tampa to albany

[jepalmer]

I'm planning a trip from Tampa, FL to Albany NY this summer.

I think by basic route options are:

I95/I87. Shortest route but most cities and attendant rush hour traffic. I'm uncertain as to availability of convenient places to overnight. I’ve done a lot of NYC driving, but I haven’t towed through there.

I95/26/77/81/88. This has the disadvantage of more hills and is somewhat longer, but less metropolitan areas and presumably easier to find campgrounds along the way.

I95/495/270/81/88. Avoids the I77 hills, otherwise about the same as option 2.

I95/495/270/70/81/78/287/87. Avoids some of the metropolitan areas.

What are your thoughts about the routes? What has worked for you? Where have you stayed? Travel time?

Thanks.

[BillMFl]

I use the 95/17/81 route. Then 81 to Binghampton and then 88 to Albany. No tolls and no big city traffic. Take the bypass around Richmond.

[dieharder]

Personally, I like getting off the 95 ASAP. From here to Florida and back, I95/26/77/81 is my favourite.

[ct1964ups]

jepalmer wrote:
I'm planning a trip from Tampa, FL to Albany NY this summer.
I think by basic route options are:
I95/I87. Shortest route but most cities and attendant rush hour traffic. I'm uncertain as to availability of convenient places to overnight. I’ve done a lot of NYC driving, but I haven’t towed through there.
I95/26/77/81/88. This has the disadvantage of more hills and is somewhat longer, but less metropolitan areas and presumably easier to find campgrounds along the way.
I95/495/270/81/88. Avoids the I77 hills, otherwise about the same as option 2.
I95/495/270/70/81/78/287/87. Avoids some of the metropolitan areas.
What are your thoughts about the routes? What has worked for you? Where have you stayed? Travel time?
Thanks.

I would do a variation of all of these...up 95 thru Richmond,Va....then take Va rt 17 up thru Warrenton,Va to I-66 for 25 miles to I-81..then 81 into NJ to 287 north then 87 north to Albany....

many place to stay along this route...Chuck

[jepalmer]

Thanks for the replys.

Not planning on stopping....just getting from point A to point B.

I'll post separate question on the fun part of the trip. Albany to bar harbor to nova scotia and back to Tampa.

[H345]

.

How many days to make the trip ? Do you want to stop at any points along the way ?

.

[slay]

If you don't mind driving around Washington and Baltimore, take I-95 to Baltimore, go inland on I-695 to I-83, take I-83 north to Harrisburg, Pa., pick up I-81 to I-88 at Bighamton, N.Y., then take that to Albany. I don't think you will pay a single toll the whole way. The tricky part is getting through Washington and Baltimore. There are places to camp south of Richmond and north of Harrisburg, plus Flying J truck stops where you can park overnight.

[bass_n_bob]

the above routes are fine but we take several different routes along the way. First we exit 95 and go to Norfolk, over the bay bridge tunnel and north on 13 along the eastern shore. We go over the Delaware memorial Bridge taking the NJ Tpk to the Garden State Parkway to 87 north. We also average 50 miles every hour.

[2hams]

I95 to US17 to I66, I81, I88. Avoids hills and traffic.

Some decent places we have stayed include WalkAbout Kingsland GA, Coastal Georgia RV Brunswick GA, Bass Lake Dillon SC, Americamp just north of Richmond VA, Candy Hill Winchester VA, Falling Waters campsite WV. Hit a really bad place in Oneonta NY. Check rvparkreviews

Most anywhere we travel the average is 50 miles an hour.

[Dutch_12078]

We use your option 2 traveling from the Amsterdam, NY area to central Florida or back. A couple of weeks ago, we came down 81 with stops at the Jonestown, PA KOA, Shenendoah Valley Campground, Mt Jackson, VA, Ft Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA, Jolly Acres RV Park, St George, SC, and Jacksonville North KOA, Kingsland, GA. Keep in mind, we were not in a hurry, and our choices were limited up north to campgrounds that were open all year. We were also limited by the weather conditions, and spent three nights at Ft Chiswell waiting out a snow/ice storm before tackling 77 through the mountains. Your options in the summer will be much broader of course.