Planning the Perfect Route for a GMC Motorhome Road Trip

Road tripping in a GMC Motorhome is a fundamentally different experience than any other kind of travel. The coach becomes your home, your perspective changes to the unhurried pace of state highways and scenic byways, and the journey itself becomes as rewarding as the destination.

Here’s how to plan a trip that makes the most of it.

Choose Scenic Routes Over Interstate Highways

The GMC Motorhome was built for comfortable cruising, not high-speed interstate hauls. It performs beautifully at 55–65 mph, and the panoramic windows are wasted on a featureless divided highway.

The US Byways program designates thousands of miles of America’s most scenic and historic roads as National Scenic Byways. Planning around these routes dramatically changes the travel experience. The Blue Ridge Parkway, the Pacific Coast Highway, and Route 66 are perennial favorites among GMC owners.

Plan Campground Stops in Advance (But Not Too Rigidly)

The GMC’s compact length — 23 or 26 feet — opens up campground options that larger modern coaches cannot access. State parks, national forest campgrounds, and smaller private parks all accommodate the GMC comfortably.

Good planning tools include the Campendium app for real reviews from RV travelers, and the Recreation.gov site for reserving national park sites well in advance.

That said, leave room for spontaneity. Some of the best stops happen when another GMC owner at a fuel station mentions a campground you hadn’t considered.

Factor in Rally Stops

GMCMI publishes its rally schedule well in advance. Timing a cross-country trip to align with a regional rally adds a social dimension that transforms a road trip into an experience. You arrive as a traveler and leave as part of a community.

Pack for Self-Sufficiency

Carrying basic tools, spare parts, and a few days of food and water is standard practice for experienced GMC travelers. The coaches are reliable, but they are also 45–50 years old. Preparedness is not pessimism — it’s wisdom.

The GMCMI Assist List is an invaluable resource: a directory of members willing to help fellow owners who encounter mechanical trouble on the road.

The Reward

There is something quietly extraordinary about arriving at a campground in a vintage GMC Motorhome. People stop and stare. Conversations start. Other campers ask questions. You become an ambassador for a piece of American history.

And when you pull back onto the road the next morning, headed toward the next destination, it’s hard to imagine a better way to see this country.

GMCMI Editorial

April 1, 2026