Wilkes-Barre to Saratoga Springs

[_tiredTeacher]

I made this trip a year or two ago and remember I-88 as a nightmare of upended pavement. We are planning to do this trip again next fall and I'm eye-balling taking I-81 to Scranton, then I-84 to pick up I-87. Is this a good route to tow a TT on? I'm guessing 87 between NY city and Albany would be pretty busy.
Thanks for any help.

Teach

[ACZL]

From Syr, NY, we stayed on 90 to 495 to 95 to Bar Harbor. 495 non toll road. Traffic wasn't bad until 1/2 way up 495--then picked up a lot and this was mid day or so on a Fri in July. (95 wasn't oo awlful bad until about 3-5 miles from ME line and all 3 lanes just about stopped. Once in ME, seemed pretty much wide open all the way to Bangor where we branched off to go south. Good truck stop here BTW. Coming back a week later on a Sat, good traveling until again, 3-5 miles from NH line and pretty much stop-n-go and was quite heavy/steady all the way down 95, 495 & 90 UNTIL the 84 split. Then it was wide open all the way back to Syr on 90.

As for campground, we stayed at Timberview Acres PV Park just south of Ellsworth, ME. Was about 16 miles from downtown Bar Harbor. Paved roads, long sites, tho a tad narrow but doable. Lot of seasonals, but compared to the 2 KOA's we drove thru along w/ one by airport, glad we chose this one. Ellsworth is a couple miles away w/ grocery stores, Wal-Mart, hardware, auto parts etc. Just north of Ellsworth is a good place to buy firewood compared to others we saw.

Fuel wise, don't know if you have a gas or diesel, but we stopped at the truck stop few miles before ME in NH (forgot name offhand). Lil more expensive than on the interstate. Banger truckstop was on par to home (Dysart's truck stop??). Easy on/off and able to go whole week in BH (50 gallon tank) w/o any probs and filled up on way back here.

[_tiredTeacher]

MR MAC wrote:
Teach, "here again" Bar Harbor is a great place, but some of the camp grounds are high --$...

We chose Hadley's Point CG as our base of operations. My wife needs the reassurance reservations offer for such a long trip. Several members recommended this CG and, well, I had to pick one, didn't I?

Teach

[MR_MAC]

Teach, "here again" Bar Harbor is a great place, but some of the camp grounds are high --$== ex, KOA, Nat. park need rev, most sites will not take TT's, we stay at Bar harbor camp gr. and try to arive on a wk. day. they do not take rev's and say to go in and pick a site then come back and reg.. (check it out) the park ent. is right there, the town )Bar harbor) is right down the road. The park bus stops at CG entrance, a lobster shack right across the street, BH is a great place to visit. I usualy go I95 and take 1a just before Banger to Ellsworth, There is a State park on 1a just before Ellsworth, we stay there a night (from Boston) so as to go in early ME has a lot to see. Rob

[_tiredTeacher]

ACZL wrote:
Unless I'm reading this wrong, think you have him going to an entirely different destination.

I updated my original posting and changed my route to allow DW to visit the Quilt Museum in Lowell. We are going up Rt.15 to I-81 stopping over in Wilkes-Barre. Our next stop is at Boston Minuteman CG in Littleton, Mass., near Lowell. From there we are traveling to Freeport, Maine, to visit L.L. Bean (staying at Cedar haven CG). Then off to Bar Harbor for a week.
I'm interested in tapping local knowledge of the best routes from Wilkes-Barre to Littleton and Littleton to Freeport.

Teach

[ACZL]

MR MAC wrote:
Teach, I84, I90, 495 to 95 N. Are all good roads (Fri. & Sun afternoon & Night can get heavy) Hudson river bridge, toll east bound only, also I90, & I95, North & south. If you are going to Freeport ME. cut off the ME. turnpike at signs for Freeport, no toll, as you enter town you will see a right turn with a parking sign, there is RV parking there. Now with EZ-Pass, I have "3" one for Mt. home alone, one for Mt. home with car in tow and one for car alone. Also keep the ones not being used in bag they come in or the highway Men will charge for the passes not being used. Rob

Unless I'm reading this wrong, think you have him going to an entirely different destination.

[MR_MAC]

Teach, I84, I90, 495 to 95 N. Are all good roads (Fri. & Sun afternoon & Night can get heavy) Hudson river bridge, toll east bound only, also I90, & I95, North & south. If you are going to Freeport ME. cut off the ME. turnpike at signs for Freeport, no toll, as you enter town you will see a right turn with a parking sign, there is RV parking there. Now with EZ-Pass, I have "3" one for Mt. home alone, one for Mt. home with car in tow and one for car alone. Also keep the ones not being used in bag they come in or the highway Men will charge for the passes not being used. Rob

[jplante4]

I-290 cuts a corner. May save you 10 minutes. I was on 290 last year for the first time in 20 years and it is rough. Not much infrastructure work going on in this state.

It also saves you a few bucks in tolls and avoids 2 of the 3 hills you need to climb on 495.

[_tiredTeacher]

DrewE wrote:
I'd probably take the route your GPS is suggesting, maybe cutting over on I-290 from I-90 to I-495.

OK, thanks. All suggestions appreciated.

[DrewE]

There's a toll pretty much no matter where you cross the Hudson unless you detour quite far north. They only collect in one direction; I don't remember offhand if it's eastbound or westbound that's free.

EZPass should be okay pulling a trailer, I think.

I'd probably take the route your GPS is suggesting, maybe cutting over on I-290 from I-90 to I-495. I'm not super familiar with these roads, though. There certainly can be "some" traffic on them at times, but the few times I've been on them (or portions of them) it has generally kept moving pretty decently.

Google maps says a hair over a 6 hour drive from Wilkes-Barre to Salisbury, MA; probably it would be somewhat longer with an RV, of course, but doesn't seem too far out of line for non-rush-hour to me.

[_tiredTeacher]

Bumping this old thread and hoping you guys are still lurking here.
We've changed our plans. We now will drive from Wilkes-Barre to Salisbury, Mass. We're ultimately stopping in Freeport, Maine
My GPS wants me to take I-84 to Sturbridge, pick up the Mass. Expwy. (I-90) to I-495 up to I-95 at Salisbury.
I'm clueless about the traffic and road conditions on I-84. I think there's a toll to cross the Hudson, right? Can I cruise down I-90 on my E-Z Pass pulling a trailer?
GPS says it's a 6 hr. trip. I know that can't be accurate, right?
Is there a better option to get to Freeport from Penn.?
I'm in dire need of local knowledge here.

Teach

[DrewE]

I88, while not perfect, is now much improved. To me, it makes no sense to take the roundabout route that is longer and has tolls.

If you do decide to go via the thruway, you can save a bit of time and money by taking NY29 from the Fultonville/Fonda.

[jplante4]

I-84 was no great shakes last time I took it. There was a lot of one lane for bridge construction at the NY border.

Members who live up that way swear that I-88 is much better except for the first 5 miles east of Binghampton. I-88 was the only road we took all last winter where I needed to travel in the left lane.

Report back because I may be headed out to Watkins Glen this summer. IMHO, unless they actually ground out the expansion joints in the old concrete road surface, they just delayed the problem a few years.

[jgolden]

I-84 puts you on I-87 (thruway) at Newburg which is a distance above NYC and heaviest traffic, but I-87 does go to two lanes there.

[jgolden]

There has been a lot of work done on I-88 in the last 2 years. Digging out and replacing old pavement and paving. That work will continue this summer for sure.
Still rough spots. Did Binghampton to Schoharie exit on I-88 last summer seemed ok to me. The long single lane areas around construction spots are no fun, but light traffic helps.
Haven't done i-84 in a long time so can't comment.
I-87 from Newburg north to Saratoga is busy but not that bad.
Also I-88 route is toll free if that matters.