Michigan, Nashville, Banff, Moab, and a Whole Lot of Road
Mashville started as a simple mashup of two major anchors, Michigan and Nashville. But the route grew into something much bigger. We’re leaving from Kenmore, heading through Utah and the Southwest, crossing toward Nashville, spending the summer in northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, then turning west toward Banff for our five-year wedding anniversary before eventually making our way back toward homebase.
The trip is planned as a long-haul route, but not a rushed one. Some stops are practical overnights, some are recovery stops, and some are the reason the trip exists in the first place.
Like every good RV plan, this one is already subject to weather, work, repairs, sore feet, campground availability, and whatever else the road decides to throw at us.
Trip at a Glance
Planned Mashville Route
This is the working route for Mashville, based on our current RV Life Trip Wizard plan. As always, the map is more of a living document than a promise. Campground availability, repairs, weather, and real life can all change the route.
The Route, Broken Into Legs
Mashville is a long trip, so we’re breaking the route into a few big sections instead of trying to explain every stop at once.
Leg 1
The Northwest to the Southwest
Current
Washington → Oregon → Idaho → Utah → Moab/Arches → Mesa Verde → New Mexico
The first stretch takes us from the Pacific Northwest into the Southwest, with practical overnights, early-trip shakedown moments, red rock scenery, and the first big schedule pivots.
1 Tow Stop
1 Find
1 Blog Post
Leg 2
Crossing to Nashville
Planned
New Mexico/Texas/Oklahoma/Arkansas → Hot Springs → Nashville
After the Southwest, Mashville turns into a cross-country push toward Nashville, with practical travel days, Hot Springs National Park, and the slow build toward one of the namesakes of the trip.
Leg 3
Summer in Michigan
Planned
Nashville → Indiana → Michigan / Upper Peninsula
This is the slower summer stretch of Mashville: less about crossing miles and more about settling into Michigan. Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are the destination here, not just something on the way.
Leg 4
Anniversary Road to Banff
Planned
Michigan / Upper Midwest → North Dakota / Montana / Alberta → Waterton → Banff
After Michigan, the route turns west toward Canada and the anniversary piece of the trip. Banff is more than a pretty stop, it is a return to the honeymoon area for our five-year wedding anniversary.
Leg 5
Back Toward Homebase
Planned
Banff → tentative Kelowna / Birch Bay / flexible return route → Kenmore homebase
The final stretch is still up in the air. After Banff, the route may drift back through British Columbia, possibly around Kelowna, maybe Birch Bay, and eventually back to homebase.
Mashville Photo Highlights
We’re catching the site up to the road now. Mashville Photo Highlights will start appearing here as they go live.
Tow Stops Along the Route
These are the places where we parked the trailer during Mashville — everything from casino overnights and state parks to national park campgrounds, RV resorts, Harvest Hosts, and practical one-night stops. Some were destinations. Some were just useful. A few became part of the story whether they meant to or not.
We’re catching the site up to the road now. Mashville Tow Stop pages will start appearing here as they go live.
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Wildhorse Resort & Casino
Pendleton, Oregon
Favorite Finds Along the Way
These are the places, views, meals, hikes, hot springs, parks, and small discoveries that stood out most during Mashville. Some were big planned stops. Others were the kind of road-trip finds we only discovered because the route took us there.
We’re catching the site up to the road now. Mashville Favorite Finds pages will start appearing here as they go live.
Blog Posts From This Trip
This is where the actual road story lives: the travel days, the pivots, the repairs, the pretty drives, the “well, that happened” moments, and everything we learn between stops.
We’re catching the site up to the road now. Mashville Blog Posts pages will start appearing here as they go live.
Trailer-Made Recipes
Some trips are remembered by the views. Some are remembered by the repairs. And some deserve a spot here because dinner in the trailer turned out way better than expected.
- Leigh Anne’s poke bowls from Riverside RV Resort in Ogden, UT
Mashville Playlist
We usually build a playlist as the trip unfolds — songs that fit the route, the mood, the place, or whatever ridiculous thing just happened. Mashville gets its own soundtrack, because a trip built around Nashville, Michigan, red rocks, and Banff probably should not travel in silence.
Trip Tools & Resources
A few tools and resources helping us plan, adjust, and make this trip work from the road.
RV LIFE Trip Wizard – This is the primary tool we use for planning and organizing our trip.
Towmads Trip Tips
These are a few of the lessons this trip has “driven” home.
- Flexibility beats perfect planning
- Rest days are not wasted days
- RV repairs are part of the lifestyle
- Work and travel rarely line up cleanly
- Fuel strategy matters when towing
- Some stops are practical; some are emotional
- The route is the plan, but the road gets a vote
Still Taking Shape
Rarely are trip plans fully formed when we launch them. This one is no exception. Here are some of the still open ended questions:
- Final return date
- Final post-Banff route
- Calgary-area one-night stop
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