Virginia Beach Virginia to Vermont recommendations

[Rescue16]

Have been camping for over 10 years but never have gone farther then 200 miles from the house and have had a blast.

This year over the July 4th weekend I plan on going from Virginia Beach to Hampton Beach, NH to Lake Champlain Islands in Vermont via Franconia Notch, NH and then back South to Virginia Beach.

I have a 37 foot travel trailer and I am looking for recommended routes and recommended places to stay. Although I grew up, up north have not been up in over 20 years and still remember those 1 lane railroad trestles and covered bridges that are pretty to see but not when you are over height and almost 60 foot long total.

Any insight or recommendations would be highly appreciated. As a side not I am a 1000 Trails member and any recommended TT or Encore Campgrounds along the way would be a bonus. Thanks and see you around the campfire!!

[Rescue16]

Thank you all for the responses so far. A lot of good information demoon sounds like you go by my house in Virginia Beach and I think the part I was missing was the Garden State Parkway to Tappan Zee Bridge. Okay next question I used to only have a Pop up or Hybrid which was not good for stopping at a rest hour for a few hours since it required set up...Have you stopped in Rest Areas for 2 or 3 hours to catch a little nap with out issue or do you pull into Walmarts or Big box Parking lots Like Lowes or HQ to take a few hour Siesta . I am a night driver so most likely will drive about Midnight until 6 or 7 am get breakfast and then would like to take a little rest until rush hour traffic is over around 11:00 and then continue on until suppertime take a few hours rest and continue until destination. My rest breaks most likely would be during day light hours ...Thought recommendations!!??

[demoon]

Good suggestions, and comments. Our daughter lives on the Outer Banks, and we always use the CBBT and 13 to NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, to Tappan Zee Bridge, 684 to 84 to 90 and then use the suggested routes. Salisbury Beach is your best bet for the Hampton area. But reserve early - there are lots of sites, but not a huge number that will accommodate your rig. We live near Worcester, MA, just off the Mass Pike (90). I think taking 81 from Virginia Beach takes you quite a bit out of your way. You will hear the "tolls will kill you" argument, but sometimes extra miles will eat up the toll costs pretty fast.

[DrewE]

From the White Mountains/Franconia notch area of NH to Lake Champlain, the obvious route (and it's a good one) is to take US 2 until you reach I-89, at which point you could reasonably take either road; they're mostly in parallel. US 2 is a common truck route, so no impossible bridges or corners.

Apple Island Resort is a pretty nice place in the Lake Champlain islands. The City of Burlington has a campground at North Beach that's possibly also worth consideration; the beach is lovely for swimming, and the campground is right on the Lake Champlain bike path, but the sites are somewhat smaller and closer together and I gather sometimes things can have a bit of, well, youthful exuberance.

Most of the Vermont state parks have limited sites that can accommodate large rigs, and none have hookups (most have dump stations and fill stations and bath houses). If you're interested in staying at one, I would suggest calling ahead and making a reservation over the phone. The rangers/employees will have a better idea of what sites you could fit into than the web reservation system.

You might want to think about heading back through the Adirondacks of New York; there are some absolutely beautiful areas there. Mind you, I'm not suggesting that Vermont is lacking in beauty.

For heading south from Lake Champlain through Vermont, I usually take US 7 to VT 22A to US 4 to NY 149 to I 87 S to I 90 W to I 88 S and on to I 81 S. When you take I 90 between I 87 and I 88, there's no toll charge.

[Thomas_NH]

Why in the world would you want to go to "Hampton Beach" on the 4th of July?? Unless you like people, lots of city type people and traffic jams like you never seen before... Oh wait, you said your from Virginia Beach, I take that back. You can't stay at Hampton Beach State Park, you have to get on the list and then wait for someone to die. The better bet is to try to get into Salisbury SP in MA just 6 miles away.

I can help you with local knowledge as I live just 10 miles from the beach and I grew up in the islands in VT (Isle La Motte).

Your best rt. north is to make your way over to 81 to 84 to 90 to 495 to 95. I travel that rt a couples times a year it's by far the best (my father lived in Charlottesville)

[jplante4]

Cutting over to I-81 north of Fredricksburg (via I-66 or US17/US50) will bypass DC/Baltimore metro. From I-81, you have several choices to avoid NYC

- I-81 to I-78 to I-287 to I-87 to the Tappan Zee to I-684
- Same as above only take I-80 instead of I-78
- Stay on I-81 to I-84 in Scranton

Once on I-84, I-84 to I-90 to I-495 to I-95

DO NOT go through Boston tunnels with propane.

As far as campgrounds go, we have stopped at Ponocos KOA in E. Stroudsburg PA right off I-80, Arrowhead RV park and Marina in Schenectady (off I-90), Normandy Farms in Foxboro MA off I-495, and Minuteman/Boston campground in Littleton MA off I-495.

[jerseyjim]

First off....AVOID NYC (area)like the plague! Set your sights on getting to the Tappanzee Bridge...and north from there.
Presuming you want to stick with the Interstates as much as possible, in NJ, as far as I know, there is only ONE campground on the I-95/I-295 route. So...perhaps you should schedule your trip for Delaware to north of NYC without stopping. For campground listings, I personally use Trailer Life Book...the KOA book and the Good Sam map book. Others here at the Forum do the same thing using electronics.
g'luck!