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Old 05-07-2019, 09:38 AM   #1
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What route from FL to New England

In August, we are planning a trip from Florida to New Hampshire, Maine, Vt, NY, PA (Gettysburg), then back to FL. My quandry is, what is the best route to take to avoid the DC area?
We have a Class A, 38' with flat tow vehicle. Any suggestions would be great.
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Old 05-07-2019, 07:13 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by TBWard View Post
In August, we are planning a trip from Florida to New Hampshire, Maine, Vt, NY, PA (Gettysburg), then back to FL. My quandry is, what is the best route to take to avoid the DC area?
We have a Class A, 38' with flat tow vehicle. Any suggestions would be great.
It is not the DC area you have to worry about. It is the New York City area that is the problem.

To bypass the whole mess, work your way to I-81 and take it to Scranton, PA and pick up I-84 towards Boston and then north to Maine. Or continue on I-81 past Scranton and then work your way to NH & VT.

If Gettysburg is a must then you need to brave the DC area. Lots of traffic, but as long as you use your smart phone to watch the traffic and avoid rush hour you can make it. Or plan your trip to drive through DC on Sunday morning. Or you can come in from I-81 to Gettysburg. Kind of out of the way but it bypasses DC.
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Old 05-08-2019, 01:57 PM   #3
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Plan your routes to hit those heavy travel areas at Midnight-3am
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Old 05-08-2019, 03:23 PM   #4
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We arrived today in Gettysburg, PA - left from Lakeland, FL. We used 95 to 26 to 77 to 81, then PA Hwy 16 to the Gettysburg CG. Road conditions and traffic are better than the straight 95 route. You also get the benefit of better scenery - stops along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenendoah's Skyline drive if desired.

We like the Camp Lake Jasper, Hardeeville, SC and Fort Chiswell, Max Meadows, VA, campgrounds. Paid $2.64 for diesel in SC and $2.89 in northern VA ... prices in MD and PA are much higher. Questions welcomed ... safe travels ...
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Old 05-15-2019, 05:05 PM   #5
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Hi TBWard
Pretty funny.. during that same time we will be heading from NH to FL!!
We've been up and down the coast a several time. Liek the others have said, we too usually stay on 95 UNTIL around Baltimore, or earlier..Like Richmond VA, then we cut across to 81 and follow 81 N to Scranton PA, then cut to 84 E to the Mass Pike (90 E). Opposite path heading south obiously.
Depending on the time of day hitting MA.. if you want to skip Boston, then take 495 N around the city..depending on if you wan to hit NH (93N) or ME (95N). You skip all the tolls and DEFINATELY stay off 95 in the NY/NJ area. NJ has restricted parkways for RV's and commercial vehicles (height issues.. very low bridges). Most GPS take you via this incorrect path as its the "shortest"
I have a 40'DP with Jeep flat tow. 81 is a very scenic route.. but truckers take this route also to escape the congestion and tolls too.

Enjoy the trip!!

-mike
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Old 05-15-2019, 05:31 PM   #6
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Route from Florida

We take 95n to 17N in Fredericksburg VA, to 66 to 81N. then we have gone 81 north which is an absolutely horrible road a disgrace so we go78 E to 33N to the Delaware Water Gap to rt. 209 a two lane that follows the river in the National recreation area. It’s a nice drive we avoid Connecticut by going 84 east to 87 north, we live in a northern NH so we have a couple choices one is 87N to 149E and then RT. 4 E to Rutland VT and on to White River Junction and I 91N Pennsylvania has the most expensive gas or fuel prices so fill up before Just before entering that state
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Old 05-15-2019, 06:14 PM   #7
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We generally have good luck getting through NY, Baltimore, and D.C without any major issues when traveling at night. I prefer 95 because it's the quickest route from CT. I hate NY/NJ because the roads are a mess filled with potholes, etc. I generally listen to traffic reports en route and make a decision which bridge I'm going to cross to get over the river. GWB gets me to the NJ Tpke and if I take Tappen Zee I take I-287 down to the turnpike. I've also taken I-64 and 81 to go through PA and get to Richmond. If you're going through PA you can then grab 84 and run through CT or make a decision to stay on NY interstates up to I-90 or something similar.
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Old 05-15-2019, 07:19 PM   #8
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If you are in a hurry, use the interstates. If you want to enjoy the journey, use the US highway system. US highways were built before the interstates but were built for the big trucks too. We drive from Maine to Florida and never came anywhere near either New York or DC, but we did see some beautiful country.
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Old 05-18-2019, 08:25 AM   #9
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We are in New Hampshire and for 16 years travel back and forth to Florida. Our preferred route going either way, let's say starting in Jensen Beach is; 95 North to Fredericksburg, Va. onto Rte 17N towards Winchester, Va. onto 81N. At Chambersburg you can go East to Gettysburg, and plan on spending a few days there. From there go North to Carlisle and back onto 81N or take back roads to Harrisburg and onto 81. Here is where I battle with my brother. He likes going up towards Scranton, to me the hills get boring. I prefer to pick up 78 and go east towards Allenstown, and continue to 287N in the middle of New Jersey. Crossing into New York state we get on 87N to 84E towards Danbury, Conn. Follow that to the Mass. Pike (90E) to either 290 thru Worcester or 495N, either way you end up on 495N. When you go by exit 52 blow the horn and wave, and continue to 95N and enjoy your trip.
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Old 05-18-2019, 08:27 AM   #10
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PS: We still have our 93 Itasca and keep it for day trips, but now we use a 2014 Itasca 26HE towing a 2013 Equinox.
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Old 07-17-2019, 09:28 PM   #11
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DO NOT GET ON I81 N or S in PA or I84 E to W in PA the roads are murder..I busted a tire near Hershey, PA. We traveled from Danbury to Scranton on 84 and it felt like the undercarriage was being ripped from our sightseer 29R
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Old 07-19-2019, 03:05 PM   #12
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Has anyone taken their RV through the Inner Harbor tunnel on 95 in Baltimore? We kept seeing signs that said no propane. So we took 695 around. It wasn’t too much of a detour. We also took Rt. 301 south to just north of Richmond. Nice drive. We ALMOST made the mistake of taking the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. They mean it when they tell you NO RV’s. Some of the bridges are only 9’5”. We learn as we go.
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Old 07-19-2019, 08:09 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by TBWard View Post
In August, we are planning a trip from Florida to New Hampshire, Maine, Vt, NY, PA (Gettysburg), then back to FL. My quandry is, what is the best route to take to avoid the DC area?
We have a Class A, 38' with flat tow vehicle. Any suggestions would be great.
Having driven the route two years ago, I can only give you routing advice. The condition of the roads and construction activity would need to be considered also.

We drove up via I-26 to I-81. I-84 to Newburgh, then north on I-87 to Albany. New York 7 from Albany to the New Hampshire State Line, and on to Bennington via New Hampshire 9. This route kept us away from DC, New York city areas.
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Old 07-20-2019, 07:14 AM   #14
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This is a Google map link of how we normally travel from FL to ME (been doing it for 40+ years), although I've adjusted it to leave from Mt. Dora.

As others have said, you need to watch out for traffic. It can be bad anywhere. PA especially has a bad habit of confounding traffic during construction; the simplest things can cause a lot of backup. Avoiding Charlotte, Harrisburg, Boston (I-290/I-495) and the NH and ME tollgates on I-95 during high traffic times should be paramount. Get yourself an EZ-Pass, too. There are tolls on the Mass Pike (I-90) and no toolbooths; you get zapped for the toll as well as a look-up and billing fee. We got our EZ-Pass from NH as NH offers discounts (as do many other states) but ME does not (at least for light use).

For your trip to Gettysburg, the surface roads in PA/VA are pleasant and the biggest issue we had is traffic lights in the small towns. Get either an RV atlas or a trucker's atlas to check backroads for issues like low-clearance overpasses.

Safe (and enjoyable) travels.
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Old 07-20-2019, 07:48 AM   #15
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Has anyone taken their RV through the Inner Harbor tunnel on 95 in Baltimore? We kept seeing signs that said no propane. So we took 695 around. It wasn’t too much of a detour. We also took Rt. 301 south to just north of Richmond. Nice drive. We ALMOST made the mistake of taking the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. They mean it when they tell you NO RV’s. Some of the bridges are only 9’5”. We learn as we go.

Avoid the Baltimore tunnel. Propane is not allowed. I always take 695 but the inner loop. I had two nightmare experiences on the outer loop over the water with the Key bridge. In heavy crosswinds you will feel like you're going to go over the side in a class A. I will never go that way again. My second time was forced because the inner loop was closed due to a crash. As a side note, a friend of mine drives the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel on his way to SC every year. He said they will allow you with your propane turned off. Just turn it off before you get to the entrance.
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Old 07-31-2019, 02:39 PM   #16
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Hi Arthur / Sheila,

We made the reverse trip last year, and had a wonderful time. We stayed a little further west through PA, VA, TN, GA, North Florida and the ended up in Ft. Pierce. Weren't under the gun so we took our time to stop and see the sights along the way! Hope you have a wonderful trip.
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Old 10-08-2020, 05:44 PM   #17
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It is not the DC area you have to worry about. It is the New York City area that is the problem.

To bypass the whole mess, work your way to I-81 and take it to Scranton, PA and pick up I-84 towards Boston and then north to Maine. Or continue on I-81 past Scranton and then work your way to NH & VT.

If Gettysburg is a must then you need to brave the DC area. Lots of traffic, but as long as you use your smart phone to watch the traffic and avoid rush hour you can make it. Or plan your trip to drive through DC on Sunday morning. Or you can come in from I-81 to Gettysburg. Kind of out of the way but it bypasses DC.
just did that route. enjoyable. Walmart's along the way
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