Our incredible US road trip adventure

We’ve always wanted to take road trip across the US in an RV — with stays in Yellowstone and Yosemite being top of our list. They’re 900 miles apart, though, so a bit of planning (okay, a lot!) was needed to bring this adventure to life.
We booked a 10-night rental through Cruise America, picking up our standard C25 RV in Salt Lake City and dropping it off in Las Vegas. We added extras like bedding, kitchen kits and an early pick-up to hit the road quickly. I also pre-booked all our campsites, making sure they had full hook-up facilities (water, electricity, and sewage — a very welcome discovery!).
After a night in Salt Lake City to adjust to the time zone, we collected our RV, stocked up at Walmart, and headed off. Google Maps (downloaded offline) guided us on a route covering six states, five campsites, and nearly 1,800 miles.

Yellowstone Magic
Our first stop was Yellowstone, where we spent four nights. I’d booked two amazing tours from the campsite. The first, covered the lower loop and highlights like Old Faithful, waterfalls, hot springs, and mud pools — plus loads of fascinating info about the park’s history and geothermal wonders.
The second was a private wildlife tour through the upper loop and Lamar Valley — aka “America’s Serengeti.” Our guide helped us spot bison (lots of them), deer, pronghorns, elk, wolves, an eagle feeding its young, and my highlight: two young bears!

Lake Tahoe via Elko
Next, we had a long drive to Elko, Nevada, for an overnight stop, then on to Lake Tahoe for two nights. This alpine lake, nestled in the Sierra Nevada, was a complete change of scenery. We stayed at a beautiful, wooded campsite near a stream. After a day exploring the area, we enjoyed a long lunch with lake views, enjoying a couple of beers while watching people paddleboard and jet ski in the sunshine.

Yosemite Bound
The drive to Yosemite was just under 200 miles, but the most nerve-wracking. Winding roads, steep drops, and hairpin bends — and we were in a big RV!
We camped just outside the park for two nights and used the nearby hotel’s pool, restaurant, and bar. An early bus into Yosemite let us beat the crowds and the heat. It was utterly breathtaking — waterfalls in full flow, soaring granite cliffs, and views that photos just can’t capture. I could’ve spent a week there, easily.

Final Stop: Vegas
Our last long haul took us through the stunning Tioga Pass (thankfully just reopened after snow closures) to Las Vegas. After days of wide, empty roads, the bumper-to-bumper city traffic was a shock!

We spent our final night in the RV at a Vegas campsite (thank goodness for air con!) before returning our trusty home-on-wheels and checking into the Bellagio for a few nights of post-road-trip luxury.