first fifth wheel trip, Size matters! when you plan your route, make sure you are aware of that! Because ours is so long and tall, we have some restrictions, but not on that road!

Closer to CA, You have got to see Texas Canyon, ARIZONA (yes AZ) Not Texas. I have a lot of pictures of this on my blog
http://rvingdog.blogspot.com

We stayed at the Triangle T Ranch. If you want to save money, they and other places are willing to barter your stay for a little bit of work.

If you are fully self contained and don't need sewer and water, you can find free camping/boondocking galore!

If you look at my blog, type in Andrew, Texas in the search bar for the greatest free campground I ever stayed at, FREE WITH Electric and Water. You can and we did, leave a donation
but it was our choice and I loved that!

Happy travels!

Thanks for the information cdsieg! I checked out your blog. Snakes are my biggest fear in life! I probably would've had a heart attack & died right on the spot if I ran into that snake! I know we won't make it to Tennessee on this trip, but will put Natchez Trace Parkway on our list. This is our 2nd trip out west with the RV. Our 1st was in 2002 when we moved our daughter out to CA. Since we weren't retired yet, we did 6000 miles in 20 days. Whew! We won't do that again. We stopped along the way & saw some things, but just didn't have the time to really sightsee. This time, we won't be on a schedule or time-frame(except when the money runs out!). Sure looking forward to it. We didn't know there were any free campgrounds out there. How did you find them? I know that some of the best things out there are what you find when you're not looking for them. We've also learned to talk to the locals because they'll tell you about the best places you won't find in any travel guide. Thanks again for the info!

Hi Janeanns,

You are most welcome, and thank you for your comments and looking at my blog.

As far as the snakes go heart attack is the next thing after messing in your pants! LOL

There is a book I bought online called Don Wrights Guide To Free Campgrounds. It includes Campgrounds $12.00 and under.

That is where we found the one in Andrew, Texas and some others along the way.

My husband and I started traveling during the winter months and work camp our way where ever we go. I send out emails to campgrounds and wait for a reply. We left home December 3rd,2009 and head for home in a few days; we have paid for 3 nights of camping for our entire trip! (makes the money last a lot longer)!

Anyhow, best of luck and feel free to email or leave messages on my blog, if you have any other questions. :)