January RTR rest stop ideas.
- Thread starter Ohioan
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Welcome to the CRVL forumsOhioan! Check the weather forecast before leaving Ohio. Traveling south to I-20 or I-10 then going west is often the best choice to avoid snowstorms in the mountainous states. The trip planner on freecampsites - https://freecampsites.net/#!&query=TripPlanner - will give you some good ideas for places to overnight. Looking forward to seeing you at the RTR!
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To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.
Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.
We look forward to hearing more from you.
What will you be driving?
A car or minivan can park just about anywhere, but a 65 foot long RV, not so much.
A car or minivan can park just about anywhere, but a 65 foot long RV, not so much.
B and C
Well-known member
The easiest is freecampsites.net. They have a route planner there.
B and C
Well-known member
If you want us to plan your route and stops instead of using the freecampsite.net trip planner, we are going to need a lot more info. How many days have you allotted to get there? There are some national parks between you and there. Keep south that time of year. I have run into an ice storm in west Texas on I-10 getting to the RTR in January.
Rest stops, and recreational camping for a day or two, are very different objectives.
freecampsites.com and allstays.com can help you find nice places to camp for a day or 3, but rest stops will usually be 6 to 10 hours at a rest area, shopping center, truck stop, or big box store along your route.
Your planned route, time schedule, and of course bad weather along the way in January might make this very hard to plan this early.
Keep your plans flexible and watch the weather as the time approaches.
freecampsites.com and allstays.com can help you find nice places to camp for a day or 3, but rest stops will usually be 6 to 10 hours at a rest area, shopping center, truck stop, or big box store along your route.
Your planned route, time schedule, and of course bad weather along the way in January might make this very hard to plan this early.
Keep your plans flexible and watch the weather as the time approaches.
So far I have a two weeks vacation however it may end up being the entire month of January. I’ll be keeping south as much as possible. I was wondering about the national parks if ones better than any others. I’ve really never left Ohio in decades.B and C said:
Ohioan said:
Ok, then you might want to venture out in say, September, to some camping areas within about 150 miles of where you live to help you get comfortable and prepared for a longer trip.
If possible, pick 2 or 3 days in the Monday-Friday time slot, to avoid the crowds.
B and C
Well-known member
Here is a freecampsites.net route that I threw together: https://freecampsites.net/#!Ohio~Ja...&routeDistance=5&routeIndex=0&roundtrip=false
I just set the option to 5 miles for out of the way for a place to stop and a couple of cities to make it take a southerly route. Driving hard each day may get you there in 3 or 4 days. The RTR is two weeks long and you will miss a major portion of it to travel time.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is in your neck of the woods to visit now if you want national parks.
I just set the option to 5 miles for out of the way for a place to stop and a couple of cities to make it take a southerly route. Driving hard each day may get you there in 3 or 4 days. The RTR is two weeks long and you will miss a major portion of it to travel time.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is in your neck of the woods to visit now if you want national parks.
Avoiding Interstates is an option wherever possible and practical.
The rest areas along regular highways are underutilized and can have 15-18 hour stay limits. Some do not allow commercial trucks. They may not have the facilities found on the Interstate, but they are quieter.
How much time do you want to spend traveling versus time spent at a destination.
As the RTR approaches there may be others in your area or along a route to travel with if you so desire.
The rest areas along regular highways are underutilized and can have 15-18 hour stay limits. Some do not allow commercial trucks. They may not have the facilities found on the Interstate, but they are quieter.
How much time do you want to spend traveling versus time spent at a destination.
As the RTR approaches there may be others in your area or along a route to travel with if you so desire.
mpruet
Well-known member
I'd travel south that time of the year. You can run into snow storms in northern New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado.
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona allow overnight parking in their rest stops. There are several towns in west Texas that have free camping in municipal parks and often with Electrical Hookups. Lamesa, TX on US 180 between Fort Worth and El Paso is one such park that I've stayed at. If you were to take that route, then you'd be close to Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands.
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona allow overnight parking in their rest stops. There are several towns in west Texas that have free camping in municipal parks and often with Electrical Hookups. Lamesa, TX on US 180 between Fort Worth and El Paso is one such park that I've stayed at. If you were to take that route, then you'd be close to Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands.
highdesertranger
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also remember that January is the off season so many National Parks will be at reduced access and some will have major parts closed. I would follow the advice that has been given here already. get south ASAP and go from there. also remember they don't even know where the RTR will be this year. highdesertranger
B and C said:
I did not even know that route planning could be done on freecampsites.net webpage. Learn something new everyday!
B and C
Well-known member
My goto when destination driving
