Lost in so much information for an east coast roadtrip. Help please!

[Palomikis]

Hi! Finally, this is the route we have planned:

Day 1. Arrive to Newark airport - Philadelphia
Day 2. Philadelphia
Day 3. Philadelphia- Lancaster County
Day 4. Lancaster County.
Day 5. Lancaster County - Gettysburg- Washington DC
Day 6. Washington DC.
Day 7. Washington - Niagara Falls (a long day driving!)
Day 8. Niagara Falls
Day 9. Niagara Falls - Finger Lakes (Seneca Falls).
Day 10. Finger Lakes (Geneva, Ithaca, etc)
Day 11. Finger Lakes - Adirondack Park (Lake George)?
Day 12. Lake George and sorroundings.
Day 13. Lake George - Rockport - Gloucester
Day 14. Gloucester- Boston
Day 15 and 16. Boston
Day 17 Boston- Cape Cod - Provincetown.
Day 18. NH Coast - NYC
Day 19-23 NYC

Some questions and doubts:

- What do you think about the route? Are we missing anything really worthy?
- Is it worth to stop at Adirondack Park? We'd like to do some family activities on nature -kayaking, biking, etc- and we won't be able to get to White Mountains as we first planned. Its too far away in our route. We have doubts about if we should spend at Adirondack Park almost 2 days or it worths more to better know the NH Coast.
- Should we go to Adirondack Park instead of the Finger Lakes?


Thanks again!

[John259]

Philadelphia to Lancaster is only 80 miles, so perhaps you could look round that area on the same day?

Then you'd have a day spare that you might like to use to visit Shenandoah National Park. Front Royal to Niagara would be much the same mileage as Washington DC to Niagara.

Just an idea - it might not appeal to you.

[glc]

The order you have around Boston is not efficient - going from Boston to the Cape then NH then NYC is a lot of backtracking. Go from Rockport to the NH coast, then to Gloucester and Boston. Go to the Cape on your way to NYC.

[Palomikis]

Hi glc!

Yes, I put NH coast because I didn't really know which other towns would be interesting to visit on the coast from Cape to NY, but I wasn't thinking of going back up in the coast.

What other towns would you recommend to visit from Rockport? Should we go up to the North a little bit?

[Palomikis]

Thanks John 259,

Yes we also had doubts about it... As we travel with three teens from 11 to 15 years, we thoght it might be too much car trip for them, and we should enjoy as much as possible the slow life in the Lancaster County, its towns and people. Anyway, I have kept your route to Royal in our map, so we will decide "on the road". :-)

[AZBuck]

All-in-all it's tough to find fault with your proposed itinerary. I might do it slightly differently, maybe a day less in Amish Country or at Niagara Falls, perhaps spending that time in northern New England (Vermont and New Hampshire). But those are individual choices and I'm sure you've made the ones that are right for you. The one spot that should be changed around is you should do the New Hampshire coast (There's really not that much of it!) between Lake George and Cape Ann (Gloucester and Rockport). If, however, that's a typo and you meant the southern New England coast (Newport RI and Mystic CT) then that's just where they belong. As far as the choice between the Finger Lakes and the Adirondacks, I'd go with the Finger Lakes. The Adirondacks are largely undeveloped, so there will simply be more opportunities for activities other than walking in the woods (although that will also be possible) in the Watkins Glen - Ithaca area.

AZBuck

[Lifemagician]

On your way to Lake George it would make a nice to drive to go through the Adirondack Park. You could take route 8 through Lake Pleasant - site of the winter Olympics some years ago - or even 28, further north. Yes it is mostly undeveloped, but a lovely peaceful place to drive through.

Lifey

[The Taco Monster]

Hi, I can't speak to the entire route, but one thing I would consider
Day 3 - Philadelphia to Washington DC
Day 4 - Washington DC
Day 5 - From Washington: Lancaster County via Gettysburg, Dillburg, I-76 thru Harrisburg, then PA-283 to Lancaster. Do not (Repeat) Do not use US-30 through York. PA-283 will avoid that.
Day 6 - Lancaster County
Day 7 - Lancaster County to Niagra

-- this will shorten your drive to Niagra by over an hour, thus giving you a chance to stop, breathe and look around on the way up.

-- IMO Research PA for any road construction or repair on your route to Niagra - except for the Toll Roads, although I've always enjoyed the scenery in PA, the state is notorious for causing hours long backups in rural areas leading up to the places the repairs are being made. Decide your route then ask on the forum about any possible road projects.

[Lifemagician]

Research PA for any road construction or repair on your route to Niagra

>>>>>>>

Decide your route then ask on the forum about any possible road projects.

Yes, there is a lot of construction going on, all the time. However.... if you tune your radio to the AM dial, you will pick up detailed information as to where. (The exact frequency is posted roadside throughout the State.) Since you will be carrying good maps, it will be easy to pick up a detour.

That said, I have never struck hours long backups in rural areas. Rural PA is such a pleasant State through which to wander, I doubt if it would deter me, even if I had.

Lifey