New Jersey to San Diego Ca via I40

Vinny773

Well-known member

• May 15, 2012

• #1

My GF and I are planning are first cross-country trip from Denville New Jersey to San Diego, Calif. We are planning on doing the trip in 7-10 days. We will be leaving Denville around July 14th. We both are aware that it may be extremely warm. Our plans are taking Interstates I-81 and I-40. I hope our first night to be in Salem, Va. Dixie Caverns Campground approx. 450 miles. We plan on driving 400-450 miles per day. We are looking for ideas from you experienced RV ER'S on places we should see, places to avoid, rv parks for a night or two, good restaurants,etc. We are newbies and looking for sound advice. Would Interstate I-80 be better? or another route? Any travel tips would be welcome. Do's and don't would also be appreciated.

 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator

• May 15, 2012

• #2

Vinny, that seems like the most direct route for sure but be aware I 40 around OK City is nasty. I'm sorry to say I can't offer any suggestions to get around it.
We've been west but took I 70 to Kansas City then down to Wichita then 54 SW to Tucumcari, NM and I 40 west from there. Remember to check your tires regularly and check the hubs at fuel or rest stops. Have a safe & fun trip.

 

bill40

Well-known member

• May 15, 2012

• #3

Vinny we have used I40 twice for trips to CA. It is direct, the time of year you are going you could use one of the northern routes and come back 40. Ray is right on there are some rough spots but I think you can find that anywhere. We used I10 coming back one winter it was great till we got out of Texas then it was like a wash board.
Take your time and enjoy your trip.

 

boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)

• May 16, 2012

• #4

Dixie Caverns is very poorly rated (see www.rvparkreviews.com). I would think about staying at the KOA Natural Bridge a little further north on I81 or at the KOA Wytheville or Fort Chiswell Campground just north of Wytheville.

 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador

• May 16, 2012

• #5

Fort Chiswell would be my suggestion too...

 

davebennington

Senior Member

• May 16, 2012

• #6

Vinny,

There are quite a few interesting sights to see along the route that you have planned. That said I would question your travel time 400 to 450 miles per day is a bit aggressive and will make for a long day with little time to enjoy the trip. I say this because you have to find a campground and set up at the end of the day of hard driving and then the next day get everything ready to travel again. This routine will get old after a few days. IMHO

dave

 

wdk450

Well-known member

• May 16, 2012

• #7

Vinny:
At your objective of 400 to 500 miles a day you will likely be travelling at higher speeds. I hope you have premium tires (Goodyear Marathon's) and a tire pressure monitoring system. Higher speeds generate more tire heat, which can lead to tire failure. Although your rig is pretty new, I would have the suspension checked out, including the wheel bearings grease inspected. Some fairly new units have been found with little grease on the bearings.

 

Vinny773

Well-known member

• May 16, 2012

• #8

We would like to thank everyone on all the great advise. We have time to plan so please continue on with more advise and idea's. Not a problem not staying at the Dixie Campground we will definitely look into Fort Chiswell and Natural Bridges. All idea's are welcome, please!

 

Vinny773

Well-known member

• May 16, 2012

• #9

Ray, I am a newbie so can you explain why I-40 near Ok City Is nasty. Is it because of heavy traffic or ****** roads?

 

P

Paul & Nan

Well-known member

• May 16, 2012

• #10

From experience I40 is bad across Arkansas as well. Just about beat us to death last year. Your planned mileage a day wears me out to think about it. Don't think you will see much of the scenery as you fly by. Either you will be driving way to fast or way to long. Stop to smell the roses as it were. If you do not make the west coast, well, go there another day. And, have you thought of the northern route, like US 2 or I 80, it is beautiful, and again, if you do not make it all the way west, well-------------. In any event have a good trip and keep us posted. Nan

 

Hastey

Oklahoma Chapter Leaders

• May 16, 2012

• #11

I live in OK and can tell you that traffic is terrible around OKC and I40 surface is a total disaster. Lots of construction as well. I'm going to OKC Friday morning and I am going north to Tulsa and taking I44.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Vinny773

Well-known member

• May 17, 2012

• #12

thank you Hastey,
We will keep this in mind while planning our trip. I am thinking I-80 West to I-76 West to I-71 etc. I think this puts us around Elk City, Ok. until we get on the I-40

 

Vinny773

Well-known member

• May 17, 2012

• #13

Nan,
Have you taken I-80? That's not a problem for us because Denville is right off of I-80. I actually thought I-40 would be better. My ending destination is San Diego where my daughter will be having my first grandchild. Believe me we are very open to what Heartland members have to say.

 

Wolfpackers

Member

• May 18, 2012

• #14

Vinny,
That's quite a trip you've got planned and certainly doable, but I don't recommend trying to beeline it. From my 5 yrs of RV'ing and taking longer trips, I'll offer my advice to make it a more pleasurable trip.

1. Pick a route you want to travel and identify any stops you want to make to sightsee, visit friends/family, etc.
2. Break it up into legs for planning purposes, but don't lock yourself into a rigid schedule. I found that getting a campground site was easy...very few campgrounds are booked full unless there's a rally going on and usually that doesn't fill them up.
3. I find an average of 350 miles in a day is about all I want to do. I've done over 400 several times and will on occasion, do it again, just not day after day after day. I may do a 400 mile day, but the next one may only be 200-250 miles. On a trip from NC to the Grand Canyon a few years ago (our first big one), I set out thinking 500 miles a day was no biggie, but after spending a night at a truck stop when I was too tired to make my first day's destination, I reset my goals. We also spent 3 nights at two locations on the way to see old friends along I-40, but other than that, every day was a travel day of 300-350 miles.
4. I will now spend an occasional night at a WalMart if I'm trying to get somewhere and am willing to travel late into the evening, just check to make sure that WalMart allows overnight RV parking...most do, but not all.
5. If you decide to take I-40, here are some campgrounds we stayed at that I'd recommend. Some were on our way out, others on the way home. Some weren't great, but fine for one night. All had level sites and full hookups even though I would only dump tanks every 2nd or 3rd day to save time.
   • Tom Sawyer's RV Park, West Memphis, Ark don't miss this one, right on the Mississippi, spent 3 nights here, did Memphis
   • Fort Amarillo CG, Amarillo, TX
   • American RV Park, Albuquerque, NM
   • Holbrook KOA, Holbrook, AZ
   • Santa Rosa CG, Santa Rosa, NM
   • Elk City/Clinton KOA, Elk City/Clinton, OK
   • Ivys Cove RV Resort, Russellville, AR this one may have been after we headed south from I-40, don't recall for sure.
6. If I were to do it again, I'd use more Walmarts to save money, just need a CG every few days to dump tanks or find a dump station at a truck stop. State parks are also less expensive, if you're rig is within the size limits for ones along your path.

Most of all, enjoy the trip. If you aren't constrained on how much time to allow getting from point A to point B, allow more time and enjoy it. There are a lot of places to see in this country. We've even did a "drive thru" of the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest with the RV in tow.

Brent

 

Vinny773

Well-known member

• May 18, 2012

• #15

Hi Brent,
Thanks for the great infomation. I will be retired but the GF is still workling and she will fly back from San Diego to finish up on a big project. So as you can tell from my post my time on this trip is limited and I want to get across, not in a major rush but to get there with time restraints but enjoy the drive and sights as much as possible. I will re-examine how many miles I drive each day.