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Old 07-02-2018, 09:00 AM   #1
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Tampa to Bar Harbor

We will be making the trip once again from Tampa to Bar Harbor in September and are looking for suggestions related to the route in order to avoid I-95 as much as possible. It is heavily traveled and in poor condition. Thanks in advance.
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Old 07-02-2018, 10:33 AM   #2
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We have made the trip to Maine from the Florida Panhandle about a dozen times. We avoid the Washington/New York/Boston corridor like the plague. We go up through Charlotte, Harrisburg, and Scranton. We enter New York at Binghamton and continue north. We enter Maine through Vermont and New Hampshire. Much less stress, and you actually get to see something.


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Old 07-02-2018, 11:41 AM   #3
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Agreed on avoiding DC and north, probably anything above Richmond on 95. We take I83 to I81 to I84 when we head up to ME. You could probably pick up I81 west of Richmond and take that up.
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Old 07-03-2018, 05:19 AM   #4
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Thank you Alden and Brian. That is exactly the information I was looking for. I 95 in South Carolina is in terrible condition too, especially the dip in the roadway just south of the border which cant be avoided. It always sneakes up on me and there isnt enough time to slow down safely with the rig. I guess that is their final kick in the tail on your way out.
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Old 07-03-2018, 05:35 AM   #5
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I'm not saying that the roads are in the best condition (near Scranton you get the rythmic bouncing from the road repairs). There are no tolls and the traffic is better. Make sure you fill up before or after Pennsylvania. They have the highest price fuel between MD and ME.
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Old 07-03-2018, 06:20 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMTampa View Post
We will be making the trip once again from Tampa to Bar Harbor in September and are looking for suggestions related to the route in order to avoid I-95 as much as possible. It is heavily traveled and in poor condition. Thanks in advance.
How much time do you have for the round trip? Hugging the Atlantic shore is something we have enjoyed, but it takes longer and costs more for ferries and bridges. Heading north, you could hit:

-- Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks
-- Norfolk to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
-- The Eastern Shore
-- Ferry to Cape May NJ
-- Avoiding NYC details TBD
-- Etc.

If you are interested in this route, please inquire for more details, or put any of these locations in the blue search box above. For instance, "Eastern Shore" yields:

https://www.google.com/search?q=East...=airforums.com

Have fun!

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Old 07-03-2018, 06:52 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMTampa View Post
We will be making the trip once again from Tampa to Bar Harbor in September and are looking for suggestions related to the route in order to avoid I-95 as much as possible. It is heavily traveled and in poor condition. Thanks in advance.
To avoid I-95, several times leaving FL I have gone north on I-75, taking I-475 at Macon, back onto I-75 to Forsyth GA.
To avoid Atlanta I take GA-83 at Forsyth (easy 2 lane) to Madison, GA where I get onto US-441 (mostly 4 lane divided highway). US-441 intersects I-85 at Commerce, GA.
Go north on I-85 to I-485. To avoid Charlotte take exit 30 onto I-485 toward Pineville then onto I-77. (this is where I would continue north on I-485 to go home)
Take I-77 north till it intersects with I-81. Take I-81 to the intersection of I-84. Take I-84 east. This will bring you into NY north of NYC. I travel most of this route when going to/from the north east.

This route misses Orlando to Jacksonville, misses all of the bad parts of I-95 in GA & SC, and avoids all of the congestion from Richmond to NYC. And, there are no tolls until crossing the Hudson.


If you are traveling at a leisurely pace, there are a lot of things to see along the way, and a lot of alternate side roads.
(Example: on I-85 at Spartanburg SC take I-26 north to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, NC. Take BRP to US-29 near Roanoke, VA, to I-81)
(Example: along I-77 in NC you travel right through NC wine country, passing very close to many vineyard/wineries)

Have fun!
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Old 07-03-2018, 09:53 AM   #8
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I am taking a similar trip from Greenville, SC to Newport, RI in two weeks. Plan is Interstates 85, 77, 81, 84, 44 or 6, 195, 24 & 114. Be safe, have fun, enjoy America.
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Old 07-03-2018, 10:57 AM   #9
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I am not sure if you are trying to avoid I 95 all together or just parts of the way. I agree with that you should avoid the Richmond Washington corridor. To do that you can travel I 95 to Emporia and then take route 58 and follow the signs to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel. Then take route 13 to 113 (or stay on 13) to Dover De then take the toll road to Wilmington. Go over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and take NJT to the Jersey Parkway. (This is the route I take when going to Cape Cod). The turnpike is nice now that the construction is complete, the Parkway depending on the time of day can be an issue. Anyway take the parkway an follow the signs for the Tapenzee Bridge. The one area I have usually found the most traffic is in Connecticut.
Have a safe trip and enjoy
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Old 07-03-2018, 11:48 AM   #10
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Another route I take quite often:
I-75 north to exit 358 just past Ocala onto 77th St NW/FL-326 east. From the exit it is about 3 miles to US-301. US-301 is a straight shot up to the FL state line and fairly light traffic (except during snowbird season)

From US-301 there are options.
Option 1- continue north on US 301 to intersection of I-26. Then I-26 to I-77 at Columbia SC then northward.
Option 2 - at Callahan FL take FL-200 east to I-95. I do this a lot, at least twice per year since the early 1990's, since there are a lot of easy on/off campgrounds and places to stay along I-95 in GA & SC, about 5-6 hours from start.
Option 2A - from I-95 take I-26 toward Columbia to I-77 then north.
Option 2B - from I-95 take exit 181B just past Florence SC onto SC-38. This mostly 4 lane light traffic will take you to I-74. There is a short jog onto US-1 (construction) then right back onto I-74 north at Rockingham NC (easy to miss), will take you through NC and intersect with I-81 at Roanoke. There is also the option of taking US-29 at Greensboro NC and into VA and points further north.
Option 2C - From FL on I-95 continue north into VA. I have found no good route to avoid Richmond and I-95 northward, so I do not go this route. YMMV.

add edit:
If you happen to choose the US-29 route in option 2B PM me and I'll tell you how to avoid Greensboro's worst road. US-29 through VA skirts the bottom of the Blue Ridge. It is pretty and there are a lot of historic sites along the way. Some hills but no mountains unless you take a side excursion onto the BR Parkway.
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Old 07-03-2018, 01:18 PM   #11
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Man, you guys know your highways ....
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Old 07-03-2018, 01:47 PM   #12
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Error alert !!

Quote:
Originally Posted by a w warn View Post
<< snip>>> Correction to my post above>>
if you are traveling at a leisurely pace, there are a lot of things to see along the way, and a lot of alternate side roads.
(example: On i-85 at spartanburg sc take i-26 north to the blue ridge parkway near asheville, nc. Take brp to us-29 (should be us-220 /i-74) near roanoke, va, to i-81)
(example: Along i-77 in nc you travel right through nc wine country, passing very close to many vineyard/wineries)

have fun!
do not know why, but this site takes out all caps, even if I edit.
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Old 07-03-2018, 03:43 PM   #13
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Peter,

We've taken the Bay Bridge and Tunnel several times, but won't do it again until VA/MD adds bridges and tunnels so that there's no hazard from oncoming traffic. Currently, it's a single-lane, narrow roadway in each direction, and it's fairly common that drivers drift out of their lane and/or go way too fast for conditions. We swore off the BB&T the day we read that a tractor-trailer had been blown off one of the bridges by high winds. Yikes!
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Old 07-03-2018, 05:01 PM   #14
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95..26..77..81.. keep on trucking
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Old 07-04-2018, 08:54 AM   #15
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I never expected so much great information, all I can say is WOW!

I am assuming you all are taking into consideration that I will be towing an AS, In my case a Classic 30. So the term "Parkway" concerns me a bit as my GPS took me on one of these two years ago in White Plains. It is certainly a beautiful drive with many stone overpasses but I was not supposed to be on it. After realizing this I exited immediately. Fortunately there was a police station right there so I stopped for directions where I was I was informed that if they caught me I would have been heavily fined. Are any of you aware of reliable software for an app for RV travel.
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Old 07-04-2018, 01:39 PM   #16
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"Parkway"
I was referring to the Garden state parkway. I have towed my 25 AS on it many times. It can be congested and it is a toll road. I have not been on the other Parkways with my AS.
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Old 07-04-2018, 06:44 PM   #17
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Blueridge Parkway and Skyline Parkway are open to RV traffic. I have towed the full length multiple times. There are some height restrictions, but none that affect an Airstream trailer. Campgrounds are all along the way.

I use a Garmin RV with software oriented toward RVing. It allows the length, width, height, and weight of the RV/vehicle combo to be entered into the unit. I think it is over protective and causes a lot of extra miles to be driven.
There is also a planning software that Garmin allows to be downloaded when the Garmin RV is registered. I have it on my laptop. Supposedly, it allows one to plan routes setting at home and then load them into the device when you are ready to go. I have not used it enough to know if it is useful. If you use the search function, you can find a couple threads already in progress.
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Old 07-06-2018, 08:14 PM   #18
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Tampa to Bar Harbor

one of our favorite places is Lubec Maine stay at the Sunrise RV Park in Lubec. Watch the tide rise over 20ft eat blueberry pancakes in town go across the bridge to Canada and see FDR’s summer home and be sure to have tea with Eleanor at Campanella. Lasting memory. Lots of history Lubec is not far from Bangor
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Old 07-07-2018, 02:39 AM   #19
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95...26...77...81... trust this route, have over 1,000,000 mi.
if ur a city guy, then go the traffic way, dont worry just GO
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Old 07-07-2018, 08:47 PM   #20
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As I understand it, state highways called "Parkway" in New York and Connecticut are closed to commercial vehicles, and at least in some cases campers and trailers are also banned. They are four lane divided highways but not always limited access. The Garden State Parkway is a toll superhighway through New Jersey that is also closed to commercial vehicles, but does permit campers and non-commercial trailers to use it. The parkways of the National Park Service, such as Skyline Drive, Natchez Trace, etc. are typically two-lane, undivided scenic drives that are sort of limited access but with lots of pullouts, parking lots, and side roads to scenic/recreational/historic attractions.
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