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Best route in winter from Washington DC to Niagara Falls

Best route in winter from Washington DC to Niagara Falls

Old Oct 12th, 2015, 01:23 AM
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Best route in winter from Washington DC to Niagara Falls

Hi! We will be driving from washington DC to Niagara Falls, and then to NYC in December. I was wondering what will be the best route for us to take in the winter from Washington DC to Niagara Falls? I saw some reviews that mentioned Route 219 and route 15. What is the difference? We are hoping to stop by places like the Watkins Glen and Letchworth SP from Washington DC to Niagara. Would that be feasible with any of the routes? I've seen some reviews against driving in winter but we would really want to do so, and Niagara falls is our top to-go place. Hope you guys can help me out with the route as i'm stuck at it for ages.

Really appreciate your help. Thank you!
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 04:18 AM
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This is definitely not the time of year to get the best of Niagara Falls and upstate NY - unless you are going for winter sports. You might get chilly (40s) and clear, or you may get below freezing with sleet, ice or snow. In buffalo it snows on average 14 days in December, with an average of about 28", but can be 40" or more. I would not do this trip unless you are experienced driving in winter weather/snowy or icy roads. (One year my college roommate was delayed 3 days getting home for Christmas since both airport and roads were closed.)

As for the Falls themselves remember that some of the major activities are closed for the season. Do realize that the area will not be pretty - trees leafless, grass brown and crunchy, no flowers, etc. And if you plan on doing any hiking in parks you need to have all of the safety equipment for winter in the woods.

This is not something I would do that time of year and I've had a lot of experience driving in snow; I would wait for May or June and see everything at it's best.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 05:26 AM
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We've always used Route 15. It goes through several PA towns, and could get a bit treacherous, depending on the weather. Letchworth is more en route for you than Watkins Glen.

That said, nytraveler is right about the weather in NY in December. It's not usually great. You could luck out and have a couple 50 degree days, or you could have a snow storm. I don't say that to discourage you from your trip, but you need to anticipate that driving and touring could be difficult.

Last year it was 65 degrees on Christmas Eve, but a week and a half later, it took us almost twice as long as normal to get from NYC to Rochester because of an ice storm. We probably saw 50 cars off the road in PA alone.

If you're not used to winter driving (and even if you are), this could be a difficult trip. If Niagara Falls is really your top choice, I'd consider flying.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 06:12 AM
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Do you live in the Washington DC area? Rental car?
If Niagara Falls is a must, fly to Buffalo and find a tour bus. Leave Buffalo on the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited to New York Penn station.
Enjoy a show in NYC and maybe the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall. Then go to Washington on a Northeast Corridor Amtrak train.
US 15 north of Wiliamsport is rather desolate especially Steam Valley Mountain north of Trout Run.
There's a couple of good restaurants off the Mansfield exit.
Don't even consider US 219 at this time of year on a pleasure trip.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 06:56 AM
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>>Best route in winter from Washington DC to Niagara Falls
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 07:26 AM
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We would love to do it in the summer, unfortunately, this is the only time we could all travel to USA together. And Niagara Falls is the place that all of us would love to visit together. So we are hoping to squeeze it into our trip. With experience in driving in winter, would you think it's slightly more possible to do the trip?

We are actually doing a road trip starting from NYC-washington- Niagara and back to NYC as our flights are at NYC, and we will be renting a car to do the entire trip. (We have too many luggages thus we figured renting a car, and we'll get to travel easily without having to keep changing transport).

For route 15, it is considered "safer" than Route 219? IF it is really not advisable to drive for that leg of the trip, i think we will consider flying to buffalo and then rent a car to continue the journey. Though flying is still our last choice cause of the places we might miss in between washington to niagara if we are to fly.

FInger lakes, Ithaca, is another destination we would want to stop by as well.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 08:22 AM
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All of those places are in the snow zone. You may get highs in the 40s - but you can easily get highs below freezing. The outdoors will be grey and dreary and on average it snows on half of the days. If you run into a snowstorm there is no telling how long the trip will take you - since if its bad they will close major roads for a day or even more and you may well be limited to 30 mph at best.

If you do decide to drive be sure that you have the proper equipment - snow shovel to dig the car out, long-handled brush to clean the windows, cardboard or cat litter to put under wheels if you hit ice, water, food and blankets in the car in case you get stuck and be sure the car has plenty of antifreeze.

Listen to local radio and TV to be sure you have info about any storms.

And be aware that the roads can have patches of black ice that are invisible until you hit them and can easily fishtail the car out of control.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 08:51 AM
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I really do understand the draw of renting a car. It allows you access to places you wouldn't otherwise see. BUT, winter in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic can be treacherous on the roads. Dangerously so, especially if you don't have winter driving experience.

If you're locked into flying into and out of NYC, and you really want to see Niagara Falls, I'd consider taking the train from NYC to DC (you don't need a car in DC anyway), flying from DC to Buffalo, and then flying back to NYC.

Driving is a big risk. Western NY and the Finger Lakes can get a lot of snow, and it piles up quickly. You could luck out and have dry roads for the duration. But the likelihood of having some nasty winter weather is high.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 09:38 AM
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How long do you have for the whole trip? Sorry but NYC/Washington DC (and even Niagara Falls in winter) are not car destinations. What are you going to do w/ your car in NYC and DC? Where are you staying?

December is not a 'road trip' time of year in the northeast. You would do MUCH better taking the train between NY and Washington and either flying or taking the train to Niagara Falls

Since you are from outside the US - have you ever driven in snow? Not a good time to learn w/ a car full of family/luggage.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 09:39 AM
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. . . and just how much luggage will you have?
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 11:43 AM
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I understand the appeal of a car, too, but parking it in NYC and DC is going to cost you a pretty penny, and you're going to have to leave it parked while you sightsee because there is absolutely no way you can drive around in those cities during the day.

If you find accommodation slightly outside the city centers where parking will be slightly less expensive, you'll have a longer and slightly more expensive commute to sightseeing every day.

Add in the weather concerns--could be sunny and dry, could be snowy and icy--and I strongly advise against this road trip idea!

<You would do MUCH better taking the train between NY and Washington and either flying or taking the train to Niagara Falls>
I agree 100%.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 11:51 AM
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Thinking further... I have never been to Niagara Falls, but would it make any sense to rent a car in NYC to go there? As a compromise between driving everywhere and not driving anywhere? (Weather permitting, of course.) Then give up the car and carry on with trains to and from DC?
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 12:30 PM
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Niagara Falls is about 8/9 hours - by highway - from NYC - depending on how long it takes to get across the border to the Canadian side. They seem to want to make some stops along the way - which would mean taking probably 3 days for the trip at a minimum.

And while snow is quite rare, but possible, in NYC at that time - once you get to more than about 100 miles north of NYC you can get substantial snow any day.

Agree that having a car in either NYC or DC is a nonsense at any time - all you are doing is paying for the rental and then paying $40 a day to leave the car in a garage - since in areas with major sights street parking is extremely limited, metered and limited to an hour at a time. Once in either city you will need to travel by foot or subway/metro.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 12:40 PM
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I certainly won't say that Niagara Falls in unattractive in the winter. Actually, the mist generally freezes on all the trees and IMO, it's gorgeous. But cold and wet.

Watkins Glen, for me, as well as the Finger Lakes/Ithaca, hold NO appeal in the winter.

A very nice trip might be to fly or train NYC > DC, then perhaps DC > Toronto. It's a longer drive from Toronto to Niagara Falls than is Buffalo to the Falls, but Toronto is a much nicer destination. Then fly back to DC. And I would stay away from Buffalo in the winter; this is based on experience.

Western NY is in what is called The Snow Belt. You could get lucky on the weather, or it can be ugly and dangerous. I will never forget the sight of a jack-knifed 18 wheeler coming at my windshield through the snow.

If you drive, take a directory of motel numbers for the highways you will be using. If it looks like weather, call ahead and reserve. I have been in a couple of PA/NY storms when all the highways motels were full when the road was closed.
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Old Oct 12th, 2015, 01:43 PM
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Flying into NYC take an Empire service train from New York Penn station at least as far as Rochester NY. Rent a car at the Rochester airport. Drive from Rochester on I-90 to Buffalo and onward to Niagara Falls. You won't want to stay more than a few hours.
Drive the car back to Rochester and decide if you want to drive down to Naples or Geneva to see one of the Finger Lakes.
Fly from Rochester or Buffalo to BWI or Reagan National which have better transportation connections than Dulles.
Take the train back to New York from Washington DC.
I had over 30 years experience driving between central PA and the Rochester area on US 15/I-99, I-86, I-390.
I always delayed trips if there was a blizzard coming.
My trips on US 219 were always in the summer.
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Old Oct 13th, 2015, 01:59 AM
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Thanks a lot for the advice! I think we might just consider flying from Washington to either Toronto or Buffalo. But just a question, if we do have lots of time to spare, and we can afford to spend at least two days from Washington to Niagara falls, would it be possible to drive? If time isn’t an issue.

Agree with the convenience of transport in DC and NYC, hence car isn’t a need over there. It’s just the convenience we are looking at as we have lots of luggage. My friends are studying in the states and we will be heading back home after this whole trip with their luggage packed with months of clothing and books, so we have quite an amount of stuff to bring along with us. If safety is definitely a big issue, I will definitely take your advice and do Amtrak or flight from Washington to Niagara.

As for Ithaca and Watkins Glen, is it not worth a trip down? What places can we consider for the route between Niagara Falls to NYC? We are considering visiting those on our way back to NYC from Niagara, cos we have 5 days to spare for that leg. So we might wanna do driving for this leg as time isn’t an issue.Which route would be more suitable?

Really appreciate your help
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Old Oct 13th, 2015, 04:17 AM
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If you really want to drive no one can stop you. I think everyone has been clear about the potential risks and inconvenience.

I can't imagine visiting Watkins Glen in Dec - snow or not. As for visiting towns along the way - if there is something indoors you want to see, then go for it. But be sure you have a list of lodgings along the way and at the first sign of a storm find a place to stay right away. You don;t want to be stuck by the side of the road for 12 or 24 hours waiting for a snow plow to come dig you out.

(Ithaca has an average of 13" of snow in Dec - and a storm on 12/11-12 2008 dropped more than 9 inches in 24 hours.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wIQ47TdQ8c
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Old Oct 13th, 2015, 09:05 AM
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What do you expect to see/do in Watkins Glen? It is nice but not a winter destination.
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Old Oct 13th, 2015, 09:34 AM
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<would it be possible to drive? If time isn’t an issue. > Sure, weather permitting. That's the big unknown.

<we have quite an amount of stuff to bring along with us. >
Ah, now I see. I really think your friends should consider shipping their stuff home--is that cost prohibitive? It might not be, compared to the cost of the rental car and parking it in the cities.

<As for Ithaca and Watkins Glen, is it not worth a trip down?>
I am not an expert here, and have never been to Watkins Glen. Regarding Ithaca, it seems to me that the countryside is not pretty in the winter, but that's just my view.

I hope someone can answer the question you keep asking, which is, is there a scenic route worth taking!
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Old Oct 13th, 2015, 01:20 PM
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There are a lot of "scardy cats" here telling you the sky will fall on you if you attempt to drive, but it only really snows large amounts two or three times each winter...

The best route for your trip is to drive through Harrisburg, PA , headed for Binghamton .... From there Rt 86/17 runs west to Ithaca or Watkins Glen ... Corning Museum of Glass is also a worthwhile stop...

Watkins Glen State park can be stunning in the winter and heading up the lake to Geneva is well worth it... After Geneva , get on Rt 20 heading west for a great drive through Historic Seneca Falls and stay on 20 all the way to the amazing Letchworth State Park...(called the Grand Canyon of the East)

After leaving Letchworth , get back on rt 20 and ride it to the charming Village of East Aurora, stop at Vidlers 5&dime, and the home of the Roycraft craftsman movement

Take rt 400 to I90 and finish with a possible stop in Buffalo for a football or hockey game, some ice skating on the waterfront, or some local brews...

Now you are just 30 minutes from the falls and the Canadian border... Bring your passports, winter border crossings are short and enjoy the Falls...

Don't let the weather boogeyman scare you, millions of people function here every day... And Have Fun
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