GA to New England / Canada (Nova Scotia) - summer 2014

[Soul Food II]

As newbies with 6 months and 4 short trips under our belt, we are now thinking of spending July and August in the northeast to get away from the hot days and nights in Ga. Looking for advise on how much advance planning we need to do on areas to visit and reserving campgrounds. Can we just have a general plan and play it by ear moving from place to place as we decide when and where? We spent some time on the coast of Maine 4 years ago and rented an RV in Nova Scotia about 12 or so years ago for 10 days.

Anything special we need to consider for an extended trip like this? We have generators to deal with dry camping if needed. I welcome any suggested routes, campgrounds, sights and anything else you think useful.

[polarlyse]

While the July/Aug weather in New England may be cooler than Georgia, be prepared, it can and does get HOT in the northeast. Couple of years ago we did the same thing and returning homeward from Maine through Mass. it was 100+ degrees. You can always get some relief along the coastal areas so make sure you have plenty of them on your route. Bar Harbor, Me is a very special place so be sure and include that. South of Bar Harbor the Camden / Rockland area is also very nice. Just outside Camden is Camden Hills State Park and a very nice campground.

Enjoy your New England adventures

[Bill M.]

We were up in that area this summer. The only time we needed reservations was the 4th of July. Lots of camping sites otherwise. Sturbridge, Mass was worth a stop. There is a nice state park close. Of course Arcadia. We spent a few days at Seawall. No hookups, but a great place to sightsee from. I think the sign said that Seawall will be all advanced reservations next year. Campobello was well worth the days we spent there. (I play golf and they have a very interesting 9 hole course) There were several courses around Sturbridge also. We had a forced stay at Portland, Orchard Beach KOA, and actually enjoyed that area a lot. St Anthonys by the Sea, NB has a jewel of a community park (Kawanis, I think) campground right on the ocean. Nice little town, boat tour, restaurants. At the far end of NS the Golden Arm campground would be a good base for a extended stay. Lots to see. Cape Brenton. The restored fort. The Bell museum. Millsport, PA was a nice stop on the way back. Gifford Pinchot house.

[jm2]

when trailering from the southeast to the northeast, avoid the George Washington Bridge and I95 across Manhattan and the Bronx, by instead taking the Tappan Zee Bridge into Westchester County, and choosing I684 to I84 in CT, or I95 in CT.

[goshawks00]

Make sure you have lots of money, gas is ridiculous in Canada...

[paiceman]

If you pull with a disel as we do check your gauge when in Canada. Some areas do not have ultra low sulfur. Gas is no problem, but ultra low sulfur can be but only at times.

[Condoluminum]

There is another similar thread from members thinking of similar trip starting near Ontario.. You may want to look at and subscribe to this thread for additional tips... See: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f42/...io-112641.html

We are considering a similar trip as well, from even further away (northern Calif..) and are starting to gather ideas also.. Unfortunately, the WBCCI group runs a long trip every other year through the area, but they have declined to share much of their information on sights to see and places to stay...

[Ganaraska]

Too bad my old man isn't around. He could tell you about his trip to Gas Bay and the Odirandocks.

[Sbb]

If going to Me, I 84 to Mass Pike to Me, but then there is NH, Vt and Nothern NY. Gosh I hope u have a lot of time. Lobster Bouy near Camden, small family place. Camping on the Battenkill in VT, maybe you could loop, up coast, cut thru Me way back down. Do not take GWB, u will waist a day. Turnpike to rt 287to NY Thruway to i84 . Beautiful area. Enjoy.

[nilesrob]

Think Appalachian Trail! You can get some heat relief any time you can get some elevation, and there are plenty of places along the way (like Elkmont in the Smokies) where you can cool down and enjoy.

If you can fit Damascus, VA into your plans then the Virginia Creeper is a fabulous stop - a 20 mile bike ride (downhill) on a rails to trail route - absolutely awesome.

If your plans might include NYC, then Liberty Harbor Marina is a great place to stay for a night or two, although expensive and basically a parking lot. But you are right on the Hudson River, in view of the Statue of Liberty and right across the river from lower Manhattan, with immediate access (like a 75 foot walk) to a ferry to take you into the city.

Just north of Boston in Salem there is Winter Island, which is a marina on Salem Harbor. Great place to stay, and again really easy access to the ferry that can take you into Boston.

For more rustic (book docking) conditions, in NH places like Russell Pond N/SP? or a host of other places in the White Mountains are superb.

Just some random ideas...

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by nilesrob

If your plans might include NYC, then Liberty Harbor Marina is a great place to stay for a night or two

That's definitely on my personal bucket list.

[Gilmurr]

There are numerous Provincial Parks in Nova Scotia along with National Parks. Cape Breton Highlands is a wonderful drive.....but big climbs and downhills. Also in Cape Breton is Louisburg...a recreation/restoration French village..just google for more info. On the mainland is Kejimkujik National Park. I am on the board of The Friends of Keji and here is the link to the web site. Lots of info here. We do a great deal of volunteer work at the park and if you are there over the summer we will have to see if out dates coincide. Enjoy the planning and then the trip!!

Friends of Keji Cooperating Association

Check out the photo contest section for photos from the park taken by visitors

[paiceman]

Suggestion only, but we did this trip last summer - two weeks was plenty of time leaving and returning to Pittsburgh. At the suggestion of anohter forum member once in Nova Scotia we stayed at the KOA in North Sydney, very nice place, quite and nice couple run it. We then toured Cape Breton from there, the suggestion is don't two too far into the trail with your airstream, road with lots of ups and downs, turns etc.

[Barefootdog]

This a great thread. We just bought a Flying Cloud 30 and will become fulltimers before summer 2014. We live in FL now and plan to spend our first summer in New England and Nova Scotia. We used to live in Boston and spent vacations in Acadia NP. Can't wait to go back. Our plan is to take a few weeks driving the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive in June, then head up to Boston for a week or so to visit our old haunts. There's a private CG in Littleton MA that's near our old house which sounds nice. It's convenient to Concord, Lexington, Boston, etc. From there we plan to explore northern NY (Lake Champlain?), Vermont and NH. We didn't spend much time there when we lived in Boston. From there we plan to head up to Cape Breton Highlands NP via northern Maine stopping at Moosehead Lake. In mid to late August we plan to work our way south along the coast and spend a few weeks at Acadia after Labor Day when the kids are back in school and the crowds die down. From Acadia we plan to work our way south back on the Blue Ridge Parkway during October as the leaves turn. Then it's off to the southwest for the winter months. Any suggestions are welcomed.

[Florida 55]

Any Airstreamer heading north or south up the Blue Ridge Parkway in southwestern Virginia (or the I81 corridor) should plan to stop at the Virginia Highland Haven Airstream Park in Copper Hill, VA. An easy 10 minute drive from the parkway, this 75 acre, Airstream only, private park and campground is nestled in a secluded peaceful mountain setting. The 46 full hookup campsites (water, sewer, 30 amp electrical, wifi) are arranged on top of a mountain ridge with spectacular long distance views of the forests and mountains. The evening sunsets offer a dazzling display of color and light before the sun fades behind the mountains and the starry sky emerges. It is perfect for a one night stopover or an extended stay to unwind and explore the surrounding area.

The nearby quaint little town of Floyd has bluegrass music on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons at the Floyd Country Store. In Floyd the Pine Tavern offers delicious country cooking served family style on the weekends. There is also a wonderful Italian restaurant, Mickie G's in Floyd. The local Chateau Morrisette has wine tastings, an excellent restaurant, and special events such as jazz on the lawn. Within an easy drive are Roanoke, Christiansburg, and Blackburg with a variety of dining, cultural, historical, and recreational activities.

Virginia Highland Haven is privately owned by friendly Airstream enthusiasts who take turns serving as park hosts and maintain the campground in first class condition. The park's operating season is May 1 to October 15. Stay 6 nights and receive a 7th night free. Here is a link to the website: Highland Haven

Can you tell we like Virginia Highland Haven? Our second night of Airstream ownership was spent at Highland Haven and we keep going back for stays of a weekend or longer.

[Barefootdog]

Originally Posted by Florida 55

Any Airstreamer heading north or south up the Blue Ridge Parkway in southwestern Virginia (or the I81 corridor) should plan to stop at the Virginia Highland Haven Airstream Park in Copper Hill, VA. An easy 10 minute drive from the parkway, this 75 acre, Airstream only, private park and campground is nestled in a secluded peaceful mountain setting. The 46 full hookup campsites (water, sewer, 30 amp electrical, wifi) are arranged on top of a mountain ridge with spectacular long distance views of the forests and mountains. The evening sunsets offer a dazzling display of color and light before the sun fades behind the mountains and the starry sky emerges. It is perfect for a one night stopover or an extended stay to unwind and explore the surrounding area. The nearby quaint little town of Floyd has bluegrass music on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons at the Floyd Country Store. In Floyd the Pine Tavern offers delicious country cooking served family style on the weekends. There is also a wonderful Italian restaurant, Mickie G's in Floyd. The local Chateau Morrisette has wine tastings, an excellent restaurant, and special events such as jazz on the lawn. Within an easy drive are Roanoke, Christiansburg, and Blackburg with a variety of dining, cultural, historical, and recreational activities. Virginia Highland Haven is privately owned by friendly Airstream enthusiasts who take turns serving as park hosts and maintain the campground in first class condition. The park's operating season is May 1 to October 15. Stay 6 nights and receive a 7th night free. Here is a link to the website: Highland Haven Can you tell we like Virginia Highland Haven? Our second night of Airstream ownership was spent at Highland Haven and we keep going back for stays of a weekend or longer.

Great suggestion. This place did not show up on my Allstays campground app but I did find it on RVPark reviews. It got a great review and I've added it to my list of must-see places.

[SeeMore]

We did the Ga to Me trip last year (Sept-Nov) and had a terrific time. I highly recommend the inland route (I-81) to avoid the metro area [DC-Phi-NYC] traffic (I-85/95) congestion. Certainly visit Highland Haven on your way. Central Pennsylvania is a beautiful drive through pastoral agricultural vistas.

We enjoyed a state park (don't recall the name) near Indian Kettles, just south of Ticonderoga, on Lake George in NY. Drop your trailer and visit the fort to the north and/or the city of Lake George to the south. Of course, the Adirondacks are a must do destination for outdoor lovers and the Lake Placid region, especially.

In Vermont, do Woodstock which is a town visually stuck in the 1800s and home to a small college, shops, and the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Nat'l Historic Park which has a large working farm museum that is truly picturesque. Check out the remaining covered bridges in the area, too.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . I did ATL to Nova Scotia a looong time ago, in a Vega GT pulling a very small camping trailer(think open top, build tent on top---crazy) It was a great trip. 31 days. We left ATL Labor Day & it was 30 degrees in Maine ! Ate fresh lobsters at a hwy picnic area from a boiling 55 gallon drum on US 1 ($5), fresh blueberry pancakes, and a lot of seafood in N.S. And yes we went across the GW bridge, at 2 pm ! Took the ferry from St Johns to Digby,N.S.(24 ft tides on Bay of Fundy) drove completely around the whole island, then went up to St Lawrence Seaway, down to Quebec City, and home. Fun memories. This was of course, before internet wore out a perfectly good Rand McNally atlas. Have a great trip & regards, Craig

[polarlyse]

While in the Adirondacks, if you have time, visit the Adirondack museum in Blue Mtn. Lake. It's on the western side of the area and a bit of a drive from the Lake Champlain area but well worth the time. The whole area is worth the time but you may need to exercise some selectivity depending on your time constraints. But you will enjoy it all.

Have a great visit. See ya on the road sometime.