Plattekill, NY to Gettysburg, PA to Elizabethtown, KY

[hsk1977]

Hello all! My husband and I purchased our first RV a few months ago, a 2017 Starcraft AR-One Maxx 21 FB. We have used it several times locally and are really loving it. Next month, we are setting off on our first long road trip with it. We'll be making a round trip from north Mississippi to Plattekill, NY. We're giving ourselves 3 days of travel time for each direction.

On our way, it looks like we will be on the interstate almost the entire time, but coming home we plan to stop in Gettysburg, which puts us on some roads other than interstate for a bit. We will be leaving the KOA in Gettysburg, PA, heading to Elizabethtown, KY, before coming home. It looks like the majority of our trip will be interstate, but we're not familiar with the area in NY & PA, so I wondered if the route has any difficult grades or roads before we get back on I-70.

I'm almost hesitant to post this and hear that we are crazy for setting off on such an ambitious trip, but we have done a lot of planning and are really excited about it. Hopefully we're not biting off more than we can chew!

Thanks in advance for any helpful information about our route!

[hsk1977]

RGar974417 wrote:
We like Flying J and Pilot stations that have seperate RV pumps. They have an app that lets you know which of their stations have the pumps for RV's and which don't.

Good to know! I'll be sure to download the apps before we go on our trip.

[hsk1977]

trailertraveler wrote:

hsk1977 wrote:
It looks like we might have fewer grades to contend with if we traveled from Elizabethtown, KY, north to Louisville and go through Cincinatti & Columbus before going east through PA on our way there. Any thoughts about that route? How difficult is it to get through those cities? I guess we will weigh that with the grades. Also, it would be an opportunity for us to see different countryside on each leg of our trip.

From Elizabethtown we take the Martha Lane Collins Bluegrass Parkway to Lexington and then I-64 to I-79 to I-68 to I-70 to I-81. I think there are more ups and downs on this route, but I-64 is usually better road surface than I-70 and seems to have far less traffic. It also avoids the tolls on the I-70/76 section that is the PA turnpike.

That is really helpful to know! I will make a note of it. Thanks!

[hsk1977]

Bumpyroad wrote:
68 in W. MD and 79 in WVA are lax in easy to get to in and out fuel stops so tank up before this stretch.
bumpy

Great information to have! Thank you!

[hsk1977]

TexasRangerRzR wrote:
I can help with the Gettysburg portion of your trip.

I'll assume you will be approaching Gettysburg from US-15 from the north. Turn on PA-116 west and proceed about 2 miles until you reach first traffic light. This will be 6th Street. Turn left and go about 100 yards and turn right on Middle Street. Continue on Middle Street, through several stop signs until you get to the traffic light. The cross street be Baltimore Street and Middle Street continues on other side and becomes PA-116. Continue on PA-116 until you get to Knoxlyn-Ortanna Rd. It's a small road, but just travel slow and you'll be fine to the KOA.

This will get you through Gettysburg without having to deal with the traffic in the center square (round-about) and will avoid the sharp right turn that staying on 116 would have you make.

Leaving Gettysburg to get to I-70, you can either reverse these directions and proceed down US-15 south to Frederick, MD to get on I-70. Or you can leave KOA and go north to US-30 and proceed west to I-81 south which will cross I-70 in Hagerstown, MD. There is one long hill (Mt Newman) up and back down on US-30 about ~5 miles west of Gettysburg. Not real steep, but fairly long.

THANK YOU!! I'll be saving this information for easy reference on that day. I had noticed the roundabout in Google Maps and wondered about an easy way to avoid it.

[Bumpyroad]

68 in W. MD and 79 in WVA are lax in easy to get to in and out fuel stops so tank up before this stretch.
bumpy

[trailertraveler]

hsk1977 wrote:
It looks like we might have fewer grades to contend with if we traveled from Elizabethtown, KY, north to Louisville and go through Cincinatti & Columbus before going east through PA on our way there. Any thoughts about that route? How difficult is it to get through those cities? I guess we will weigh that with the grades. Also, it would be an opportunity for us to see different countryside on each leg of our trip.

From Elizabethtown we take the Martha Lane Collins Bluegrass Parkway to Lexington and then I-64 to I-79 to I-68 to I-70 to I-81. I think there are more ups and downs on this route, but I-64 is usually better road surface than I-70 and seems to have far less traffic. It also avoids the tolls on the I-70/76 section that is the PA turnpike.

[TexasRangerRzR]

I can help with the Gettysburg portion of your trip.

I'll assume you will be approaching Gettysburg from US-15 from the north. Turn on PA-116 west and proceed about 2 miles until you reach first traffic light. This will be 6th Street. Turn left and go about 100 yards and turn right on Middle Street. Continue on Middle Street, through several stop signs until you get to the traffic light. The cross street be Baltimore Street and Middle Street continues on other side and becomes PA-116. Continue on PA-116 until you get to Knoxlyn-Ortanna Rd. It's a small road, but just travel slow and you'll be fine to the KOA.

This will get you through Gettysburg without having to deal with the traffic in the center square (round-about) and will avoid the sharp right turn that staying on 116 would have you make.

Leaving Gettysburg to get to I-70, you can either reverse these directions and proceed down US-15 south to Frederick, MD to get on I-70. Or you can leave KOA and go north to US-30 and proceed west to I-81 south which will cross I-70 in Hagerstown, MD. There is one long hill (Mt Newman) up and back down on US-30 about ~5 miles west of Gettysburg. Not real steep, but fairly long.

[RGar974417]

We like Flying J and Pilot stations that have seperate RV pumps. They have an app that lets you know which of their stations have the pumps for RV's and which don't.

[Bumpyroad]

hsk1977 wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
the last time I drove on 30 in the gettysburg area it was dreadful/
bumpy

Per Google Maps, it looks like we will be on 30 for a couple of miles and then on 116. When you say dreadful, do you mean dangerous, or just bumpy/uncomfortable?

a PITA, crowded, hard to pass, etc.
bumpy

[hsk1977]

cruiseruser wrote:
You won't have any problem on Rt 30 off of Rt 15. The Koa is about 7 miles west of Rt 15. You will drive thru the town of Gettysburg. However with that small of a rig, it will be no problem.

I would strongly suggest getting reservations. If you can. All of the campgounds are packed at this time of year and no boondocking is allowed in the county that Gettysburg is located in.

Enjoy your time.

Thanks for the feedback! And we already have reservations, thankfully! 🙂

[cruiseruser]

You won't have any problem on Rt 30 off of Rt 15. The Koa is about 7 miles west of Rt 15. You will drive thru the town of Gettysburg. However with that small of a rig, it will be no problem.

I would strongly suggest getting reservations. If you can. All of the campgounds are packed at this time of year and no boondocking is allowed in the county that Gettysburg is located in.

Enjoy your time.

[jplante4]

hsk1977 wrote:
Again, I appreciate the recommendation. I have purchased the app and have been looking at the grades listed on our current route. It looks like there is a 3 mile steady 6 percent grade, followed by 1 mile of 4 percent grade on I-84 near Port Jervis, NY. Considering we have never pulled anything when having to worry about descending like that, I'll admit I'm now a little nervous. Any thoughts?

On interstates, grades are mostly manageable. In that area (the Poconos) the grades are steep but for a very short distance. I went through there a few years ago in a class A gasser and I don't remember anything extreme. Coming back through the Catskills, I went down a county road that was a 13 percent downgrade, and that was a white knuckle ride. Stayed on the main roads last spring and was surprised when I realized that the Catskills were behind us.

Really, compared to the mountain west, these are hills. Short runs of 3-4 percent grades are not worth altering your route to avoid.

[hsk1977]

It looks like we might have fewer grades to contend with if we traveled from Elizabethtown, KY, north to Louisville and go through Cincinatti & Columbus before going east through PA on our way there. Any thoughts about that route? How difficult is it to get through those cities? I guess we will weigh that with the grades. Also, it would be an opportunity for us to see different countryside on each leg of our trip.

[DutchmenSport]

hsk1977 wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
You are not crazy, just excited, and that's a good thing. You are driving mostly interstates, you will have no problems. Just remember, once off the interstates, 18 wheelers and delivery trucks drive those local routes all the time. If they can do it, you can too. Please don't stress. Just enjoy, you will be just fine.

Thank you! I've gotten some pretty crazy looks from pretty much everyone I've told about our trip, however none of them are campers. And that's a great point about delivery trucks & 18-wheelers. I hadn't thought of that. We are just still new to all of this, so I'm sure we'll feel much better after we have driven some distance with it.

It does make a difference who you share your dreams with. You are among friends here who all share the adventure of travel. Once on the road and visiting other campers along your journey, you will become even more excited. I've met only one unhappy camper on the road in almost 60 years of camping with my parents, other friends, and my own family. If they don't actually do camping themselves, they simply do not understand this passion. Enjoy your travels.