jlb2007

The Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon) is amazing... tons to do outdoors and incredibly beautiful. San Juan Islands are a great spot in Washington and you could even make it up to British Columbia.

angethereader

I'm the one who mentioned the Great Lakes Circle Tour, however I would drive a car and stay in hotels. There are plenty along the way.

CollegeMom

Chicago and Lake Michigan beaches are great in June/July. You could spend weeks in museums in Chicago. Tourist areas in Chicago would be safe, but I recommend staying outside the city with an RV and taking a commuter train into the city. Driving and parking an RV in Chicago would be a nighmare as well as expensive. If you plan to come spring/early summer AZ for Grand Caynon, 4 corners (states by NE AZ) have beautiful scenery, canyons, natioanl parks, etc. If you want shopping and nightlife, you won't find it there! An RV there would be ideal in AZ but distances are long. Southern AZ around Tucson offers other natural attractions as well as the city itself which is a great blend of Spanish and Western cultures. Need to know what you like to do and when you are travelling to be the most helpful.

JJ5

My kids drive mid-sized RV, a large van with groups of 6 or 7 upon occasion, and an Excursion into Chicago. It isn't impossible. The only place you can't park is the underground / Grant Park garages.

And I see RV's all the time in SW Michigan. And of course they are common in the Upper P. and in Northern Wisc./ MN as well.

You just wouldn't need it "in" the city and could easily leave it at the train stations for a week or so, nearly rent free. At my train station it would be $1 a day. $7 for an entire week.

Minmaggie

If you get to Arizona, make it a point to at least drive through Sedona. It's beautiful!! Perhaps on your way North to the Grand Canyon.

trippinkpj

I'd go to either the Pacific Northwest, or the Southwest/ 4 Corners states (AZ, NM, UT & CO). Nice time of year to travel.

Castleblanca

If you make it to the Grand Canyon, which is truly one of the world's great wonders, do yourself a favor and after you see it from the south rim (which most people do), drive around to the north rim. The north rim is actually much nicer and off the beaten track.

Then you are not far from two great national parks in southern Utah, Bryce and Zion. You'll thank yourself for seeing these after your visit!

aceplace

Kazza1,

I think the Chicago people have a rivalry with Dallas and Texas, and tend to dismiss them, but Texas has a much larger visitor industry than Chicago or Illinois... plenty of things to see and do. Especially if you like mountain scenery.

The Dallas-Ft Worth metro is now the 4th largest metro area in America, and has over 6 million people... many things to see and do, as you would expect from those population numbers. It also has many state parks and federal campgrounds on the shores of its dozen or so lakes... for your RV.

The DFW area is also a convenient entry point to the central Texas corridor, taking you through Waco, the Texas Hill Country, Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi... very popular visitor destinations.

If you go west from San Antonio toward El Paso, you'll visit any number of interesting towns... in the Hill Country and beyond. I found San Angelo to be of particular interest, but the Davis Mountains farther west is a very beautiful area, as is the Big Bend country... this is your introduction to the Anerican west.

Is Texas the most scenic and interesting place in the USA? No, I don't think so... but I wouldn't like to try to guess at what place, if any, that might be. As someone said, it's as difficult as trying to decide on the best country in Europe or Asia. Whether or not it is superlative in every way, however, Texas and its surrounding states of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas all have plenty to see and do... and seem to include, in a small way, all the diversity of America... its landscapes, cities and people.

Maurine

I too agree with the others posting a relpy to your question. The West and Northwest is gorgeous. However, let me say a few words on behalf of Tennessee. If you come to East Tennessee in the spring, you will not find a more beautiful place. We live at the base of the Smokey Mountains (Chattanooga area). Wild flowers, dogwood trees, redbud trees are just a few of the beautiful plants you will see. Chattanooga itself, is a great little city with lots to do. (I know, we hype Rock City and Ruby Falls a lot, but that's only the tip of the iceberg-so-to-speak). The area is alive with history, theatre, symphony, opera, dance, and has one of the few carving schools in the nation with our own lovely carousel in the park by the river. Chattanooga boasts one of the nations' finest aquariums. We have white water nearby (the white water events of the 96 Olympics were held on the Ocoee River), all sorts of hiking trails and some very nice restaurants. The people are friendly and love to help visitors have a good time.

sunbum1944

Keep in mind if you choose Oregon/Wa that the weather could be cool and rainy until the end of June - beginning of Jul
But it is beautiful - I live in Oregon
and can assure you there is a lot to see

Norden1

As someone who has travelled all 50 states, which all have something going for them, for scenery alone I would start in Utah. Every 50 miles you get a complete change of scenery, then if time permits head for Colorado.
PS I would recomend a car over an RV.Where ever you drive you will enjoy the trip.

HonestAbe

In addition to the "when" question, there is also a major question on what turns your crank.

If you want your visit to center around a world-class city, you want Chicago.

If you want your visit to explore varied and dramatic terrain, you want the Yellowstone, Pacific NW, or Utah areas.

If you want your visit to focus on the deep, rich American tradition, and hospitality, I think the Tennessee / Carolinas / Louisiana suggested is good

And if you like more "foresty" lake country, you want to go to Minnesota, wisconsin, and Michigan

bethmac

Hey, Maurine, I like your style! Grew up in east TN, lived in Nashville area, and now in Memphis. I think a flight into Atlanta, drive up through east Tennessee ending in Asheville with a trip to the Biltmore and back through western Carolinas would be very enjoyable, particularly in fall or spring.

andrews98682

If you're going to do Chicago and loop around Michigan, you do not want an RV for the Windy City portion. And you do not want to waste your time commuting between the city and the burbs. Stay in the city and use the El, buses and taxis to get around.

pollyvw

Go to some of the tour company websites and see what they offer (not that you want a tour, I know), but they have some great itineraries that you can follow and spin off from.

(Tauck, Grand Circle, Brennen, Collette, Globus, etc...search: USA tours)

My next similar trip will be Oregon including the coast, Columbia River Gorge, Portland, Crater Lake and Mt St Helens in Wash. Can easily take more than 2 weeks. I'm also drooling to do a circle route in Colorado including Rocky Mountain Natl Park, Durango, Oaray (sp), Colorado Springs, Denver. Maybe with a spur down into New Mexico.

carolyn

Pollyvw, I did a Colorado circle trip once, and it was gorgeous. My favorite part of the state is the Rocky Mountain NP. Ouray-Telluride highway isn't bad, either.

sarge56

As a native Chicagoan, but a resident of Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth area) for nearly 20 years now...I can highly recommend both. We need to know what Kazza is looking for. Shopping/museums/art/nightlife? Or scenery? My sister, the woman who would live outdoors 24/7 if she could, still lives in Chicago area. But she takes every vacation day to the West. Of all the places she has hiked/seen over the last 30 years, she will tell you that the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas are her favorite (for all you anti-Texas fans). Bryce Canyon in Utah is a close second.

Texas has a lot to offer, but you don't want to come between May and August. Even here in Metroplex, it can get warm. But I certainly am in agreement that if shopping/museums/arts are your goal...Chicago is it. (I know a native Texan who just went to Chicago [involuntarily] last summer, for the first time. She could NOT stop talking about what a wonderful time she had and cannot wait to go back!!)haha

If it's scenery, do not miss the Grand Canyon and Sedona. (Because you're at a higher elevation, it is not as hot here in the summer as other parts west.)I promise you, there is NOTHING like it in Europe! It is all beautiful, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, Colorado. (Don't RV in Rockies, though...man- that incline on I-80 heading west into Salt Lake...WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Good luck, Kazza!

sarge56

PS While the Pacific Northwest is AWESOME and MY favorite spot to vacation...they have fabulous mountains and greenery and seacosts in Europe. The dessert Southwest...THAT you CANNOT get in Europe.

JJ5

Season of the trip matters immensely. I would not do the SW United States in late Spring to Fall, it is beyond hot. I love that vacation, but it encompasses immense amounts of driving. It did ever time we did it. That's why we have done different portions in different years. And you have to love grandeur, but you also have to love brown.

The distances are completely different in some of these choices. How much driving do you want to do? That would be an immense consideration.

tmt

find a national park that you would be interested in and make your trip around that.