Drive from Silver Spring, MD to Syracuse, NY

[dinesh75]

hey guys, I need to drive up to Syracuse to meet my sister over the Presidents' day weekend.

So I was wondering if there is a scenic alternative to just being on the interstates. Given that it's around 6 hr drive on the interstates, I don't want to spend too much time wandering around, so was hoping to make the drive in around 7-7.5 hrs. Of course, given that I have to drive back, I could always split the interstate+scenic route on the back and forth trip. By that, I mean while driving up, I could spend one half on the scenic road and then get on the interstate. and then on the way back, I would spend the other part on the scenic route and then get on the interstate.

So if the gurus could kindly let me know a nice scenic route (with easy access to the interstate, if needed) that would be great. A few quirky stops on the way, or maybe any historical sites would be awesome!

Thanks again.

[AZBuck]

Except in a few places out west where the Interstates were literally built on top of and totally replaced the preexisting US highway system, there are always alternatives to the super slabs. Now, to be fair, the I-83/I-81 route from Silver Spring (Baltimore actually) to Syracuse is among the more scenic sections of the Interstate system in the east, I got tired of it after a while when I was running back and forth between my own home in central NY and family in the DC area. Fortunately there is a great alternative. US-15, which you would pick up around Frederick, heads north through Gettysburg to Harrisburg where it joins US-11 and runs up the west side of the Susquehanna River. At Corning, you can use NY-414 to Watkins Glen (great state park with hikes back up through a gorge to a waterfall) and pick up NY-14 north along the west shore of Seneca Lake and finish off on US-20 through Seneca Falls (where the Women's Movement started) into the Syracuse area. That full route can still be driven in a single relaxed day and still leave a couple of hours for hiking and sight-seeing along the way. "Outs" to the Interstates exist at Harrisburg, Williamsburg, and Corning.

AZBuck

[dinesh75]

Thanks AZBuck. This sounds like a great route to take. I have already loaded this trip into my Nexus Co pilot. This will be the first time I will be using a tablet as a GPS device. Let's see how that pans out.

Are there any "nice" stops on the way? Any interesting museums/walks/exhibits etc.? We do enjoy stopping at different places and just checking them out...

Thanks again!