Advice Please - CO to CA Coast

[Shiny]

We are new to RV and our 5.0. Last summer we camped "locally" but are planning our first "cross-country" trip to the CA coast after driving a rental car from SF to OR last year along Hwy 1.

Our destination is Manchester State Park and the nearby KOA for a few days, then return. We start and end in Montrose CO, south of Grand Junction.

How should we approach planning? What do you recommend as a route, hours driving per day, RV parks along the way, planning apps, etc.?

How early can we travel in the spring to improve chances of decent weather before school is out?

Thanks for any and all advice.

Mike

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Shiny

We are new to RV and our 5.0. Last summer we camped "locally" but are planning our first "cross-country" trip to the CA coast after driving a rental car from SF to OR last year along Hwy 1.

Our destination is Manchester State Park and the nearby KOA for a few days, then return. We start and end in Montrose CO, south of Grand Junction.

How should we approach planning? What do you recommend as a route, hours driving per day, RV parks along the way, planning apps, etc.?

How early can we travel in the spring to improve chances of decent weather before school is out?

Thanks for any and all advice.

Mike

We took the 'loneliest road in America' US 50 in Nevada eastbound a couple of years ago.

Great Basin National Park is a hidden gem IMO.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by TTMartin

We took the 'loneliest road in America' US 50 in Nevada eastbound a couple of years ago.

Great Basin National Park is a hidden gem IMO.

Thanks for this!

We have not been across Utah nor Nevada so are unfamiliar with the tradeoffs between routes.

We live 3 miles east of Hwy 50 so we know how to get on that one!

I don't want to drive more than 5 or 6 hrs per day if I can avoid it. We want to hold the total trip down to about 2 weeks so a few "short stops" along the way are necessary.

Assuming we choose to drive on 50, what is the best way to find places to camp along the way?

Is an app like this "RV Trip Wizard" worth the cost?

We have been through SLC enough to know the traffic there is less than endearing and we'd prefer avoiding that with the camper.

Is this route a reasonable compromise between duration and scenery?



All comments encouraged! Thanks..

Mike

[Ron in BC]

Everyone has their own preferences about what to see and do and at what pace. But one aspect of your trip is similar to our style; that's a destination a fair distance away and not a lot of motivation or time to do things along the way.

A couple of tips are:

1. Stay as flexible as you can. This could include putting in a longer day than you might wish to get to a place that's sounds really good. As opposed to stopping at a mediocre spot and then driving an hour or so the next day and passing the really good place.

2. There's always a place to stop for night. We drive from Alaska to Baja and West Coast to East Coast. We almost never make reservations. Lot's of folks look down on staying at Walmarts, rest stops, BLM et. al. but it works for us. "Free Camping" has proven very useful over the years. It's nice that places are free but that's not our motivation. They give us complete flexibility. We can arrive when we want, spend the evening and night in our trailer and then go. That's all we need when we're headed for a destination.

As to the route I'll leave others to offer their take on that, it might be a little subjective.

My main point; stay flexible.

Enjoy the planning.

Ron

[splitting_lanes]

I like what Ron suggests.

From my experience motorcycle camping across states, 300 miles a day should be doable, so you could do that trip one way in four days, spend time on the coast, then return in 3, 4, or 5 days depending upon how your experience was doing the trip in 4.

[Shiny]

Thank you both.

Yes, we will have to plan on a few 1-nighters and I appreciate the advice to remain flexible along the way vs overplanning.

Mike

[Kingfish]

Ely Nevada has a Casino on Main St. with plenty of overnight parking off the street behind it. Safe and walking distance from most everything.

[John in Santa Cruz]

this is a free camping site in the Mojave Desert National Preserve, just a few miles of easy gravel road off I40...


its behind a big rock outcropping, which completely blocked the highway noise.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/34...4d-115.6520301

[Shiny]

Thanks John and Kingfish!

Mike

[Akfishman]

I use Roadtrippers app to find spots to camp. Pop in your route, indicate what you’re looking for and up they pop. If you’re traveling over a weekend I’d advise getting a reservation. During the week not usually necessary. Another cool thing for a night is Harvest Hosts. We stayed in four or five different spots on our East Coast adventure this fall, when we just needed a place for one night. We found some really awesome spots. Usually only a few other RVs there or none at all and it’s free. Cost is $99 per year, easily justified with one or two nights on the road.

[Mike G]

Here are a couple of helpful resources for campsites:
US AND CANADA CAMPGROUNDS - FORMAL AND DISPERSED PUBLIC CAMPING LOCATIONS - Home
https://freecampsites.net/
https://www.campendium.com/
Be aware that Hwy 50 has a long stretch without gas (something like 180 or 190 miles, IIRC) so plan accordingly.

[John in Santa Cruz]

I've had pretty good luck using freecampsites.net (and applying my usual skeptic filter to the specific reviews of a given site, we've passed on quite a few that sounded sketchy)

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by Mike G

Here are a couple of helpful resources for campsites:
US AND CANADA CAMPGROUNDS - FORMAL AND DISPERSED PUBLIC CAMPING LOCATIONS - Home
https://freecampsites.net/
https://www.campendium.com/
Be aware that Hwy 50 has a long stretch without gas (something like 180 or 190 miles, IIRC) so plan accordingly.

Thank you Mike (great name), I will check out these sites and appreciate the help. I also appreciate the fuel-free zone warning! We aren't yet sold on Hwy 50 yet so this is a good factoid to consider.

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I've had pretty good luck using freecampsites.net (and applying my usual skeptic filter to the specific reviews of a given site, we've passed on quite a few that sounded sketchy)

Thank you John. I will look at this one. We have a lot of dispersed camping and BLM land near our home and have seen what we would also call some "sketchy" situations. So far we have camped only in Forest Service and State Park campgrounds. We have yet to use a free nor commercial campground so maybe need to expand our experience horizons!

Mike

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by Akfishman

I use Roadtrippers app to find spots to camp. Pop in your route, indicate what you’re looking for and up they pop. If you’re traveling over a weekend I’d advise getting a reservation. During the week not usually necessary. Another cool thing for a night is Harvest Hosts. We stayed in four or five different spots on our East Coast adventure this fall, when we just needed a place for one night. We found some really awesome spots. Usually only a few other RVs there or none at all and it’s free. Cost is $99 per year, easily justified with one or two nights on the road.

Thanks for this. I started looking at the Roadtrippers site and it appears to be a good tool for what we are trying to do with our low experience. It seems similar to the RVTripWizard site I started looking at. Anyone have any experience with both of these to compare? The Roadtrippers lets you share trip plans which would be helpful for communicating with my wife.

We have heard of Harvest Hosts and will look into it. This does seem a good option for overnights. My guess is lots of competition for few sites. How hard has it been to book when you wanted?

Mike

[LarryLSB]

Originally Posted by Shiny

Thanks for this. I started looking at the Roadtrippers site and it appears to be a good tool for what we are trying to do with our low experience. It seems similar to the RVTripWizard site I started looking at. Anyone have any experience with both of these to compare? The Roadtrippers lets you share trip plans which would be helpful for communicating with my wife.

We have heard of Harvest Hosts and will look into it. This does seem a good option for overnights. My guess is lots of competition for few sites. How hard has it been to book when you wanted?

Mike

HH member here, we use them often for overnights to Socal or Norcal from our home on the Monterey Bay. Makes for a shorter day and most places no need to unhook. Oh, plus being at a winery is a plus.

Larry

[Roger C H]

We drove WA to WI several times. We drove to WI ASAP then took our time returning. This way we could stay longer at a preferred place and not destroy our schedule because we were getting closer to home.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by LarryLSB

HH member here, we use them often for overnights to Socal or Norcal from our home on the Monterey Bay. Makes for a shorter day and most places no need to unhook. Oh, plus being at a winery is a plus.

Larry

Thanks. I like the idea of leaving the trailer attached if we are just spending one night.

Originally Posted by Roger C H

We drove WA to WI several times. We drove to WI ASAP then took our time returning. This way we could stay longer at a preferred place and not destroy our schedule because we were getting closer to home.

Thanks to you too. That makes sense.

Mike

[CasparScape]

Hi, I’ll let others advise on route, but I can tell you a bit about Manchester SP. Before I retired I was acting manager of the State Park district that includes Manchester. Part of the allure of this park is it is a bit more isolated than other parks in Mendocino County, with the wild north Pacific virtually at your doorstep. There is camping there, as well as at the KOA immediately adjacent. However, as you probably saw, the park is First Come, and does not re-open until late April, 2022, so the KOA may be a good choice. The town of Manchester is very close, and has a very good grocer/deli, and a lot of needs you won’t find at regular grocers. Just down the road is Pt. Arena, with a lighthouse to visit, and there you could also visit BLM’s Point Arena-Stornetta Unit, where you might see nesting Peregrines on the offshore stacks in spring. Here is a link to more specifics about Manchester SP. Your 5.0 should fit, just. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=437
Safe Travels

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by CasparScape

... Before I retired I was acting manager of the State Park district that includes Manchester. Part of the allure of this park is it is a bit more isolated than other parks in Mendocino County, with the wild north Pacific virtually at your doorstep. There is camping there, as well as at the KOA immediately adjacent. ....

Wow, small world here! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and the link.

You obviously did a great job before retiring! Of all the amazing places we scouted on our car trip from SF to Eugene, that park seemed a good destination for an extended escape to the ocean.

We figured after the long haul the KOA would be a good place to recover with the luxury of a hook-up so that was our plan.

[Shiny]

Thanks again for all the guidance. We made it there and back and had a good trip.

We took our time getting there but admit we wanted to get across the desert fast after leaving Salt Lake City. Our stops on the way to Manchester were Provo, Winnemucca, South Tahoe, and Petaluma. Drove a few roads I would not choose again but after the massive salt flats, the scenery was great.

Originally Posted by CasparScape

Hi, I’ll let others advise on route, but I can tell you a bit about Manchester SP. Before I retired I was acting manager of the State Park district that includes Manchester. Part of the allure of this park is it is a bit more isolated than other parks in Mendocino County, with the wild north Pacific virtually at your doorstep. ........ Just down the road is Pt. Arena, with a lighthouse to visit, and there you could also visit BLM’s Point Arena-Stornetta Unit, where you might see nesting Peregrines on the offshore stacks in spring. Here is a link to more specifics about Manchester SP. Your 5.0 should fit, just. https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=437
Safe Travels

CasparScape - We spent a week at the KOA, checking out the coast between Gualala and Mendocino. Beautiful scenery, amazing variety of plants and wildflowers. A lot of wind too!

The State Park was a short walk from the KOA and very accessible but unfortunately closed to dogs to protect a Plover habitat. This kept us from spending much time there.

One morning we walked along the bluff from the north end of the Stornetta preserve and really enjoyed that stretch. As expected, we spent most of the time staring west but I turned around and saw what we assume was a gray heron standing under some trees in a dry meadow about 75 yards away. Seemed an odd place to find a heron. As we watched, it started stalking something and before long had snagged a burrowing rodent. Was really interesting to see and a great place to visit!

We had a scare one afternoon. We had driven to Gualala and on the way back drove into smoke from a fire. We rounded the bend and were told Hwy 1 was blocked. Not wanting to be cut off from our camper and not knowing how it would play out, we were told we might be able to go north by first going east into the woods, then along a small N-S road, then back down. We were lucky and got around the fire but the adrenaline was pumping. About 40 acres ended up burning and crossed the highway at Schooner Gulch State Park. It could have been WAY worse so many thanks to the firefighters that got it under control and kept it out of the forests.

Return trip was more direct, sticking to major highways.

For our first cross-country experience and commercial RV parks, we feel like it worked out well. The truck and Escape were both trouble-free and I now have some towing experience. Once I even backed the camper into a spot on the first try!

Party on, Garth!