Hi, we are a couple travelling from Europe to the USA for the first time! We are 50+ and have dreamed of a road trip in a motorhome (Class B) from San Francisco (arriving beginning of August). We want to stay in San Francisco for around 4 days to catch our breath (10 time zones etc) and after seeing the sites in and around the city, we would like to go to Yosemite and then head north. We have 3 weeks and would like to see the Redwoods, Crater Lake, the beautiful coast road, Olympic National Park, San Juan Islands and Vancouver and eventually return the motorhome to Seattle where we leave to return home.
Checking out places to stay seems very complicated. The motorhome has a lavatory and shower so from time to time we will need to stay in organised camp sites, but how does one book and is it advisable to book in advance or just "go with the flow". How dangerous is boondocking - have read some interesting insights.
This forum seems to be the best place to look for advice from experienced travellers and we would very much appreciate any pointers.
Thanks all.
Yo

Honest opinion . . . Do NOT rent a motorhome for this. It will be easier, cheaper and you will have more flexibility w/ a hire car and staying in hotels/motels.

And for Vancouver you don't want/need a car, and you don't need one for Vancouver to Seattle either, although I might take the bus to Victoria for a day or two and then the ferry to Seattle.

Have you rented/driven a motor home before? Are you used to driving on the right as we do here?

Sites near big popular areas are booked far in advance and you can't just park an RV (any size) overnight or even "just anywhere" especially not in any major city.

Hi and welcome to Fodor's!

Regarding the RV, I too think it's an unwise choice given your plans. Some of the roads you want to travel are anything but RV-friendly, the costs are likely to be astronomical, and in-city driving in places like Vancouver is going to be maddening. For example:

- You're traveling to some of the most popular destinations in the west at their peak times. If you don't have space booked in Yosemite for overnight stays right now, you might well be faced with having to stay so far outside the national park that visiting it becomes extremely difficult.

- Virtually all of the Oregon and Washington coasts are posted for no overnight camping, i.e. boondocking. Where there are possible sites, you're probably going to find people already there; it's not uncommon for people to stay put for days on end. Boondocking on the San Juan Islands is basically impossible.

So it's more than likely that while you might be able to camp on some roadside for one or two nights, the majority of your nights are going to be spent in RV-friendly campgrounds, with fees and booking difficulties that are likely to be aggravating at best.

But even setting the RV/camping issues aside, you're going to need to modify your plans. You're talking about too much country being covered in too short a time, unless you're satisfied with simple drive-by experiences lasting hours when it should be days.

- Yosemite is going to be hot and crowded, and it's likely you won't find any place to camp in the valley itself and will need to spend a couple of hours "commuting" into the park.

- Wanting to see Yosemite, the redwoods, Crater Lake and the Oregon coast involves hundreds of miles zigzagging around the region, mainly on roads that are not especially fast or RV-friendly, and through landscapes that are hot and not especially scenic in the process.

- Parts of eastern Oregon are going to be extremely impacted by people coming to watch a solar eclipse in mid-August. There will be a "spillover" effect on RV parks throughout the region.

- Accommodations in much of your target area are going to be pricey. This will last through the Labor Day holiday weekend in both Canada and the US - the first weekend in September, after which crowds decline rapidly with the return of children to school.

So I'd recommend (a) doing a detailed side-by-side budget of the RV v. a regular car; (b) reducing your itinerary by eliminating the east-west zigzags; (c) seeing if you could move your trip back a few weeks to avoid the end-of-summer crunch, and (d) seeing if a reduced itinerary could give you a couple of days to return the vehicle (RV or car) to where you rented it. This last step might very well save you hundreds of dollars or more.

The path of the eclipse crosses all of Oregon from near Lincoln City on the coast all the way to Ontario and into Idaho on the morning of August 21, 2017. Things will be a bit crazy for several days before and at least a day afterward.
If you must fly to San Francisco to start, then fly or take the train to Seattle after about 24 hours after landing.
Rent whatever vehicle you want in either Seattle or Portland.
Drive the coast southbound all the way to San Francisco.
Spend another 2 days in San Francisco before heading north on I-5 back to Oregon. You might be lucky enough to see a play in Ashland (Shakespeare theater).
Go to see Crater Lake. From Crater Lake you can either return to Portland by way of Bend or by way of Roseburg and I-5. Return whatever vehicle you rent to the place you rented it in Portland or Seattle and then take the train or Amtrak bus to Vancouver. Return to Seattle for your flight home as you planned.

I think like many you have some misconceptions about the cost and practicality of RV rental and travel in the US. Read this article and listen to the other posters here on Fodor's who have given you good advice.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...ht.For.Us.html

Boondocking is illegal in many places although you can find some on BLM and National Forest lands with primitive facilities, but these places will take some driving to get to and your timeline is already too crowded.

Hi and thank you all so much for your replies. Please forgive my delay in thanking you all, I was unwell with flu. Have taken your advice and cancelled this plan for this summer. I really appreciate your time and detailed advice. We are now considering something closer to home. Thanks again