Headed to Maine in 2 weeks

[Headed_West]

Hello All, DW, daughter and I are leaving Indiana and Headed for Maine in 2 weeks. We are taking 90 to Albany and then across N.H. and VT. We were thinking of taking HWY 9 to HWY 202 to Concord and then up. It looks to be scenic. We have heard N.H. and VT are beautiful and would like to take our time and stay off the interstate.

Anyone out there ever taken this route? Any suggestions or advice welcome.

[JW_of_Opechee_S]

I traveled for work and the route you have chosen will be good. Nice back roads, just be aware of the chance of meeting up with a low bridge if you miss a turn or end up on a back road in NH.

[DrewE]

The scenery along the thruway is not spectacular in my opinion. It does have its pleasant areas, but that's about all. Maybe going to and from college in Rochester has simply jaded me to the thruway through overuse.

I-86 to I-88 is just as pretty, and not toll. As I recall, I-86 had some very rough sections in the western bits, but I think most or all of them have been repaired in the past few years...though I don't know for sure. Some here also think I-88 is terrible, but that has not been my own experience with it...it's not glassy-smooth, to be sure, but neither has it induced a headache or loosened fillings or caused the dishes to be dispersed randomly throughout their cabinet in my RV.

Taking secondary roads along the lake shore, St Lawrence, or through the Adirondacks would be more scenic in my opinion, if possibly a little slower going. If speed is your main concern, the Thruway it pretty much must be.

[Headed_West]

mkc wrote:

Headed West wrote:
Hello All, DW, daughter and I are leaving Indiana and Headed for Maine in 2 weeks. We are taking 90 to Albany and then across N.H. and VT.

I90 is the NY Thruway and is a toll road. A rather expensive toll road. Be sure to visit the toll calculator page NY Thruway Toll Calculator and figure out how much cash you will need to have (they don't take checks/credit cards, IIRC). For example, a tag axle motorhome towing a car will approach $90.

Michelle

(ETA - I put in a 4 axle combo, taller than 7'6", from PA state line to exit B1 for route 9. $65.70)

Yes I have taken tolls into consideration. Other than I 90 I don't see an alternative route that makes sense. We want to go through upper state N.Y. for the scenery. Do you have another route that would work for us?

[mkc]

Headed West wrote:
Hello All, DW, daughter and I are leaving Indiana and Headed for Maine in 2 weeks. We are taking 90 to Albany and then across N.H. and VT.

I90 is the NY Thruway and is a toll road. A rather expensive toll road. Be sure to visit the toll calculator page NY Thruway Toll Calculator and figure out how much cash you will need to have (they don't take checks/credit cards, IIRC). For example, a tag axle motorhome towing a car will approach $90.

Michelle

(ETA - I put in a 4 axle combo, taller than 7'6", from PA state line to exit B1 for route 9. $65.70)

[ryegatevt]

Headed West wrote:

ryegatevt wrote:
Where are you going in Maine? There are both southern and northern ways to get across NH and Maine. We prefer to travel the less crowded north in both states, although we live in south central NH and have a summer home in northern VT.

Our Final destination is Kennebunkport Maine. We will be staying at Reds Apple campground and venturing out to Portland and other areas from there.

Try Route 9 across VT and stay on it to I-89, east to Concord. Pick up Route 4 to Portsmouth then north on I-95 to Kennebunk. There is a faster route from Concord to Portsmouth but it is not as scenic.

[narcodog]

Headed West wrote:

narcodog wrote:
Besure to have plenty of black fly repellent.

Black Flies? Do they make such a thing as Black fly repellent?

Yes they do. it will repel other insects but they are designed for black flies.

[Headed_West]

ryegatevt wrote:
Where are you going in Maine? There are both southern and northern ways to get across NH and Maine. We prefer to travel the less crowded north in both states, although we live in south central NH and have a summer home in northern VT.

Our Final destination is Kennebunkport Maine. We will be staying at Reds Apple campground and venturing out to Portland and other areas from there.

[Headed_West]

narcodog wrote:
Besure to have plenty of black fly repellent.

Black Flies? Do they make such a thing as Black fly repellent?

[ryegatevt]

Where are you going in Maine? There are both southern and northern ways to get across NH and Maine. We prefer to travel the less crowded north in both states, although we live in south central NH and have a summer home in northern VT.

[padredw]

I'm certainly not proposing anything, since that's a long way from my old country home in East Texas, but I thought I would share our experience of a few years ago. We entered Vermont from near Glens Falls, NY and took US 4 across Vermont, via Rutland and Quechee Gorge. I must admit that we then took I-91 up to cross northern NH and into Maine on US 2. In fact, we were headed to Bethel Maine to visit a friend and on this trip did not go down to the Maine coast.

I'm sure one could go on across NH instead of taking the freeway on north as we did. It is just the portion of our route through Vermont on US 4 that was especially scenic and enjoyable. We could have spent a week just on that portion of the route, but that was not our objective on this particular trip.

[1ofmany]

narcodog wrote:
Besure to have plenty of black fly repellent.

And an after bite ointment....

[narcodog]

Besure to have plenty of black fly repellent.

[DrewE]

I assume you mean VT/NH state route 9 across the southern edge of Vermont (which does join with US 202 on its way to concord). I think it should be a reasonably nice route.

I personally would suggest going a little or even a lot more to the north; the Adirondacks of New York are no less scenic than Vermont or New Hampshire, and you avoid some of the New York Thruway (and paying New York Thruway tolls). One route that I've done many times is NY 365 from the Verona exit to NY 8 to either US 9 or NY 9N as preferred (usually for me 9N due to where I need to go in Vermont). Parts of this route are a little bit steep and curvy, but not at all unreasonably so.

From 9N one can cut across to Vermont 17 via the Crown Point bridge, and then work north to I-89 or US 2 via either VT 22A, US 7, or VT 116. (Don't be tempted to continue on VT 17 to VT 100; between 116 and 100 it goes over a mountain gap that is very steep and twisty and ill suited for RVs.) From Barre / Montpelier, either US 302 or US 2 across to the White Mountains, and then eventually US 2 into Maine. Spending some time in the White Mountains would not be out of place.

From US 9 in New York, you could go all the way north and then take US 2 through the islands and continue on as above. Where they are parallel, I would generally suggest preferring I-89 to US2; the scenery is much the same (in several places they are directly adjacent to each other), and I-89 is the easier driving in my opinion. That's just my preference.

If you want a day or half day road trip in Vermont without the trailer, a loop with Smuggler's Notch (VT 108 between Stowe and Jeffersonville) and the Appalachian Gap (VT 17 between 116 and 100) would be a decent option.