Books & Guides for Scenic Road Trips & RVing

Top Scenic Travel, Camping, and RVing Guides

While we love and find the Internet very handy for planning our RV and motorhome vacations (for example, see our recommended RV Traveling Links), a good guidebook can save lots of Internet browsing time in the pre-trip planning stages and is invaluable as a resource to take with you on the trip. All of these books are available on Amazon. (as an Amazon Associate our modest commission on sales is paid by Amazon, not you. All links are to the lowest price Amazon offers at the time). You’ll also see recommendations on other similar books to these.

Reviews of Best Books & Guides for RV owners and Scenic Travelers

National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways
National Geographic Guide to the best Scenic Drives in the US

National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways, 4th Edition: The 300 Best Drives in the U.S

You might expect a National Geographic book will be well illustrated. There are some 375 photos and 280 detailed maps covering 300 scenic drives in 50 states. As a guide book it is well-organized and because it is a National Geographic publication its’ recommendations of places to visit carry much credence.

The guides below cover some of the important facets of RV and Motorhome vacationing, as well a scenic USA travel in general (by car, bus, train or plane).

The guides below cover some of the important facets of RV and Motorhome vacationing, as well a scenic USA travel in general (by car, bus, train or plane).

Rand McNally Spiral Bound Road Atlas

Rand McNally Large Scale Road Atlas (Rand McNally Road Atlas)
We love this atlas for the large size of the maps, great detail, and ring binding that allows it to fold flat when opening the pages. Well worth the extra cost over the usual road atlas. This updated 2023 edition contains maps of every U.S. state, plus expanded coverage of Canada and Mexico, that are 35% larger than the standard atlas.

National Geographic Complete National Parks of the United States, 3rd Edition
What I particularly like about this guide and travel planner is that while covering the 58 official National Parks it also profiles nearly 350 additional properties in the Park Service’s domain. The premier Parks are described in detail, but equal attention is given to the National Monuments, Memorials, Preserves, Historic Sites, Battlefields, Cemeteries, and Seashores, not to mention a network of “National Trails” and even the intriguingly referred to “Affiliated Areas.” Gets 4.7 out of 5 stars from readers.

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A Travel Guide to More Than 1000 Scenic and Interesting Places
Off the Beaten Path spotlights over 1,000 of the United States’ most overlooked must- see destinations. In a state-by-state A-to-Z format, this budget-friendly vacation planner reveals the best-kept secret spots. . . . Revel in nature, science, art, and culture, and encounter the unexpected as you explore undiscovered gems.”
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The Most Scenic Drives in America -120 Spectacular Road Trips
We have an earlier edition of this book and love it for planning our RV and camping trips. Lots of maps, easy to read text, and photos. The index is a visual map showing scenic drives by state and region with page listings to read about each scenic drive.

Guide to Free & Low Cost Campgrounds
This is a great resource for budget-minded campers and RVers. It is also a handy guide for economical over-night stays when traveling to a distant location and all you want is reasonably safe place to sleep en-route. While Jellystone Parks fit the needs of some, when we are traveling to a far distant destination in need of an overnight stop, we hate to waste money paying for extra facilities we won’t be using.

Guide to Free Camping Directory For all 50 States
In this book, you will see that the camping destinations are divided by state. In each listing, you will find:
Location by address or GPS coordinates
Contact information, if applicable
A concise explanation of directions on how to reach the site
A brief description of the camping spot
A list of Key Factors and features of each campsite


Guide to Campgrounds Built and Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
We love Army Corps of Engineering Campgrounds as they are known for their well-designed facilities and maintenance, as well as reasonable prices – made exceptionally reasonable if you have a America the Beautiful Senior Pass. Whatever region we are traveling to, we always look for a convenient Corps park as our first go-to spot.


RV Camping in State Parks
Not all state parks with campgrounds have good facilities for RV travelers. This recently updated guide book provides information on more than 1,730 state parks, forests, and recreation areas in 49 states that offer accommodations for RVers. It includes details like location, directions, GPS coordinates, and contact information. Also provided is the number and type of hookups, season of operation, RV length limit, and availability of showers, dump station, Wi-Fi, and more. Reviewers gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Casino Camping: Guide to RV-Friendly Casinos
An excellent resource as Casino campgrounds are known for offering first-rate RV facilities at reasonable prices. Some even accomodate free overnight boondocking. Next to finding a convenient Corps of Engineering park, a casino RV park is our next go-to for a good value for an overnight stay with decent facilities and hookups.

50 States, 5,000 Ideas: Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do
From National Geographic. Great guide to interesting places to visit in every state. “Sites include national parks, beaches, hotels, Civil War battlefields, dude ranches, out-of-the-way museums, and more.” Also includes information on Canadian provinces. Great supplement for trip planning.
Guides to RV Buying, Living, and Maintenance

MR Motorhome Buying Guide
This motorhome comparison guide provides ratings and profiles of 45 RV motorhome manufacturers in the US and Canada. Includes tips and guides on making a sound purchase, plus a state-by-state listing of the top 100 Motorhome Dealers in the US. While the Internet is useful for getting information, this book will save you lots of browsing time culling down the list of possibilities.

RV Full-timing,
Motorhome and RV Retirement Living

Thinking of living full-time in a motorhome or RV or perhaps taking a several month vacation in your home on wheels? This is the book for you. How to do it comfortably, safely and affordable. From readers, gets 4.7 stars out of 5.

Best RV Tips
Great for new RVers and veterans alike. Contains loads of tips that will make your RV travels easier, safer, more enjoyable and save time and money. Also includes tips on RV Mods – how you can customize your RV to make your home.

One guidebook we did not include was Coleman’s Guide to National Forest Campgrounds, which we own and have used. Unfortunately the guide hasn’t been updated since 2003.  For the present your best guide to National Forest Campsites and Campgrounds would be the Internet. (See our National Forest links here).

More Recommended Travel and RV Guides & Books

Amazon has more recommended books on Travel (See Top Travel Books).

(amazon associate link)

Have you a favorite RV Traveling Resource? Love to hear from you.

Happy Traveling

Ross roscoetrails@gmail.com