Traveling around the lower 48

shiftyride

New member
This summer I will be taking my family (Myself, my wife, our 6 year old boy, and our 4 year old girl) from the central coast of California up through the Pacific Northwest, then East to Glacier NP, continuing Eastward towards Niagara Falls, then down to Philadelphia and continuing Southbound to North Carolina before heading back Westward through Mississippi on our way to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. We are planning on taking roughly six weeks for our travels which seems like both a long time and far too short a time to complete this route while enjoying the areas that we will be traveling through. I am looking for advice on where we should stay and the sights we should see along this route. We are planning to drive our RV and tow a Jeep behind us so that we do not necessarily have to camp right in the NP or area we want to explore. Since this trip has only just become available to us I have not made any reservations anywhere and I know that summer travel can get hairy if you do not have accommodations setup ahead of time. I would really appreciate any advice on where we can camp that is scenic, or close to somewhere scenic, that might be somewhat off the beat path and I have a chance at getting a camping spot at that is along my way. Our route is not set in stone by any means, so anything close to what I have described would be helpful. We are very excited about this trip and appreciate any words of wisdom that anyone has to offer. Our departure date as of now is set as June 15 and finishing somewhere central Colorado by August 1. Thanks ahead of time -
 

mnwanders

Member
Being from MN, I'll try and help answer for spots in the Midwest...

I'd think about whether you decide to take I94 through North Dakota or I90 through South Dakota on your way east, or if you are going to take interstate at all. Personally, I'd try to hit Theodore Roosevelt NP in ND then go straight south into the Black Hills area in SD. Here I would hit Wind Cave, Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore, and the Badlands. Plenty of places to camp there. I would not skip either but if time is an issue, you might have to consider either/or. The problem with coming through SD is the best parts of my state (MN) are in the far north, so you may want to come through ND instead.

For MN, you need to try and hit the north shore of Lake Superior, between Duluth and Grand Portage. Tons of state parks along the way. It is every Minnesotan's favorite area. After that, I'd head east across the upper peninsula of Michigan and come south into the main part of MI. Being sure to see the Apostle Islands in WI along the way.

Are you going northeast of Niagara at all? We are planning a ten day trip from MN to Maine this year trying to hit Niagara and the Green and White mountains on our way to Acadia national park in ME.

Have a great trip! I'm excited for you, I'd love to do the same as you.


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Fjryan

New member
My recommendations are for the Park Cafe in Browning, MT. Great food, especially the pie!
Any of the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC are also great. You'll definitely want to park the RV outside of town and take the Jeep in. For that matter the Going-To-The-Sun road in Glacier NP would be a little bit of a hassle in a long RV but far easier than navigating DC streets.


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NatersXJ6

Explorer
Passports?

If you have passports, you can leave Michigan and cut across Canada to Niagara. I think the Canadian side of the falls is nicer anyway. Then you re-enter the US for the return leg. While I love the UP, I think the trip round the north side of Lake Superior is amazing too.
 

rcharrette

Adventurer
My family and I travel full-time, we've been on the road for over a year now. Last year we went up the entire West Coast into BC then dropped back down through Montana, Wyoming on our way back to Colorado. From there we took off for Florida for a while to visit Grandparents for our 2 boys (12yrs and 2yrs). All in our 27' TT that we tow with our 08' Land Rover LR3.
Anyway, we rarely make reservations in our travels. If you can be flexible and deal with the occasional SNAFU you can usually pull into a campground (or call the day of) and find a last minute cancellation. Or at least an "over flow" camping area at a reduced rates (no hook ups).
As far as places to visit, what do you all like to do?
Also, this site is very useful for locating free camp spots and reviews of all spots while cruising down the road. https://www.campendium.com
 
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shiftyride

New member
Thank you all for your replies so far. We are very excited for our trip and welcome the advice and insight other people that have done similar things have. Going into Canada to see Niagara Falls sounds like the way to go. My wife and I have passports, but our kids do not. Does anyone know at what age they will need their own passport to travel with us? Any laws entering or exiting either country that I should be aware of? I would like to keep this trip somewhat loose and spontaneous while still having an overall plan and route in place. I am hoping that camping spots are easier to come by outside of California which is where I have had a lot of frustration with areas filling to capacity as soon as reservations are made available. Thanks again to everyone
 

plh

Explorer
Does anyone know at what age they will need their own passport to travel with us?

If you're traveling to Canada, minors 15 and younger may cross land or sea borders without a passport, but a certified copy of a birth certificate is necessary. The rule applies when coming back into the USA. No issue getting to Canada.

Other countries:

All children must present a valid U.S. passport for international air travel. This rule applies regardless of age, including infants and newborns
 
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shiftyride

New member
Thanks PLH, good to know. One of our destinations is the Oregon dunes prior to heading towards Glacier NP. I have been to Klamath Falls before by myself and am thinking of swinging back southward to take the family there. Mileage wise it would be better to head North and East, so does anyone know of any other big waterfalls between the Dunes and Glacier that would be more on a direct route rather than going down to Klamath? Also, I am looking for a 4 bike hitch rack for the JKU. Any suggestions what to get or what not to get? So far my front runner is the Versahitch with their bike rack...
 

Ovr_land

New member
I can help a tid bit on the UP side of things, if you come through Duluth through the Apostles and run the south side of superior.

I agree that your time is not enough to hit everything on your trip. So I'll hit the high spots and let you research them a little more.

East to west:

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (Lake of the Clouds on the 107th is scenic)
Copper Harbor
Garden Peninsula, Fayette Historic State Park
Kitch Iti Kipi Park and glass bottom boats on Big Springs
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Sault Ste. Marie, Soo Locks
Mackinac Island
Drummond Island

There are a ton of waterfalls along the routes in the UP. Some are tiny though, so either ask or look each one up to know what's worth heading out in a time crunch.


Obviously you would take over two weeks going through the UP alone, if you were to hit everything and try to enjoy them. It really matters what you are gearing this part of your trip for to know what ones to best hit.

Historic? Fayette, then Sault Ste Marie and Mackinac Island.
Scenic? Lake of the Clouds, Pictured Rocks, Taq Falls.
Excuse to unhook the Jeep? Park the RV in Ontonogan, Cruise to the Lake of the Clouds then to Copper Harbor. It's pavement pounding and gravel. Park the RV in Detour City and ferry the Jeep to Drummond Island, cruise out to Marble Head. Camp for the night on public lands, watching the sun come up in the east. I don't know how capable your Jeep is, but I took my stock JKU for quite a few trails on DI. DI is mostly rockier, so it looks tougher than it is. Plenty of stock Jeeps hit those trails year round. Google "Drummond Island Jeep Spring Migration"


None the less, coming through the Great Lakes area that I think you should do is: Have your kids dip their feet in all five great lakes. I remember doing that when I was younger.


Lake of the Clouds:
15369224629_fa8ef81cd6_b.jpg



Kitch Iti Kipi
kitchi-waters_52571.jpg



Fayette:
Fayette-Overview.jpg



Pictured Rocks:
IMG_4211.JPG


Tahquamenon Falls:
1200px-Tahquamenon_falls_upper.jpg



Sault Ste. Marie:
soo_locks.jpg



Mackinac Island:
horses-tours-bike-carriage-tour-downtown.jpg



Waterfalls Map:
1ea160c9a00f7c1386297ab5df92b94b.jpg
 

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