summer in north east

Advance reservations are not a bad idea, particularly for longer stretches. During the week most places it's not a big problem, but some do fill up on weekends, and some parks (particularly some state parks) do not have many sites that can reasonably accommodate larger RVs.

It's not really necessary to make reservations for the whole summer right now. The big holiday weekends might be exceptions; in many cases, the sooner the better for them, especially if you have a specific place you want to be.

If you're flexible about where you stay (and when you might need to move on), your need for reservations far in advance goes down considerably. It's a very rare weekend that there are no places available.

I like the Vermont state parks, though I may not be entirely unbiased in the matter, but do be aware that none of them offer any hookups. For hiking, the parks in and around the Groton state forest have a nice set of interconnected hiking trails that are not too strenuous.

In New York, there are some exceptionally good state parks in the Finger Lakes region. Probably most famous, and justly so, are Letchworth State Park and Watkins Glen. The former is quite a large park and could easily occupy one for several days.

Here's a great Massachusetts choice for military........

thanks for the input...the two cents is worth $$.should we try to schedule by making advance reservations? we'd like to be flexible but as this is high vacation (especially july and august) time we are concerned about availability. we are thinking about 2 weeks at each base starting in maine in july. we are looking at portsmouth naval yard but they have limited spaces and retired military can't reserve until 6 months out.I also have the access pass for national parks (now 100% disabled after fighting it off for 20 years) so they are an option as well. winhall looks great! getting away from the central texas heat is to become an annual pilgrimage for us and the northeast is a place we've not explored. would that make us heatbirds?

To each is own but in New England you can get a lot of ground coverage by using just one base camp before moving to the next area or state, but that's just my 2 cents.

X2. With the compactness of the area it's easier to stay in one spot and do trips from there. MDcamping also touched on the key areas to explore.

nanaray wrote:
We are a retired couple, 66 & 56, going to summer (July-September) this year in the northeast. We have traveled most of the south and northwest for extended periods in our travel trailer but we've never traveled the northeast. We're thinking of starting in Maine, traveling east to Vermont, Toronto and northern NY, and then on through New England. Our thought is to use RV parks for our base, staying in each for a week or so and explore the surrounding area, at times tent camping. We're in the beginning stages of planning and would appreciate any suggestions, must see/do, cautions, etc you can offer. Specific questions are. Do RV parks allow one to be absent from trailer for 2 or so days? We are retired military. We are looking at military campgrounds but there do not seem to be many with RV spaces. Are there parks that offer discounts? Should we make advance reservations at each stop in order to ensure space for our trailer or can we wing it a bit? What would you recommend as a basic itinerary?

Ray and Nanette
Texas

To each is own but in New England you can get a lot of ground coverage by using just one base camp before moving to the next area or state, but that's just my 2 cents.

As far as itinerary (in no particular order), Acadia, ME, Cape Cod, MA (off season if possible) Boston MA, White Mountains, NH , Newport RI.

And my personal favorite in VT for relaxing, hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming and enjoying nature, Winhall Brook COE

Also, RV Park Reviews is a great tool for reserching campgrounds

Good luck, have fun and safe travels! :C

Mike

If you get the America the Beautiful pass, you get in to all National parks free and camping at most federal campgrounds are half price.Some states give a discount for being over 62.

OP, I am in the process of compiling a list of states and the various discounts they offer, (Senior, Geezer or America the Beautiful, AARP, Military, Vets and 100% disabled Vets, etc). Hope to include camping and admission/use fees, which many states charge. I would appreciate any and all info you may come across or have knowledge of.

Thanks

Like most parts of the country, there are many summer "Festivals" scattered around upstate NY. Whether or not you want to attend them depends on how comfortable you are with dealing with crowds, but during them they do fill up local campgrounds.

A couple that I've enjoyed include Spiediefest, a food & hot air balloon festival in Binghamton, NY (Some of my photos), Harborfest, a weekend festival culminating in an excellent fireworks display (Some of my photos).

I have also enjoyed Sunday lawn concerts at the Sodus Point Lighthouse.

There is something to do every day just about anywhere in upstate NY during the summers - a Google search for NY Summer Festivals will highlight what is available on the large scale, stops at local Visitor Centers will help find the smaller ones.

Check out military campgrounds website
HANSCOM AFB in Bedford MA for visiting Boston
Otis AFB on Cape Cod
make reservations at Schoodic Woods in Acadia NP for quiet northern part of Acadia

We traveled from Texas in 2011 to the Northeast and Eastern Canada for the summer and into the fall. We really enjoyed the area. Our basic goal was to stay away if possible from major cities. We left San Antonio on July 2 and returned Oct 24. The basic route was head north and get to Cleveland, OH, on Lake Erie. Then hug the Great Lakes as we made our way north and east. We entered Canada in Maine and visited Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton Island. We then headed back to the US. Labor Day in Boston Area, continuing south to NYC area. From there it was time to make our way West toward home but continued visiting Civil War Battlegrounds and other sites. We had reservations for the busy summer period because we wanted full hook ups and stayed a week in many places. For more information, send me a private message or email.