Maryland to Maine and Back

[DoneItAll]

We have a summer (August) road trip to Maine and back from Maryland is in the final planning stages. We’re booked at Massasoit State Park, Taunton, MA for an overnight stop on the way north, 5 days at Great Pond, ME and then returning via West Thompson Lake, North Grosvenordale, CT to break the trip back. While in Maine, we plan to visit both Baxter State Park and Acadia National Park.

In addition to this very general schedule, what other stops should we try to fit in?

[AZBuck]

New England has come up frequently in the past. Here are some of the best discussions of what's available to you.

AZBuck

[DoneItAll]

That gives me some good starting places to look.

[Foy]

Hello DoneItAll-

A year ago, while perusing the road maps for bushwhack routes out of Kingston, NY bound for the Baltimore area, I noticed Bethel, NY on the map. I happened to know Bethel, NY is the village where the Woodstock concert/festival/happening was held in 1969, some 75 miles or so from Woodstock, NY. I wanted to see the real place and had read there's something of a observation point, etc there.

So off we went to Monticello, NY down US 209 from Kingston. West on NY 17 to Monticello, thence west on NY 17B to Bethel. We spent about an hour wandering around the site on a quiet Sunday morning, marvelling at just how small the main bowl-shaped field where so many thousands were filmed really is (my guess is not more than 30 acres, although the pond, the woods, and other areas seen in the movie comprise hundreds of acres).

I've seen news reports concerning the opening of a Woodstock Museum of some sort there at the Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center, a beautiful modern facility atop the hill above the 1969 stage site. It was not open in May 2007.

From there, we ventured down NY 55/12, crossed the Delaware River into PA at Barryville, and thence through Greely to I-84 between the NY line and Scranton, PA. We took I-84 to Scranton, thence I-81 through the Poconos to Harrisburg, thence I-83 to our friend's Towson home for a Sunday afternoon boat ride to the Inner Harbor. The entire trip, including the hour at Bethel and a couple or three nature stops and a fuel stop, was about 5 hours from Kingston. It was a delightful holiday weekend Sunday drive, with virtually no traffic until we got to Harrisburg. It was our first ever look at the Catskills and Poconos and we were glad to have seen them.

From your CT stopover point, you'd work over to I-84, thence west through Newburgh, NY to Middletown, and take NY 17 west to Monticello/Bethel from there.

I'm a huge hater of urban area Interstate travel and willingly drive out of my way to avoid it. I think I measured around 80 miles extra overall distance due to having taken the scenic route, a decision I'd make again and again.

Foy