Seattle to Philadelphia Sept and Oct

[brucebollert]

I am new to the RV world and just bought a 25' Sun Seeker MBS on Sprinter frame.  My wife and I are thinking about driving the new RV to Philadelphia from Seattle area.   We would be leaving about Sept 15th, spend a 10 days in New England with the fall colors and then leave to come back to Seattle about Oct 15th.  My main concern is the return trip and possibly running into Snow and bad weather in the higher elevations.  The route is flexible.   Since this is one of our first trips I'm not to focused on sight seeing.  I just want to get there and back safely.  Any advise from you experts?      

[tbutler]

I believe that your main concern is the area east of Seattle on the return trip.  October 15 is really early for snow concerns along most of the rest of your route.  You probably know the area around Seattle better than I.  Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 is one area that I'm aware of that can be a problem. 

The key to travel in winter conditions is to consider your route to be tentative at all times and to be patient.  Watch weather shows each morning, watch the sky ahead as you travel and if anything gives you concern check weather conditions frequently.  If it looks like storms on your route may be a problem you can either stop at a convenient location, a campground along the route, Walmart, or a rest area.  You have the ideal vehicle for waiting out a storm.  Your room is with you, you have groceries on board and you can keep warm.  In a campground you have power, water and electric.  At Walmart you have groceries and other supplies.  In a rest area you have security and are safely off the road. 

You can plan your trip in detail before leaving but there is no reason that you have to follow that exact trip.  Here in the US we have without a doubt the most robust road system in the world.  You have so many routes available, you can literally choose from hundreds of ways to get from Seattle to Philadelphia.  Use that rich resource to your advantage.  Taking an alternate route may cost a little more or much more in fuel expenses and time but if you focus on the trip, not the destination you can be quite happy taking a detour around bad weather.  We've done this on-the-fly many times.  With today's technology, you can watch storms live on your phone, tablet or computer as well as using TV programs. 

By the way, while you are just concerned with getting there and back, I always look a trip as a chance to explore new territory.  Even if just driving through, taking a different route gives you a chance to see different towns, perhaps different states and perhaps different terrain.  See the northern Great Plains on the way east, take a southern route through the central Great Plains or the Gulf Coast for warmer weather on the return trip.  We try our best to never take the same route out and back.  Why waste the chance to see something different.  We do the same when traveling to or from familiar destinations.  Enjoy your trip.

 

[wildebill308]

9 hours ago, brucebollert said:

I am new to the RV world and just bought a 25' Sun Seeker MBS on Sprinter frame.  My wife and I are thinking about driving the new RV to Philadelphia from Seattle area.   We would be leaving about Sept 15th, spend a 10 days in New England with the fall colors and then leave to come back to Seattle about Oct 15th.  My main concern is the return trip and possibly running into Snow and bad weather in the higher elevations.  The route is flexible.   Since this is one of our first trips I'm not to focused on sight seeing.  I just want to get there and back safely.  Any advise from you experts?      

I agree with Tom. You should be ok. If you are going to Philadelphia first I would take I-90 East. to Cleveland and south on I-75. 

Do you have reservations in New England? Where in New England are you headed? I would not recommend just showing up and expecting a spot at any campground that time of year. Many campgrounds close after Labor Day.

Hear are a couple of apps you might like.

  http://www.rvparky.com/

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/

http://www.passport-america.com/

Bill

 

 

[BillAdams]

Weather should not be an issue.....that is, of course, if you are willing to sit out some weather (and you should be).  As mentioned, weather should not be an issue at all at that time of year but with the weather changes that are going on these days things can change quickly.  So, if you see that it's going to snow along your current route today, travel tomorrow.  The roads will be fine.  You just need to use a bit of common sense and understand that every Interstate highway in the US gets the best treatment possible.  That's not to say it's all good all of the time but it will be all good as soon as possible and you will be able to sit still until the highway crews (or Mother Nature) have made the way safe again.

[jleamont]

Bruce, Philadelphia....I recommend taking the double deck bus tour around the city. We don't live far and thought it was great. Campgrounds; the closest is KOA, its about 45 minutes west of the city in the suburbs out in the country, link below;

http://koa.com/campgrounds/philadelphia/

While in the area, take a trip to Ocean City NJ, nice beach town, huge boardwalk with shops and such.

Couple of places to check out in Philadelphia beyond the Liberty Bell and historic stuff;

http://www.readingterminalmarket.org/

http://www.genosteaks.com/

 

[rsbilledwards]

We live in Denver but grew up in the West. We have traveled West a good bit, prefer those two months. Several trips have been made returning late in October from the North West and have not seen anything but good weather. Rarely have we taken the interstates, always the secondary roads. Most campgrounds are closed by the time we have been through so finding a potential spot to stop requires some looking about. But in the West unlike the more crowded East, potential rural locations really abound unless you have to plug in or dump. If that is the case planning is more important.