Cruising through the States in a camper gives us a great feeling of freedom and adventure: the best views, broad highways, stops at the biggest Walmart’s and hiking through impressive nature reserves. This is the USA to us!! We’ve been on a camper road-trip along the west-coast, the east-coast and central USA. Each trip was very special AND suitable for kids! Floris and Lotte were between the ages of 7 months and 4 years old when we made our camper tours through the states. 3 routes for a 3 week camper holiday through the USA, we’d love to share with you!
3 week RVing in the USA: Route 1, the beautiful West-Coast
During this trip, Floris was 7 months old and Lotte hadn’t been born yet. It was our first trip with a child, and we heard a lot of people asking us questions such as “what are you going to do with a baby, flying and travelling that far?!” But hey, to each their own, and we love to travel! We had a fantastic trip which started in Los Angeles and ended in Sin City Las Vegas. Ranging from beautiful beaches, impressive nature and bizarre cities, this 3-week camper holiday had it all! This is our exact route:
- Los Angeles
When you pick up the camper, you need some time loading everything in and putting everything in place. First stop is the Walmart to gather “provisions”. A busy day, so it’s good taking it easy on your first day and not drive too far.
2. Santa Barbara
Highway one is must-do of course. At every turn your jaw will drop at all the great ocean views. But make no mistake; with a camper, you need to stopover for at least 2 nights during the Highway 1 route from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
3. Carmel/Monterey
4. San Francisco
What an amazing city. The absolute minimum you need for this city is one day. We chose a camp site outside of the city and take a uber into the center. Ideal!
5. San Francisco
6. Yosemite National Park
Wow, wow and another wow!! Yosemite is just incredibly overwhelming: so many different types of green, huge rock formations and some of the highest trees we have ever seen! We’re glad we have a couple of days to explore this place. We have the camper on a site in the park and take Floris with us in the carrier when we go hiking in nature.
7. Yosemite National Park
8. Yosemite National Park
9. Death Valley
A bizarre and very hot place. In the camper, the faucet even gives warm water when you want cold. Be sure to check if you’re (still) allowed to enter Death Valley with a camper before you go.
10. Death Valley
11. Valley of Fire
A less known park, but certainly worth a visit! The colored rock formations are impressive and you’ll find a little camp site in the middle of the park.
12. Zion
A certain must do! Be sure to book a camp site in the park beforehand so you don’t end up on one outside of the park. In the park you can go on hiking trips and enjoy the most beautiful waterfalls., tock formations and overwhelming nature.
13. Zion
14. Bryce Canyon
You’ve guessed it: Bryce is a certain must do to! The extraordinary landscape with the well-known hoodoos is very impressive and here we go on a beautiful hike with Flo in the carrier again.
15. Bryce Canyon
16. Page
A little off-route but be sure to visit Page. Why? Because of Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. Each very different and both impressive and exceptionally beautiful.
17. Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon did not just get its name without any reason, it’s really ‘Grand’! Such an impressive area. You can view this place by foot, cycling, driving or by helicopter. Take your pick.
18. Grand Canyon
19. Las Vegas
We’re a little in love with Las Vegas but visiting this city with a baby for the first time is a little exciting. But what do you know? Las Vegas has lots to offer kids!
20. Las Vegas
21. Departure: Las Vegas
A 3 week camper holiday in the USA: route 2, the amazing Central USA
This was a bucket list thing for us: Yellowstone National Park. We’ve seen the Grand Prismatic Spring in all its glory on the cover of National Geographic magazine so many times, it’s time to view this spectacle with our own eyes! So, we plan our trip around Yellowstone; starting in Denver and ending in … that’s right, Las Vegas baby! This is what it looks like:
1. Rocky Mountain NP (Estes)
We book a campsite at the foot of the Rocky Mountain NP. This is about 150km from Denver so perfect for a short ride on the first day.
2. Rocky Mountain NP (Estes)
When you drive the camper all the way during Summer, you’ll probably end up in the snow with your slippers. The route is absolutely breathtaking!
3. Cheyenne
A good place to make a stopover on route to …
4. Custer State Park
Do you like buffalos? This is the place to be!
5. Custer State Park
6. Buffalo
A little confusing: from the buffalo’s in Custer State Park to the place called Buffalo! You’ll think you’re in the Wild West in this place!
7. Cody
Cody is our last stop before Yellowstone. We visit the world-famous rodeo where cowboys and cowgirls give all they got.
8. Yellowstone National Park
There we are: Yellowstone NP! We booked a camp site in the park and visit all the special spots with the camper. The Prismatic Spring of course, but also Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris Geyser Basin and many more. Aside from all these wonders of nature we find the encounters with bears very impressive too. Such strong, beautiful animals! 4 days in Yellowstone for us is the absolute minimum amount of time. If you can spend more time, do so!
9. Yellowstone National Park
10. Yellowstone National Park
11. Yellowstone National Park
12. Grand Teton
When you drive out of Yellowstone NP you drive straight into Teton. The nature around Teton is truly overwhelming and certainly worth a visit! You can go on beautiful hikes here too.
13. Grand Teton
14. Flaming Gorge
15. Moab
In Moab we visit Arches NP. Floris and Lotte don’t care much for the pile of rocks but after hearing a story about cowboys and Indians that used to live here and hearing the echo, they love it!
16. Moab
17. Saint George
18. Las Vegas
If we can visit Las Vegas, we do so! We sleep in the Mandalay Bay Hotel, a perfect accommodation when you’re travelling with kids. Both the kids and us have the time of our lives in Vegas: tubing on the lazy river of Mandalay Bay, having your picture taken with the famous Disney figures on the strip, viewing the Bellagio Hotel fountain show in awe, the gondolas in the Venetian Resort, enjoying the circus act in Circus Circus hotel and to top it all of; a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. Vegas, we love you!
19. Las Vegas
20. Las Vegas
21. Las Vegas
22. Departure: Las Vegas
A 3 week camper holiday in teh USA. Route 3, the diverse East-Coast
After the overwhelming beauty of the west and central America, we are a little nervous for our east-coast trip. Because what does the eat-coast have to offer, right?! Nevertheless, we decide to explore the eat-coast with a camper, and we are pleasantly surprised! Florida has more to offer than busy amusement parks and overcrowded cities. What exactly? You can read it here:
1. Cape Canaveral
When we pick up the camper, we drive straight through to the camp site nearest to the Kennedy Space Center. We don’t enjoy driving this far on the first day but seeing as we’ve done all of our shopping at 05:00 (long live the jetlag and Walmart’s 24/7 opening hours) we decide to go for it.
2. Cape Canaveral
Kenny Space Center is very interesting and a lot of fun for kids. As far as we’re concerned this is an absolute must do. Are you a space fan? See if you can plan your trip around a launch. Truly a once in a lifetime experience!
3. Palm Beach
A beautiful, decadent city and good stop on route to Miami. We’re looking for a camp site outside of the city with a pool so we can relax for a day.
4. Palm Beach
5. Miami
I visited Miami long ago and I wasn’t very impressed, but I decided to give it another chance. Wow was I glad. The four of us really love Miami. The camp site in Miami is 45-minute drive to the city but that doesn’t spoil the fun. We park the camper in South Beach and have a lovely day in the city: enjoying the white beaches, delicious food, the beautiful art-deco buildings and the lovely vibe in this busy city. Miami has lots to offer to kids too. You can easily spend a couple of days there.
6. Miami
7. Miami
8. Key West
Leaving Miami, we drive straight through to the most southern point of the island of the Keys; Key West! The KOA camp site is lovely, with a large playground, private beach, pool and the possibility of renting bikes and go-karts. We spend multiple days on the beautiful Key West and enjoy the views, the underwater world from a glass-bottom boat, the city through a hop on-hop off trolley, the delicious food, the coy Mallory square and the famous Key Lime Pie off course.
9. Key West
10. Key West
11. Key West
12. Everglades National Park
After enjoying the island life, we drive on to the land of the crocodiles: The Everglades! We go on a boat trip by special air-boat and this way we can look at the beautiful landscape and the enormous crocodiles; very impressive!
13. Everglades National Park
14. Sanibel Island
But the absolute pearl of our holiday turns out to be Sanibel Island! We came to stay for 1 day and up staying 4. What makes Sanibel so fantastic? It’s a small island that you can easily explore by (rented) bike. We cycle from beach to beach where Floris and Lotte search for beautiful sea shells. We see manatees, dolphins and special birds. Where Key-West is rather touristy, we get that less at Sanibel Island. The vibe is very relaxed and there is lots to do for kids.
15. Sanibel Island
16. Sanibel Island
18. Orlando
Of course, we do need to pay a visit to Disney World with our little Disney fans. We camp out at a true Disney camp site and engulf ourselves for three magical days in the world of Mickey, Goofy and Elsa.
19. Orlando
20. Orlando
21. Orlando
22. Departure: Orlando
These are our top itineraries for a 3 week camper holiday in teh USA. They are all different, unique and most of all lots of fun with the family.
For route planning we always use this RV routeplanner by Tioga Tours.
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