Coeur d'Alene to Lincoln Road Trip Guide

Introduction

Coeur d’Alene is located in the northern panhandle of Idaho and nearly straddles the Idaho/Washington border. It’s a city tucked away in a very far northern part of the United States. And it might be a good place to start a road trip in an RV. If you have enough time on your hands to take a seven day trip from the northwest to America’s heartland, then this could be the best road trip you and your family have ever been on.

Your destination is Lincoln, the capital city of Nebraska. And it is the home of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. During football season, more than 80,000 fans cheer on the Huskers, making it temporarily the largest city in the state. Whether you are rooting for Big Red or if you are looking to explore another part of America, there is no better way to end a road trip than in Middle America.

Let’s pack our bags and get scootin’ on this trip with a few stops along the way.

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Details

60'
Max RV length
60'
Max trailer Length
Road trip length: 7+ days
Recommend rig: motorhome
audience: family

Point of Interest

Little Free Library in a 110-Year-Old Stump

First, we begin our road trip in Coeur d’Alene where you can find a small library that is built out of an old tree stump. If you are someone who loves to read and looking for books that your kids can read during the duration of the road trip, then what better place to go than this Little Free Library? Most of the books may be children-themed, which makes it even better.

As usual, you can choose among the many RV parks and campgrounds that are conveniently located within the city. You can choose a place to rest up before you hit the open road the next day. Your choice may come down to some needs and preferences like size of space, total number of hookups and more.


Lolo National Forest

After barreling down Interstate 90, you’ll end up smack dab in the middle of the Lolo National Forest. You’ll be at least some miles away from the nearby city of Missoula. If you love the mountains and want something that will give you plenty of hiking, then this might be the place for you. You can bike, walk, ski, horseback ride, and do everything else an outdoor lover would dream of. And by the way, there is plenty of flora and fauna that live here in the forest. Definitely worth taking pictures if you have a camera handy.

If you are looking for a good RV park, chances are you’ll find plenty of them in nearby Missoula. If you seem to be out of choices, a KOA campground will never steer you wrong. There are a lot of them all over the United States and they will always be a place where RVs of any size can show up if they need the hookups and amenities they want.


Our Lady Of The Rockies

Sitting above the Continental Divide just outside of Butte stands a near 90 foot statue of the Virgin Mary. And believe it or not, it was a masterpiece that took six years to build. Now, it sits 8,500 feet off the ground. At night, it lights up and is a sight to behold. You can access the statue via a tram that can take you up top and back down again. What you’ll notice up top is a chapel that you can visit.

Montana is a big state that you probably won’t travel through in a single day. Then again, it might depend on the schedule. But if you are looking for a place to stay in Butte, there’s a lot of RV parks and campgrounds. And there’s even a KOA campground in the city itself. This one is located near the downtown area where you can find a great place to eat nearby.


American Computer Museum

Ever wondered what computers looked like from ages past? Now you have the chance to check them out yourself at the American Computer Museum in Bozeman. The artifacts and timelines of the history of the computer date back 20,000 years. No, that is not a typo. You’ll learn about how the computer was born and how all the technology developed to make computers more useful and even more portable came to exist. Be warned, you will be mind-blown by the time your visit is complete.

There’s a lot of RV parks that you can find in Bozeman. One of them is the Bozeman Trail Campground that is located conveniently near Interstate 90. You can take advantage of the full hookups and plenty of amenities like free WiFi and access to various eateries near the grounds.


Bighorn National Forest

As you drive on through the last part of Montana on Interstate 90, you now enter the great state of Wyoming. That is where you will find Bighorn National Forest. This is one of the best tourist hotspots since it sits smack dab in the middle between Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore. The Bighorn Mountains are definitely worth the sight to see when you want to take as many pictures as possible Of course, since you are in a mountainous part of America there is no shortage of any hiking, biking, or walking trails.

There’s a handful of campgrounds in the forest that will give you plenty of open space. As long as your RV length is 60 feet or shorter, you should be in good shape when it comes to finding space to set up and spend the night.


Mount Rushmore

This place needs little to no introduction. It is a monument that honors four of America’s greatest presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. You’ll be amazed by the detail and stare at the monument in awe. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in the world and now you are able to see it for yourself. Time to cross off another item on the old bucket list. Plus, you can walk, hike, bike, and explore the nearby Black Hills National Forest.

You’ll be able to set up shop in the many RV parks that are located in and around Mount Rushmore. There are more than 30 of them that will be a perfect fit for an RV of any size.


Badlands National Park

Not far from Mount Rushmore is the Badlands National Park. There is plenty of stuff that you should see in a park that covers nearly 65,000 acres of land. They include buttes that look like canyons and plenty of prairie grasslands. You’ll be exploring a lot by walking and seeing so much of the plants and animals. It’s natural beauty at its finest.

This part of South Dakota doesn’t have much for hotel rooms. But that’s OK, because you are in an RV and that is your hotel room. All you have to do now is find an RV park or a campground, which there are plenty of in the South Dakota Wilderness. There’s a KOA campground located on the east end of the park on Route 44.


Morris Press Book Store

Ever wondered what it was like to bake something that was probably a “secret family recipe” at one point? Well, here you can find cookbooks of recipes that were made not by famous cooks and chefs, but by locals and people throughout Nebraska. You’ll find them all at the Morris Press Books Store in Kearney. If you have a knack for cooking and baking, now is your chance to grab a few cookbooks that you like so you can try these foods out for yourself at home.

If you are looking for a place to crash for the night, the Kearney RV Park might be the place since it’s conveniently located off of Interstate 80 as you are heading towards Lincoln.


Summary

You’ve made it to Lincoln! You’ve now arrived in the capital city of the Cornhusker State. If college football season is in full swing, you might want to expect some ruckus as the city gets about 80,000 people to fill the “Sea of Red” when the Huskers play at home. If you are looking for something interesting to check out, the National Roller Skate Museum might also be a good place to check out. You might find a pair that reminds you of when you were a kid.

There are some decent RV parks that are situated on Pawnee Lake, which is located west of Lincoln. If you are looking for a place for rest and relaxation on the water you might want to give this place a closer look.

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