I am planning a cross country road trip for the summer with my broher from the Chicago suburbs to Yosemite National Park in California to visit my cousin. I will be 19, and my brother will be 17. We are responsible, and my parentals have already said it is alright, as long as we do all the planning, and all the funding. We need to do this as cheaply as possible. We will be gone about 2 weeks, including transportation to and from, and staying there. We will be camping both on the road and in the park. Does anyone have any extra tips for us to help this trip go smoothly?
Any input is great!
2006-10-12 11:08:07 · 3 answers · asked by consumingfire783 4 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Other - United States
I don't have to worry about campsites in the park. My cousin works in the park, and since we're caming with him, we've already got sites in the park guaranteed. Does anyone know campgrounds on the road though, since we don't want to pay for motels?
2006-10-12 14:28:30 · update #1
Route:
I would suggest Interstate 80 for most of the westbound (and for the return EB portion) and then in Reno, Nevada, you would head south on route 395 and head into Yosemite via the back way. The drive south from Reno into Yosemite is particularly beautiful, and in fact, the drive west across 80 is fantastic.
Other tip:
There's an old saying: take half as many clothes and twice as much money. It's kinda true! Take as much money as you possibly can. (Or at least have it available from what you save up)
Camping:
I have a great book called "California Camping" by Foghorn Press that includes descriptions and reviews of EVERY campground in California. http://www.foghorn.com/ They make similar guides for other western states as well. And last time I checked on eBay, there were good deals available.
Camping in Yosemite: reservations open up I believe 5 (ish) months in advance and summer is definitely the busy season. Check out the Yosemite camping page http://www.nps.gov/archive/yose/trip/camping.htm and make your reservation as soon as it is possible, or you may not get one in the park!
Also, Yosemite is so beautiful that you can't really go wrong no matter where you stay. Valley floor campgrounds are a good jumping off point for anywhere you'll want to go. But be aware that the largest campgrounds do allow RVs and generators from 6am to 10pm, so if that machine noise would bug you, be sure to pick one of the smaller tent-only campgrounds...
Good luck and have fun! It'll be great! Hope this helps!
2006-10-12 11:17:54 · answer #1 · answered by norcalirish 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not sure how the parentals would take this idea, but check out
http://www.greentortoise.com/
This is an experience of the highest order -- run by hippies, staffed by hippies, a bus full of hippies. I have also known some adventurous sorority girls who did a trip with this company, and they had a blast.
Be sure to read "On the Road" or "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" on your journey ;-)
2006-10-12 18:20:36 · answer #2 · answered by hep632 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Greyhound is the cheapest way next to hitch hiking.
2006-10-12 18:09:37 · answer #3 · answered by robert r 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋