Update on our big summer trip. Have you been to any of these?

[KBunn]

I have been busy putting the finishing touches on where we will be going on our trip this summer. Since we decided to go to a family reunion in West Virginia at the end, the trip comes to a total of 53 days. We have been taking practice trips for a while and everything loads and unloads nicely. The list below is where we will be going, if anyone has been to any of these, I would love to hear what you thought, where you stayed or any tips you may have!

Alabama Gold Camp Lineville, AL.
Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wildnerness
Blanchard Springs Caverns
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Caprock Canyon State Park
Carlsbad Caverns and Guadaloupe Mountains National Park
Bandalier National Monument
Navajo National Monument
Grand Canyon North Rim
Bryce Canyon National Park
Arches National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Dodge City, Kansas (this is our one real touristy stop)
Arrow Rock State Park
Turkey Run State Park
Grafton, WV. for family reunion
DuPont State Forest

[Justin]

Re: Update on our big summer trip. Have you been to any of these?

I've never been to Sipsey Wilderness, but it's reasonably close to where I live. I know some people that have been there for hiking, camping etc. According to them it's a pretty cool place.

Looks like you've got quite a nice trip lined up.

[frank6160]

Re: Update on our big summer trip. Have you been to any of these?

You will love the Bankhead National Forest. I camp/hike there often. The forest allows dispersed camping or there are 2 campgrounds within about 30 minutes driving to some of the better hiking areas. Houston Rec Area (my favorite) nice campground no hookups, and Corinth which has mostly RV sites with just a few reserved for tenters. Enjoy!

[KBunn]

Re: Update on our big summer trip. Have you been to any of these?

I've never been to Sipsey Wilderness, but it's reasonably close to where I live. I know some people that have been there for hiking, camping etc. According to them it's a pretty cool place.

Looks like you've got quite a nice trip lined up.

You will love the Bankhead National Forest. I camp/hike there often. The forest allows dispersed camping or there are 2 campgrounds within about 30 minutes driving to some of the better hiking areas. Houston Rec Area (my favorite) nice campground no hookups, and Corinth which has mostly RV sites with just a few reserved for tenters. Enjoy!

Thank-you both. Surprisingly, there is little detailed information about either of these places online in one place. Alabama has the worst website for their parks that I have seen yet while doing my planning for this trip. So, I am not quite sure where we will be camping. I am going to start with a stop at the rangers station at Bankhead when we get there and talk to them to decide. Basically, I want to camp somewhere where we will access to a hiking trail that goes along the river and by some of the great waterfalls they have there.

Very cool trip you have planned there. I hope y'all get along the whole trip. 53 days in a car with an entire family can bring about some contentious moments.

What kind of rig do you have? Do you have 4 wheel drive? High clearance? Some of the spots you've chosen have some spectacular attractions nearby that are only accessible by 4x4's with high clearance (say over 8" to 10").

Unfortunately, it is myself and four boys in a mini-van, so no off roading for us. We'll just have to stick to where we can walk to.

[Joyous56]

Re: Update on our big summer trip. Have you been to any of these?

I'm in awe! Sounds like a great trip and I hope you'll be able to send us updates. When do you take off?

[KBunn]

Re: Update on our big summer trip. Have you been to any of these?

I'm in awe! Sounds like a great trip and I hope you'll be able to send us updates. When do you take off?

We leave on June 1st and will be back later in July. I hope to give regular updates. I am in the process of trying to figure out the best way to go with mobile hot spots since I will need access to the Internet for work an hour or so each night. We are mostly staying at state and national parks, so there won't usually be wifi there.