how long is to long

[cat97628]

I am starting to put together a trip for next year that would be 2 plus weeks and around 4000 miles. I will be bringing my two littlest ones with me 5 and 8. My wife may or may not go and if she doesn't my 18 year old son will. I am thinking of a Chicago to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Branson Mo (to visit relatives) and then home. We would be leaving late on a Friday or early on a Saturday and returning 2 weeks later, late on a Sunday. I would like to spend a couple days at Rushmore, 3 days at Yellowstone, 2 days at the Grand Canyon and 2 days in Branson. Looking at the map it looks like my best bet would be to over night before getting to Rushmore, The Grand Canyon, and Branson.

So my question is am I pushing my luck trying to do to much for to long and to far? Or will the smaller legs of the trip and shorter stays break up the long journey so that it seems like a shorter trip? How far is to far on a leg of a trip? We have done the Chicago to Branson trip already and went slow, 12 hours there and 10 hours back because we were traveling with my Parents. What is the longest leg I should be doing in the mountains with my camper and TV? (04' BMW X5 3.0 and 08' Starcraft 2406 PU) Any direction would be much appreciated as we are all new to this but are all (well maybe not my wife) loving it. 4 trips in the first 6 months and 1800 towing miles under my belt

Thanks

[Gracy]

Boy thats a hard one.  Only you knows your kids.  If they are easily occupied and love adventure I'd say go for it..... but I'd also come up with a back-up "plan B" just in case its not going as well as you would have liked. 

I hope that helps :)  Have a great trip!

PS:  I have a 3.5 year old, 10.5 year old and 20 year old ..... so I can totally relate ;)

[Between Trips]

So my question is am I pushing my luck trying to do to much for to long and to far?

I think so. And I estimate you'll spend about 20% of your time driving. IMHO, that's way too much vacation time spent behind the wheel.

[beacher]

Too many miles in too short of time.  I have thought about 4000 mile round the country trips, (and planned them on various trip planning software).  The planning avoided one night stops, (involving setup and teardown with the PopUp), and tedious endless days of driving without any sightseeing.  The minimum trip length comes in at least four weeks to see sights on the way there and on the way back.

About one week per 1000 miles driven is a pretty good average to allow for an enjoyable and relaxing time.

[sloscheider]

4000 miles in two weeks does sound a bit on the grueling side of life.  Do you like hiking?  If so you could spend more time in the Black Hills and Yellowstone getting away from the tourist traps and really exploring the wilderness.  That would depend greatly on the abilities of your 5 and 8 yr olds though.

[Chuck S]

4000 miles is 80 hours behind the wheel towing a camper and stopping for random events like fuel and food.

You've indicated 7 days at specific locations so the other 7 will have to be on the road.  Now we're talking 4000 miles in 7 days or 80hrs/7 = 11.5 hour driving days.  With grade school children?

Mount Rushmore is a 1000 mile drive to start with and on to Yellowstone adds 600 miles of not-Interstate roads.

I'd not try this trip in two weeks NOT pulling a camper and never with small children.

Go to Branson since there's family there.  That's a 1200 mile round trip in itself.

-- Chuck

[double trouble]

Thats is avery aggressive trip for the age of the children. Then again all kids travel differently. I personally would leave off the Grand Canyon and add Custer State Park while in the MT Rushmore area and then do Yellowstone and the Tetons , then come back to Branson via Rocky Mountain National Park. Lots to see in these park for the young ones without having to hike very far. There is so much wild life to see in these parks without much extended hiking. This is about a 3500 mile trip ( Chicago to Chicago )with 60 hrs behind the wheel.

If my heart was set on the Grand Canyon, i would suggest that be a trip by itself with stops in Brice, Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands. I think this loop would be better when the children are a little older.

Let the kids help with planning the trip as this may help you in your decision and make them better travelers as they had a  say in the trip.


Just my 2 cents on the trip.

[Adopt-a-grey]

OK, I'll be different and say that I think it is doable.  I might ditch the Rushmore leg and question whether the GC is in the middle of summer though. 

We had a 2,500+ mile summer trip when DD was 2 that had stops at Zion, North Rim, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Mesa Verde and South Rim.  Less than 2 weeks IIRC.  There were a few tough moments but there probably would have been at home too.  DD started her hiking future that year!

This year we drove 3,500+ miles to Yellowstone and Glacier for 10 days/9 nights.  DD is 7 now and couldn't be better at road trips (of course she thinks mega-road trips are normal and fun!).

Based on this post, I'm sure your TV and rig will be prepared.  The bigger issue to to make sure the children are prepared.  Are they used to long trips?  If not, you've got a year to train them!  There are lots of helpful posts in this thread on ways to entertain kids.

As someone said, you know your kids best.  Portable DVD's, handheld game systems, books, toys and travel games all have their place on our trips.  We limit the time on the electronic devices, but they can be very useful.  My favorite tip is to make a special "road trip only" bag that has familiar toys and/or new toys, but not the ones from home!

Go for it and have a great trip!

[cat97628]

Thanks all for the advice. I figure I have a year to tweak the route and get the girls prepared for a really long trip. When went went to Branson it was our first long trip and the 10 to 12 hour mark was really the max. We made sure that we stopped for lunch and burned off energy for about an hour (Great little Zoo in Springfield IL to stop for lunch) I think if we kept the legs short we could pull it off but not really sure about the Grand Canyon portion. Sounds like two trips will most likely be the case.

[sully]

I was reading over the posts without sitting and examining a map & figured the GC trek would be the easiest to cancel. About 2500 miles is our max: DW & me with 2 DD's (11 & 7 years), towing a Santa Fe with an Explorer.

[ngatel]

I hate burning up vacation time driving. We do several 1 week - 2 week trips every year. And we most enjoy staying in one place. We always manage to find plenty to keep us busy. Also, when you go to our most famous spots to see them, staying there for a short time is not optimal for really "seeing" them. In the past 8 years, we have only done two trips where we stayed at more than one spot. Both trips we stayed at two spots.

[chiefd]

I hate burning up vacation time driving. We do several 1 week - 2 week trips every year. And we most enjoy staying in one place. We always manage to find plenty to keep us busy. Also, when you go to our most famous spots to see them, staying there for a short time is not optimal for really "seeing" them. In the past 8 years, we have only done two trips where we stayed at more than one spot. Both trips we stayed at two spots.

I agree.  IMHO I would do only Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore.  Personally three days at Yellowstone is not enough.  While at Mount Rushmore don't forget Crazy Horse and of course there is the Badlands, custer state park, etc.  You could spend days just here.  No need to rush and get it all in one trip.

[Chuck S]

The only reason I'd ever think of Branson as a destination is family.  None of mine is anywhere near it!

Getting there is NOT half the fun if you're putting in 12 hour driving days followed by an hour setting up the camper and starting dinner.  For us there are usually too many things to see enroute.  A requirement for too many miles in a day eliminates those side trips entirely.  There is nothing as boring as interstate driving but it's the only way to achieve the distances you indicate.

Like many questions this is best rephrased "Should I do this?" not "Can I do this?"   I don't think anyone will find this trip enjoyable unless the goal is to punch as many tickets as possible.

-- Chuck

[Baytoven]

We've done long car trips with our kids since they were babies.  They are accustomed to it.  Only you can judge if your kids are up to it.

Driving is just a means to an end, the destination.  We'd rather drive longer and have more time at our final destination.  We regularly drive 625-700 miles per day on interstates.  If interstate is not an option, it will take longer, and we will revise our plans.  When the kids were little, we made extended stops for play, but now we drive and arrive earlier.

We've done trips that averaged 2000 miles per week.  We were tired when we got home.  Not a happy, contented tired, but just exhausted.  I would do 1500 miles per week, but that would be my absolute limit.

The Grand Canyon seems to be the most out of the way item on the itinerary.  I agree that I'd drop that and hope to make a special trip with other sightseeing in the future.  I'd rather have more time at Yellowstone and with family than on the road.

[TimK]

Think of it as a learning experience: theirs...AND yours!