Long Westward I-10 trip

[whoot]

When making long trips, how far in advance do you reserve a lot at an RV park?

[Kevin A]

As soon as we are sure that we can go, we calculate our daily travel mileage (250 - 300 miles), find nearby campgrounds, and make the reservations. That usually means we reserve at least two weeks ahead of the trip. Sometimes we may reserve as much as a year ahead for busy places or times. There have been some instances, though, where we had to only make reservations a couple days ahead…not our favorite practice.

[IMEd]

I-10 from where to where?

There are so many nice rest areas that we don’t commit ourselves to a certain mileage per day. Just stay in a rest area overnight.
Some don’t like that but it’s worked for us these last 20+ years.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by IMEd

... Just stay in a rest area overnight.
Some don’t like that ....

I would be one of those some...

Listening to idling trucks and inhaling their exhaust fumes all night is not for me.

[parmm]

It has been a while since traveling by RV. I pretty much play it by ear. Generally speaking, I have not had a hard time finding campgrounds with vacancies along side of Interstate Hwys. And when we can't find one, we have used Walmart and rest areas. But note that we are not welcome at all Walmarts and that some states do not allow us to park over night in their rest areas! Always check first!!!

[WaltP]

Another good choice is Harvest Hosts when on route and staying only one night at any location.
Unfortunately they have raised their fees too much in my opinion, but it's still a fun way to travel.


Walt

[Damp Scamp Tramp]

Originally Posted by whoot

When making long trips, how far in advance do you reserve a lot at an RV park?

I've found reserving ahead of time causes more problems than it prevents. If for some reason I can't make it at a reasonable hour because a problem arises, I may be stuck with the fee. The park may not have decent facilities. I want to inspect them before I commit. If there are no vacancies at RV parks in my chosen area for the night, there is always WalMart, truck stops, or other places with large parking lots available. The drawbacks to some of these options may be noise or lack of security, but I've always found a quiet, secure location.

[Alex Adams]

Originally Posted by gordon2

I would be one of those some...

Listening to idling trucks and inhaling their exhaust fumes all night is not for me.

Cracker Barrel and Bass Pro allow overnight parking for campers unless prohibited by local ordinance. No trucks or fumes!

[whoot]

Originally Posted by IMEd

I-10 from where to where?

There are so many nice rest areas that we don’t commit ourselves to a certain mileage per day. Just stay in a rest area overnight.
Some don’t like that but it’s worked for us these last 20+ years.

I'm going from near Jacksonville to near Tucson. Not sure where exactly I am going, but I am leaving the East Coast and moving to either AZ/NV/ID. I need a place to land after the 5 day tow, then I can work my way North at whatever speed I want.

[IMEd]

Originally Posted by whoot

I'm going from near Jacksonville to near Tucson. Not sure where exactly I am going, but I am leaving the East Coast and moving to either AZ/NV/ID. I need a place to land after the 5 day tow, then I can work my way North at whatever speed I want.

Some ideas.
In Louisiana, check out the Atchafalaya Welcome Centre. Free. RV area. Security.
In Texas the state rest areas are top notch. In most cases you will find Free wi-fi. Security. RV parking areas.

Enjoy your trip.

[whoot]

Originally Posted by IMEd

Some ideas.
In Louisiana, check out the Atchafalaya Welcome Centre. Free. RV area. Security.
In Texas the state rest areas are top notch. In most cases you will find Free wi-fi. Security. RV parking areas.

Enjoy your trip.

I'm definitiely staying there the first night, it takes me 12 hours to get there. 5 hours to Houston, so I guess I should look for a place 7 hours West of Houston on I-10.

[FlyGuy]

Wineries, golf clubs etc can easily be an hour's drive OFF the Interstate (and then an hour or so to get back on the Interstate). That simple (but often overlooked) fact made me decide that services like Harvest Host, RV Golf Club etc just did NOT suit my travel style. MANY Rest Areas have seperate areas for passenger vehicles and "Big Boy" commercial trucks. Many RVs will have no problem parking in the "passenger" areas. Off highway businesses like Cracker Barrel, Cabelas, Denny's etc often allow RVs to "overnight" on their properties (I like to arrive between 8 ~ 9PM at a Cracker Barrel, have a nice late dinner and in the morning, have a good breakfast before getting back on the road.

[IMEd]

Originally Posted by whoot

I'm definitiely staying there the first night, it takes me 12 hours to get there. 5 hours to Houston, so I guess I should look for a place 7 hours West of Houston on I-10.

Good choice. Lots of nice pull through sites.

If I was doing the driving, I’d just find one of the TX rest areas.
Catch up with internet stuff and get a decent nights sleep in the RV section.

[Friz]

Some of my favorite stops from the East:
Biloxi, MS: Boomtown Casino. Has RV park. Can get discount if you gamble.
Waveland, MS: Buccaneer State park. Also Silver Slipper Casino rv park.
Mississippi welcome station Hwy 607 & I-10
Madisonville, LA: Fairview-Riverside State Park Shade, on river. Near restaurants
Baton Rouge, LA: Hollywood Casino, L'Auberge Casino (dry camp)
'' '' Farr Park RV pk. across from LSU. Not fancy, but close to town.
Lafayette, LA: Acadiana Nature Park nice natural setting
Rayne, LA: City RV park lots of room unless a convention
Welsh, LA: Sportsman Park. $15 elec/water not fancy.
Kinder, LA: Coushatta Casino. really good RV park, full hookups or dry camp.
Lake Charles, LA: 2 Casinos, dry camp.
Winnie, TX: Trade days RV park NW cor of I-10 & FM1663
RV parking at fairgrounds. (dry, free)
Luling, TX: Palmetto St. pk. nice natural setting. call 1st.
Junction, TX: City RV park on lake. free
These RV parks I have stayed at in the past.
See Transtar.com before going thru Houston. S.A., take loop 1604
If you have to stay in Houston, message me. Nothing cheap.
Use Campendium.com to check out places to stop.

[Carol and Mike]

Lots of good suggestions. I would add that it depends on the time of year. Summer heat can be brutal on I-10 and you might want electricity if you have an air conditioner.

We’ve stayed at the Atchefalaya Welcome Center in LA and recommend it.

[JonRaw]

Originally Posted by whoot

I'm definitiely staying there the first night, it takes me 12 hours to get there. 5 hours to Houston, so I guess I should look for a place 7 hours West of Houston on I-10.

I'd call the Atchafalaya Welcome Center before you go to check the status of the roadwork. I went through there Eastbound at the end of June and the Eastbound off ramps were closed due to road construction. What I didn't realize until later, was that I could have gone to the next exit (12 miles ahead) gotten back on I-10 12 miles back Westbound and taken the Westbound entrance to the rest area. Long detour so I probably wouldn't have done it.

When I called, they told me that as soon as the Eastbound exit ramp road work is done (which should be very soon), they will start on the Westbound off ramps. So you might have to end up bypassing the rest area to the next exit and coming back East on I-10 to the rest area, then in the morning have to get on Eastbound and make the 24 mile round trip to get back going West.

I rolled through there at around midnight and didn't see any kind of detour signs.

Safe Travels!
Jon

[barrry smithe]

Camping world big book with Sams club campgrounds usually call ahead same day. No problems and you know what the campsite offers

[Cynthia in Montana]

We use ALLSTAYS—camp & RV App since we rarely know where we will perch until early afternoon. About 2pm we look ahead for a 6-7pm arrival & call. App lists all camps, private, state, fed, etc, plus dump stations, LP fills, diesel, WMs, Cabela/BassPro, etc. 5,000 miles last winter was easy.
The other APP to have is the CCW book. Every state law regarding carry-guns is kept updated, municipalities that have their own rules, and which states recognize your home issued carry permit. All the fine print for rest stop rules, posted businesses, etc, is in there. (Not to start something political, I’m just too old to run anymore!)
Be safe out there, peeps.