Advice needed on Travelling and possibly avoiding the I-95 corridor Virginia to Maine

[Midnight]

We will be travelling on the bike from Chesapeake Va heading towards Maine and eventually eastern Canada. Does anyone have any ideas on how to avoid the eastern seaboard (I-95 corridor). Ideally we would run over/under the Chesapeake bridge tunnel and then follow on up. But we will then end up passing through New Jersey and then New York City which seem to be a bit intimidating. Then Boston.

Just wondering if anyone had travelled up the eastern coast and how their experience was? Thanks in advance for sharing. JR

[Monty]

Myself, I would head West, to Lewisburg, West Virginia, then catch hwy 219 North to Buffalo, NY, then turn Northeast from there. 219 is a beautiful road.

[Winddancer]

We will be travelling on the bike from Chesapeake Va heading towards Maine and eventually eastern Canada. Does anyone have any ideas on how to avoid the eastern seaboard (I-95 corridor). Ideally we would run over/under the Chesapeake bridge tunnel and then follow on up. But we will then end up passing through New Jersey and then New York City which seem to be a bit intimidating. Then Boston.

Just wondering if anyone had travelled up the eastern coast and how their experience was? Thanks in advance for sharing. JR

 

I live on the MA/NH coast 16 miles from maine, and every year we do Rolling Thunder down in washington, but we stay in Dulles,VA.. We always go 15> 81 >84>90>495 nice country roads at highway speeds, not alot of traffic..

once 495 ends it dumps you back on 95 16 miles from maine..

 

not sure the best route to get you from Chesapeake Va to to 15 or 81 tho..

[Zzyzx]

This is the route we took last year except in reverse.

Lots of nice countryside and some highways so if you are not in a real hurry this worth the extra time.

We also took a side trip to York PA to take the Harley plant tour if you are interested. It's about a 2 hour ride in and back from Exton PA on SR 30/East Lincoln Hwy plus the time at the plant.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

• Norfolk across and under the Chesapeake then take I-95 for a short distance just out of the Wilmington area and then take 202, (Wilmington Pike) toward Talleyville, PA.

• Continue into Pottsville then around Allentown

• Take SR 512 to Bath PA. Stay on 512 until the Mount Bethel area then 680 to I-80

• Head north on I-80 to East Stroudsburg then take 209 through Dingmans Ferry then to Port Jervis, NY

• Head east out of Port Jervis on I-84 toward Hartford CT then north on I-91 to Brattleboro.

• From Brattleboro take SR-9 then I-89 to Concord.

• From there you can head north or if you want to follow the coastal route take SR 9 again out of Concord heading to Portsmouth then up to Kennebunk.

• Just north of Kennebunk is Arundel Maine where you can stop at Bentleys Saloon. A cool place for riders/bikers/food/etc.

• From there you are on your own.

[steamer]

Stay out of NJ on the weekends. Everyone is heading south from the cities to the beaches on Friday and Saturday, and heading back north on Sunday. All north south roads will be jammed. If you are heading north on a weekday then you might try the Cape May ferry then the NJ Parkway to the 87 in NY state, then cross over the Tappan zee bridge. Lots of roads east and north into Mass, VT and NH. If you run north in NH you really need to check out MT. Washington. It is a ride you will never forget. From there run east across Maine to Bar Harbor. From there ride the 1 north along the coast to CN.

[ragtop69gs]

If you run north in NH you really need to check out MT. Washington. It is a ride you will never forget.

 

Don't look down!! Also ride the cog rail to the top.

[videoarizona]

I've always gone 81 north to 84...all the way to the Mass Pike. But you could get off at Hartford and take 91 north to Brattleboro, then 9 to 202 all the way to Old Orchard Beach in Maine. Avoiding the 95 corridor in Portsmouth area that can get jammed up pretty bad in summer. I grew up in Portsmouth, and just came back from a year in New Castle. Love the NH seacoast but the traffic on rt1 or 1a...even on my bike...was a pain. The interior of NH though is still beautiful and biker friendly. Just do the speed limit.

 

81 is a truckers hiway....but I took that even towing my 2 1/2 tons of sailboat...and enjoyed the drive. Especially from Harrisburg north. Road was a little beat up alst time I went through a year ago in places...but doable. 84 into the Hartford area would be the worst part of the trip...but thankfully it's lots of lanes until you get into the city...then straight through with eyes closed to 91 north!

 

I wouldn't hesitate to do it on the scoot.

 

Whatever way you go...try and spend some time in the interior of NH.