Elkhart to Niagara Falls to Camden Maine

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SMR

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leaving Elkhart July 5th and headed to Camden, Maine arriving on August 15th

It looks like the majority of our route will be on I90

we want to see Niagara Falls along the way and looking for any suggestions on places along the way.
DW would like to spend some time in Vermont too

we like to hike, bike and enjoy state and national parks


thanks
 
It sounds like you would enjoy Letchworth State Park in NY which is just a couple of hours east of Niagara Falls, just south of I-90. The campgrounds there are electric only but well worth the stop. The park is 14 miles long and driving is the most efficient way to see all the sites but there are also endless hiking and biking opportunities. I notice you have a dog - Letchworth has 8 camping loops but some loops are "no dogs" so be careful when reserving. To reserve any NY State Park you will use www.reserveamerica.com.

About 90 minutes east-southeast of Letchworth is the Watkins Glen/Ithaca area with several gorges and waterfalls around. Watkins Glen itself is the key attraction. You won't fit in the state park there but there is a nice (but expensive) KOA about 5 miles south of the village. There are also a couple of state parks about 30 to 45 minutes north of the village with larger sites.

Corning Museum of Glass is about 20 minutes south of the KOA. From Watkins Glen it's about an hour back up to I-90.

If you like casinos, Turning Stone Casino just off I-90 exit 33 is nice and they have their own campground with shuttles going back and forth.
 
There are some nice NY state parks on Lake Ontario as well.  There two ways most people go to Vermont from your direction and both are good.  The first one you would go Northeast near Albany, NY.  The second common option is to go North on 91 near West Springfield, MA.  Vermont has a lot to see.  When you are done you may want to spend a few days in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on your way to Maine. 
 
Make sure you have passports for Niagara Falls, to visit the Canadian side. Niagara is one of those places that you have to do the touristy things, and the best are in Canada.
 
thanks- we did Watkins Glen a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Letchworth park sounds very nice and a must stop

we did get our passports so we could go into Canada.
 
Easy Harbor state park is a nice stay.  Just off Ohio Turnpike near Catwaba.
Not far from Cedar Point.
 
Thousand Islands of NY are nice and a quick shot up I 81 from Syracuse.  Then, if you like back roads, you could take Rt 3 east through the Adirondacks where there are some great State Parks, thinking about Cranbury Lake, Fish creek and Rollins Pond. Reservations needed. From there its not far to Plattsburgh NY where you can catch a ferry to Vermont and then take Rt 2 across upper New England to Bangor Maine. You know the old new england saying, "You can't get there from here". It pretty much describes going east and west in NE.  Either take rt 2, which I like for all of the small towns you go through, or ride interstates down to southern New Hampshire and back up 95. I don't much like that option, but it does allow you to see some of southern Maine, Ll Bean, old Orchard beach etc.

Have fun on your trip.
 
Along Rt 2 near Bethel, there is a nice campground called Littlefield Beaches, where you will be very near White Mountains National Park.  A must see is Mount Washington, either by car, or on the historic COG railway.

Ed
 
Hi Steve...
  From a Neighbor in Osceola..
We did the Finger lakes areas a year ago when going to Unadilla, NY.  Watkins Glen was really cool and the wife loved the waterfalls.
We stayed at the Watkins Glen State Park.  Nice place..  We also did Cayuga Lake State Park. Another nice one.

We will be going back there in June to race a AHRMA National MX and will take a week or 2 extra to do some sight seeing around the area and
see more stuff we missed the last time..

Bob
 
We made the drive from central IL to upstate NY (including Niagara Falls) to buy our first motorhome.  On the way back we stopped at Virginia's Beach campground in northern PA.  The campsites are on a grassy bluff overlooking Lake Erie, with really amazing views... I attached some photos below.  There IS a beach, but it's mostly rocks and not really the "lay out in the sun" style.  Still, great scenery and some cool local attractions too.  A neighboring town had a great diner that was converted from an old train depot, and long, heavy freight trains went speeding by every 10-15 minutes.  Pretty neat if you're into that sort of thing (which I am).  ;)
 

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Running NY State thruway will probably run you about $75  from the state line to Mass. Turnpike. I think  Mass turnpike are cashless tolls.
We take I 86 to 81 to88 avoid tolls in NY and the scenery is better.
 
The Mass Pike is now electronic tolls, no more toll booths. The tolls are insignificant; not enough to be a deciding factor in selecting your route.
 
We haven't taken mh to Maine in 3 yrs. They had signs up about going cashless then but I havenot been since implemented. If I had the time I would take 9 Molly stark trail. Drove it yrs ago in pickup several times. It looks like its been upgraded a little over the yrs
 
SMR said:
leaving Elkhart July 5th and headed to Camden, Maine arriving on August 15th

It looks like the majority of our route will be on I90

we want to see Niagara Falls along the way and looking for any suggestions on places along the way.
DW would like to spend some time in Vermont too
we like to hike, bike and enjoy state and national parks
thanks

Ok you have your EZ-Pass don't you? It will save you money going that way.
I have stayed at Virginia's Beach campground but a nicer place is Lake Erie State park nysparks.com or Chautauqua Lake KOA Holiday, koa.com, on historic Chautauqua Lake. When in the area you should visit The Chautauqua Institution, 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722, chq.org, (716) 357-6250. They always have interesting stuff going on. Something I found interesting is the Barcelona Lighthouse. It was the first gas fired lighthouse in the country, actually it was the first gas lited public building in the US. lighthousefriends.com is their website.
Lots to do around Buffalo to. Check out the Canalside area. they have revitalised this area along the Erie Canal.
Niagara Falls is amazing. You need to cross over to the Canadian side for the best of it. I would try to plan my day so you can be at the top of Skylon Tower for sunset. Don't run off because you will want to see the falls when they turn on the lights when it gets dark. Skylon Tower, 5200 Robinson St, Niagara Falls, ON L2G 2A3, Canada, skylon.com, +1 905-356-2651.
A must see and do is to ride the Maid of the mist. http://www.maidofthemist.com/.
One place not to miss when you get to the coast is Mystic Seaport Museum - Whaleboat Exhibit,  Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave, Mystic, CT 06355
mysticseaport.org, (888) 973-2767.
That is enough for now. Any questions?
Bill



 

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