Driving from the Adirondacks to Bar Harbor...
Jun 9th, 2003, 01:49 PM
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Driving from the Adirondacks to Bar Harbor...
Does anyone have a suggestion where to stay for a night about halfway between the Adirondacks and Bar Harbor? Mapquest has us driving SE through VT and NH and up the coast of Maine. It estimates about a 10 1/2 hour drive. We will be looking for a place to stop on Sunday June 29th. It would be nice if we could find a scenic or quaint town that's worth stopping for along the way. We like B&B's or inns. It doesn't have to be luxurious, just something comfortable and clean with great food would be just fine! Thank you for your help in advance.
Jun 9th, 2003, 02:04 PM
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A reasonable midpoint would be Ogunquit, Maine. The drive from the Adirondacks will put you at the coast near Portsmouth, NH. After your reach Portsmouth, go about 15 minutes north on I-95 and get off at the exit for Ogunquit, which will let you off onto U.S. 1 about five minutes or south of the village. A pleasant B&B we had stopped at there is the Morning Dove (www.themorningdove.com). For dinner, you might want to try the Arrows (Berwick Road, several minutes west of the village; the turn is by the moview theater), one of the finest in New England, but quite pricey - entrees in the $30-$45 range. In the alternative, go to the Ogunquit Lobster Pound (on Route 1), which has lobster and a wide variety of other choices and is far closer to normal prices. For the next morning's breakfast, go to the Omelette Factory, up about five minutes north on Route 1. Best omelettes anywhere. Overall, Ogunquit's about as good as you'll find until you get several hours north. Let me know if you need additional information.
Jun 10th, 2003, 09:36 AM
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Thanks! That was very nice of you to include the dinner and breakfast recommendations. Your suggestions were exactly what we were looking for, right on target. We were wondering though if there is a faster route to get to Bar Harbor. Are there any bridges crossing over Lake Champlain if I went North on the I-87 and cut across the Lake to get to I-89 South and then to Rte 2 to I-395? Right now our route roughly takes us South on I-87, E on Rte 4, S on I-89 to I-93, E on Rte 101 and N on I-95.
Jun 15th, 2003, 06:01 AM
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Whichever way you do it, the drive to Bar Harbor will take a while. Technically, it is possible to reduce the distance by taking back roads, but you would have to save a lot of mileage to compensate for the considerable reduction in average speed. The major roadblock is the trip from the Adirondacks to the coast. From the NH coast to Bar Harbor you could easily average 65 to 70. The only high speed road that would make any sense running West to East would be I-87 to I-90 East, which I believe you could get on as early as Warrensburg. That means your time spent on slower roads would be mainly Route 28 or similar. In this case, you may find that the longer route will be much faster. The real question is which type of road you prefer. On occasion in the past, I plotted what appeared to be a direct route only to find that the average speed was extremely low and the wear and tear along the way was noticeably increased. My preference would be roads where you could average 45 or so toward the coast and then Interstates from there up. The West to East drive would still be reasonably fast and pleasant. Going north the more interesting drive is up Route 1, but that will try almost anyone's endurance. Good luck!
Jun 15th, 2003, 06:55 AM
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The ferry across Lake Champlain from Plattsburg NY takes about 45 minutes. It was an all day drive from Barre VT to Bar Harbor even on backroads. As mentioned in another post, you are travelling at the height of tourist season. Do yourself a big favor and make some reservations, otherwise you may be sleeping in the car. B&B's in this area run about $200 a night.
Jun 16th, 2003, 01:13 PM
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We are leaving from the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake. My husband and I were talking about this the other night and we decided to take the fastest route vs more scenic. We realize it's going to be a whole day of driving and decided to just get it all done in one shot! I agree, nrwayne, that the most direct looking route on a map can be deceiving. We have made that mistake before too! We may have to stick to the longer route but, to check out other options, I wonder how it would be to take the ferry from Plattsburgh to I-89 and then to Rte 2. Does anyone know what speed US Rte 2 is?
