Routing suggestions: Hudson Valley to Solomons, MD?

[empirestate]

Got a weekend trip coming up from the Hudson Valley in NY (near the Bear Mountain Bridge) down to Solomons Island in MD. My inclination, from the Bear Mountain Bridge, is to take the Palisades-Thruway-GSP to the NJ Turnpike, then the usual I-95/895/97 to Annapolis and so forth. But, a couple questions:

–Is there any reason to come down US 301 and over the Bay Bridge instead of going through Baltimore? And even if not, is it a worthwhile detour for its own sake?

–Instead of the Palisades and GSP, I can always cut over to I-287. Is it worth the further bypass of NYC, and if so, what's the best way to rejoin the Northeast Corridor?

–Any other tips or advisories?

[Rothman]

I've never thought it necessary to take I-287 all the way around.  I usually take NJ 17, but Palisades/GSP works, too.

[noelbotevera]

Small correction: should be in the Road Trips thread

You could do the classic "cut the corner" (Saw Mill to I-287, may have messed it up), but I have no idea how far away are you from I-287 in order to do the cut the corner route.

[NJRoadfan]

US-301 is a bit of a pain through Delaware, but otherwise a calmer ride vs. I-95 in MD. It might not be faster, but its certainly less nerve raking..... less tolls too.

[empirestate]

Small correction: should be in the Road Trips thread

You could do the classic "cut the corner" (Saw Mill to I-287, may have messed it up), but I have no idea how far away are you from I-287 in order to do the cut the corner route.

The Saw Mill won't be anywhere near my route; I'm going to cross the Hudson up here at home where it's pleasant; no point in slogging through Westchester just to get to either the Tappan Zee or GWB.  My route to 287 would be Bear Mountain Bridge and US 6 to the Thruway and down.

(And mods, feel free to move this into Road Trips.)

US-301 is a bit of a pain through Delaware, but otherwise a calmer ride vs. I-95 in MD. It might not be faster, but its certainly less nerve raking..... less tolls too.

Like, how much of a pain? And I assume I'd get onto it from DE 1 at Middletown? I find it's often worth adding a bit of time to avoid irritation, but only to a point.

[jp the roadgeek]

I'd take main roads to get to MD, but I have a secret way to avoid the NJTP (I have a phobia of getting stuck in traffic with no escape for 10 miles between exits): GSP Exit 131. I take NJ 27 to CR 529 to US 1 to US 130 to I-295.  Of course, don't forget the go-round of the toll plaza on the DE turnpike.  Coming back, I always love taking the scenic route back from MD to CT.  Get off 95 and take MD 24 up to US 1. Follow US 1 up to US 202.  Take US 202 to PA 611. Follow 611 and cross the Portland Toll Bridge onto NJ 94.  Take NJ/NY 94 to the NY 17/US 6 duplex and continue east on US 6 just before the Thruway.

[froggie]

- I've often done the GSP/Palisades route when I've stopped for the night at West Point, though I was always heading northbound in the mid/late evening when doing it.

- If you're going to detour over to 287, might as well take a swing through Pennsylvania, though it'd really be a long roundabout way given your destination.  My usual route to/from Vermont when I was in DC avoided the NE Corridor as much as possible, so I'd usually do a Baltimore-York-Lancaster-Redding-Allentown route...sometimes taking 78 to 287, othertimes going via Stroudsburg/Milford.  The Goog, BTW, suggests this is about 35 miles longer than taking the most direct route (Palisades/GSP/Turnpike/Del Mem Br/I-95/I-97).

- Taking 301 (using DE 896 to cut over from DE 1 to US 301) is only a few miles longer than taking I-95.  Might be worth it, and the toll on DE 1 is much cheaper than the MD/DE line or any of the Baltimore tolls.  There's also no toll at the Bay Bridge westbound.

[1995hoo]

I like Route 301 as a relaxing change of pace, easy drive on which you can set the cruise control and not deal with the silliness and aggressive driving that runs rampant on I-95. I don't go that way on busy Sundays or holiday weekends due to Bay Bridge traffic (yesterday there was a 16-mile backup westbound at the bridge), but it's easy enough to plan for such things.

I agree with froggie about Route 896, but I would add that you can avoid the toll on Route 1 quite easily by taking Exit 148 as you come off the bridge over the canal. Street View shows it as being signed as "TO US-13/S. St. Georges" with a "LAST EXIT BEFORE TOLL" banner beneath it. The ramp loops around and then you have a choice–either go right, pass back under Route 1, make a right on US-13, and follow it about two miles to Route 896 and make another right, OR make a left off the ramp and go straight through two roundabouts and make a right when the road ends at Route 896. The US-13 way is probably a bit faster.

I'm not obsessed with avoiding tolls, but that particular toll plaza on Route 1 is super-easy to avoid going either to or from Route 896, so there's no reason not to do so in my view.

BTW, regarding the exit number, remember on DE-1 they're based on kilometres rather than mileposts.

[roadman65]

I agree with 1995, US 301 is a good alternative to I-95 and cheaper, and yes you can set your cruise control and not have to deal with idiots stopping in front of you while the left lane to pass those morons of the roads is full of aggressive speeders preventing you from switching lanes to bypass the said idiot.

Anyway US 301 has expressway grade in Maryland for several miles and after US 50 joins US 301 it is all freeway to the point where US 50 and 301 split for good.  Even to use it as a bypass of Baltimore has the same amount of stop lights as I-95 does in Maryland.  Delaware does have a few in Middletown, but not much to that as there is a minimum wait time at each of the signals and no big back ups from the red light.

Its also a nice graded roadway and nice scenery as you see the farms of the eastern shore plentiful in your journey.  It only gets urbanized just after the Bay Bridge as you enter the Baltimore- Washington- Annapolis megatropolis!  However the freeway is built to great standards to move you through at an even pace.

[Alps]

I'd take main roads to get to MD, but I have a secret way to avoid the NJTP (I have a phobia of getting stuck in traffic with no escape for 10 miles between exits): GSP Exit 131. I take NJ 27 to CR 529 to US 1 to US 130 to I-295.  Of course, don't forget the go-round of the toll plaza on the DE turnpike.  Coming back, I always love taking the scenic route back from MD to CT.  Get off 95 and take MD 24 up to US 1. Follow US 1 up to US 202.  Take US 202 to PA 611. Follow 611 and cross the Portland Toll Bridge onto NJ 94.  Take NJ/NY 94 to the NY 17/US 6 duplex and continue east on US 6 just before the Thruway.

Sounds more like someone has a phobia of paying tolls.

[empirestate]

So far it's looking like 301 is a good option, especially on the way down (to avoid the Bay Bridge toll). The little shunpike in Delaware looks good too; in fact, it seems I can cut all the way down to Middletown via Jamison Corner and Cedar Lane Roads. And for that matter, Middletown might be a good candidate for a lunch stop, too!

[roadman65]

Middletown has a Wawa.  Great for hoagies and snacks.

[froggie]

I disagree with Hoo about the DE 1 toll.  Even getting off at 896, I have found paying the toll to be worth the hassle of lining up to take the huge loop ramp then fighting the signal at the northbound on-ramp to 1.

[mattpedersen]

Middletown has a Wawa.  Great for hoagies and snacks.

And a Waffle House. Can't forget the Waffle House.

[cpzilliacus]

–Is there any reason to come down US 301 and over the Bay Bridge instead of going through Baltimore? And even if not, is it a worthwhile detour for its own sake?

Exiting I-95 in Delaware at the last exit before the tolls, Exit 1A, Del. 896 south (which turns into U.S. 301) is not a bad choice.  Speed limit enforcement in Delaware and Maryland can be pretty strict (on 301 between the state line and U.S. 50 at Queenstown), so keep that in mind. 

When you cross the Bay Bridge, Take Exit 22 (which comes after Exit 21, I-97), Md. 665, and take that to Md. 2 south

You may already know this, but note that Md. 2 south of 665 can be rather congested on weekday peak-commute periods in the afternoons.  Same holds true for southbound Md. 2/Md. 4 in Calvert County.

You can avoid the some of the severe afternoon congestion on Md. 2 by going further west on U.S. 50/U.S. 301 to Md. 424 at Davidsonville, Exit 16.  Follow 424 south to Md. 214, then continue straight ahead on the county road (Birdsville Road) until it ends at Md. 2, and turn right (south).

[roadman65]

Middletown has a Wawa.  Great for hoagies and snacks.

And a Waffle House. Can't forget the Waffle House.

Interesting that they are that far north.  I did not realize it that they were north of the Carolinas, as most on I-95 begin appearing way south of Washington.

[cpzilliacus]

I did not realize it that they were north of the Carolinas, as most on I-95 begin appearing way south of Washington.

For quite a few years, there has been a Waffle House a stone's throw from the Delaware border in Cecil County, Maryland, on Md. 279 (Exit 109) a short distance south of I-95 (which is effectively running east-west at that interchange).

[1995hoo]

Middletown has a Wawa.  Great for hoagies and snacks.

And a Waffle House. Can't forget the Waffle House.

Interesting that they are that far north.  I did not realize it that they were north of the Carolinas, as most on I-95 begin appearing way south of Washington.

There are a good number of them in Virginia, though the northernmost one I know of in Virginia is the one on Route 234 just off I-95 (near Dumfries).

[Mapmikey]

And a Waffle House. Can't forget the Waffle House.

Interesting that they are that far north.  I did not realize it that they were north of the Carolinas, as most on I-95 begin appearing way south of Washington.

There are a good number of them in Virginia, though the northernmost one I know of in Virginia is the one on Route 234 just off I-95 (near Dumfries).
[/quote]

Also a number along I-81 including Stephens City...

The ones in Dumfries and Fredericksburg go back at least 20 years and the ones in Richmond definitely go back 25 years...

Mike

[empirestate]

You may already know this, but note that Md. 2 south of 665 can be rather congested on weekday peak-commute periods in the afternoons.  Same holds true for southbound Md. 2/Md. 4 in Calvert County.

You can avoid the some of the severe afternoon congestion on Md. 2 by going further west on U.S. 50/U.S. 301 to Md. 424 at Davidsonville, Exit 16.  Follow 424 south to Md. 214, then continue straight ahead on the county road (Birdsville Road) until it ends at Md. 2, and turn right (south).

Thanks; that may well prove handy, since I'll be getting to that area towards the evening on a Friday.

Middletown has a Wawa.  Great for hoagies and snacks.

Sorry, I'm a Sheetz man. 

And a Waffle House. Can't forget the Waffle House.

Interesting that they are that far north.  I did not realize it that they were north of the Carolinas, as most on I-95 begin appearing way south of Washington.

I believe that the northernmost by far is the one at Lancaster, PA, where they used to have karaoke on Monday nights. (No, I'm not making that up.)

[mattpedersen]

I believe that the northernmost by far is the one at Lancaster, PA, where they used to have karaoke on Monday nights. (No, I'm not making that up.)

Try Scranton on I-81.

[empirestate]

I believe that the northernmost by far is the one at Lancaster, PA, where they used to have karaoke on Monday nights. (No, I'm not making that up.)

Try Scranton on I-81.

And I no longer believe it. Wow, didn't realize so many had infiltrated Pennsylvania!

[roadman65]

A friend of mine loves Waffle House, and he can only get it when he travels southward.  He lives in Sewaren, NJ and he says none exist in New Jersey, and when I lived there I never saw one either.

I would not be a bit surprised if one is there now, but then again New Jersey was one of the last states to get Pizza Hut in the mid 1980's and probably Long John Silvers still refuses to open up a store there as well.  My aunt who drove all the way to Wilson, PA from Bridgewater, NJ just to eat there was told by store employees at the time, that LJS refuses to open any stores in NJ due to the high taxes there.  I do not know if that is still true either as this was back in the early 90's circa that she asked that question.

[hubcity]

A friend of mine loves Waffle House, and he can only get it when he travels southward.  He lives in Sewaren, NJ and he says none exist in New Jersey, and when I lived there I never saw one either.

I would not be a bit surprised if one is there now, but then again New Jersey was one of the last states to get Pizza Hut in the mid 1980's and probably Long John Silvers still refuses to open up a store there as well.  My aunt who drove all the way to Wilson, PA from Bridgewater, NJ just to eat there was told by store employees at the time, that LJS refuses to open any stores in NJ due to the high taxes there.  I do not know if that is still true either as this was back in the early 90's circa that she asked that question.

Got a Long John Silver's co-located with a KFC in Howell, NJ, actually.

[NJRoadfan]

There is a Waffle House in the Allentown, PA area. Straight shot down I-78 from the Woodbridge area. I don't see why its worth the trip though when there are a dozen decent places to get breakfast all day a stone's throw away.