Chapel Hill to Mt. Holyoke, MA Alone!!
 

Will be moving my daughter from Chapel Hill to Northampton, MA, pulling a U-haul trailer (just us girls). We are going to have to do the trip in one day (insane, i know). I have read here and other places that I-95 is probably not our best option for safety and gas/bathroom stops. This will be on a Monday in Sept. Any ideas for alternative routes are welcome, PLEASE!!

I have done Chapel Hill to Boston in one day in a rental truck. It was pretty hellish but it is farther than you are going.

You really only have one choice: I85/I95/I91. There are better routes without a truck or trailer, but you have a trailer. Follow the Google Maps route until you get to the Garden State Parkway. Follow it to I 287 and take that back to I 95 in Connecticut. Then I 91 north from New Haven. You do not want to go near the George Washington Bridge.

Travel Notes: there is no place to eat on I 85. There is a rest area not too far south of Peterburg, in the middle of nowhere, then no more until around Ashland, VA. There is one more in Virginia, north of Quantico, then nothing until you get off the Beltway/495 back onto 95 in Maryland. One of the two Maryland service areas with food was closed for a badly needed renovation, at least in June. The new Delaware Service Plaza is not bad. Once you cross into Jersey, there are service plazas galore, getting better as you approach New Brunswick. You should fill up at Montvale, the last one on the Garden State Parkway, because the price of gas in NY, CT, and to a lesser extent, Massachusetts will horrify you.

I am going to assume that you don't have an EZ Pass, and you don't have time to get one ( out of state drivers can get them from New York). You are going to need a LOT of small bills and change organized in a plastic box ( not in the bottom of your purse) because the tolls are going to run you something like $50 each way for this trip. You will have to wait in line at each toll booth since the number of human stations has been reduced.

Timing: Tuesday would be better than Monday; Saturday would be better than either. Northbound, you do not want to arrive in the Washington, DC, area before 9 AM, and you don't want to arrive in North Jersey much after 2:45. You can't help arriving in Hartford at rush our, but it isn't a big city. There is a rest area on a mountainside a out 15 miles south of Hartford, nd it could be the last one for a long time. You are going to have to get up really, really early to leave Chapel Hill if you can't figure out a way to do this as a two day trip. Estimate about 13-14 hours for the trip since Google timings don't allow for gas, food, and toilet stops nor for the extensive construction on the Jersey Turnpike between Burlington and Cranbury.

I drove in car many times from north of Boston to Greensboro, NC area with daughter. It was not fun, but it was possible. I am not sure it will be with a U-Haul.

The key is to find a way to avoid Baltimore/Washington area and northern NJ/NYC area at rush hours. The trip timing from NC to DC area should be somewhat accurate. But ignore the travel time on mapping programs thru NJ - something ALWAYS happens in NJ that slows you down. I am not picking on NJ (my home state).

You want to go over the Tappan Zee Bridge, not the George Washington Bridge. Your GPS will not be happy with this idea - and if you can't get it to behave, program the route to Danbury, CT as an interim stop - that often works to trick it;

Are you absolutely positive you have to do this in one day? If you could even gety a few hours north on Sunday evening it would make a world of difference. Or, alternately, what about driving to northern NJ on Monday, getting up early again on Tuesday and still arriving in Northampton mid-morning on Tuesday. Since it is unlikely (I hope) you would be unloading the truck upon arrival Monday night, wondering why this is not an option.

There is no place to pee or eat between northern NJ until you are well over the Tappan Zee Bridge that does not involve a major detour. Area around Hartford is equally annoying.

Ackislander - are you sure you can pull a U-Haul on the Garden State Parkway? If you can't - OP listen to this as well - then taking the Tappan Zee Bridge is perhaps not the best option and in that case I do not think this is a safe 1-day trip.

Good question, Gail. i was relying on memory, so I looked it up. They are allowed. There is a toll class for them on the Parkway website. You pay by the total number of axles. On one typical toll, a car pays $4.50, a car with a single axle trailer pays $4.50, and a car with a double axle trailer pays $6 for the same mileage.

I did mention the Montvale Service area on the GSP and the rest area off I 91 south of Hartford. Since they have to get back on I 95 (I don't think trailers are lowed on the Merritt and Wilbur Cross) they should find a couple of Connecticut rest areas.

We seem to agree on the timing issues, and I also agree with your idea of arriving in Mt Holyoke on Tuesday morning. Even if they leave Chapel Hill at 4 AM on Monday, they are unlikely to arrive at he college in time to unload on Monday night.

Would it be possible to rent a large SUV so you wouldn't have to haul a trailer? Obviously this won't work if you're furnishing an apartment, but if it's a dorm room, maybe?

Your title says "alone" - although it is you and daughter. Please tell me you are not making this trip with only 1 driver. If that is the case, you will have scrambled brain by northern NJ and be totally unsafe on the road after the NY border.

Having pulled trailers of various sizes that I CANNOT back up, be sure to always have a plan when stopping (if you can't back!) that you can drive through.
I would definitely make this a two day trip in some manner because of the congestion of the route.

First of all - WHICH Monday - if you are talking Labor Day then there will be mega traffic and it can many, many hours longer than any 'normal' estimates you'll get from google or whatever. If it's a Monday later in the month just be sure to avoid rush hour in Northern Jersy/NYC area. Rush 'hour' is from about 3:30 till 7:30pm.

Are you going to Mt Holyoke College? Just so you know it's not IN Northampton - you probably already know that, just saying.

I would take the Garden State Parkway up to the NY Thruway (Nyack) and cross the Tappan Zee Bridge and then take 684 north to 84 to 91. You cannot take the Merrit Parkway with a UHaul and 95 through northern NYC and southern Conn is a mess. There are no rest stops on these roads but almost every exit will have signs telling you if there is 'gas/food/lodging' and there is at least gas at most exits.

That is good information, Isabel, and a good alternative route, too.

I have a feeling that they are already there, since new students are supposed to report today and returning students report on Sunday, so Monday is too late.

It says "September". Don't tell me it is September already!! LOL

No, but the day the returning students are supposed to report is in September -- and a day later before the OP plans to drive. Presumably something is keeping them in NC -- and I don't criticize anyone who can't pull herself away from Chapel Hill -- long enough to be late arriving at college, but they recognize that Tuesday would be _too_ late, thus the pressure.

Still not getting your timing but it is of no never mind!! LOL
Yeah, I couldn't figure out how a Chapel Thrillian was going to Holyoke!! LOL

Unless you are skilled in backing up with a trailer, I strongly recommend sticking to 95, Garden State, etc which have service areas on the highway where you can stop for food and gas. You do not want to be fooling with side roads and small parking lots with a trailer. The highway rest stops normally have an area where the big semis park. You can park there too and then pull straight out. I haven't driven 91 between New Haven and Hartford for a long time but they did offer gas stations last time I did. Massachusetts offers almost no services on its highways, so suggest you gas up in Connecticut.

No, no, no. Don't buy gas in Connecticut. Very expensive. If she fills up in Jersey, cheap, she can get back to Jersey before filling up again.

$3.90 in CT
$3.43 in NJ

I forgot about the price difference. My point was avoid getting off the highway, which I believe she would have to do to buy gas in Massachusetts. I think there is a stop in Montvale, NJ, just before entering New York.

There are no rest stops ON I-91. I am positive of this, I drive it all the time from New Haven to Northampton MA. Whether she takes 95 to 91 or she takes 684 to 84 to 91 she will need to get off the highway to get gas/food. But we are not talking tiny roads, there are plenty of places to get gas. I have driven from Northampton Mass to NYC (Brooklyn actually) with a UHaul several times in the last few years. Other than not being able to be on a "parkway" in NY or Conn with a UHaul, and avoiding the NYC mess if possible, it's not really a big deal.

To answer a couple of questions, no this is not a dorm - - apt. my daughter is moving for a job at Mt Holyoke, apt. in Northampton. The movers are supposed to be there on Tues morning to unload the trailer. This is Monday the 9th, not Labor Day. Is there a feasible route other than I95, so we can avoid NJ, DC, NY?
Thank you for the information so far, I am really nervous about this tight schedule and am trying to find alternatives.

Gretchen, trust me...I prefer my daughter stay a Tarheel, but she wants to try this and see how she likes it. Different job, different state, just happened to be MA. I will keep my temperate NC climate lol

RNBoats - Northampton and the Pioneer Valley is really a very nice place to live. We moved here right after college because this area (known as the five college area - there are actually many more colleges in this region) was a)pretty, b) had lots of cultural opportunities, and c) was fairly progressive in a lot of ways. We are still here (many years later). My children have all left for more exciting places (London, Paris, NY, San Francisco - and that's just one child!) but all three say they want to return and settle here eventually. So hopefully your daughter will be very happy here. Yes we have crappy winters but we almost never have hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, or wild fires.

I drive to NYC a lot, and have done many trips south and the best way to get here is over the Tappan Zee bridge to the Merrit Parkway and then to 91. But you can't do that with a Uhaul. So I suggest 684 to 84 to 91. Alternately you could go north in NY state as far as the Newburg Bridge but I think that's considerably longer. Some people detour west and come up I-81 to avoid NY/NJ completely but I think that will add more time. I would only have suggested that if you were doing it on Labor Day, but the following Monday should be OK. Just whatever you do, do NOT go over the GW bridge and through the Bronx.

I was ONLY funnin' you. Believe me, I could give you chapter and verse about CH vs. "wherever". Our college advisor in HS promised to keep a chapter in her book for DD!!--who did NOT go to CH!!

BUT don't forget our advice about "drive through" for the trailer!!

hi everyone, thanks for your help with this, my mom posted the original message! i think based on this information we will plan to take 95 to the garden state parkway (just past the intersection with 287) then go by south nyack to tappan zee, then saw mill river pkwy, to 684. OR should we get to 684 another way? We are driving a truck with a tiny uhaul trailer if that makes any difference (someone said you can't take a trailer on merrit pkway and i was wondering why). Anyway, this information has all been very helpful, particularly with respect to filling up with gas in NJ. isabel, i'm with you on this, it isn't that big a deal, really just fine tuning the logistics.

It is longer in miles, but the last time we went south we drove 81 and the time was less than doing 95. One possible route would be to go west to 77 north then north on 81 to 84 east to 91 north. This eliminates most of the tolls, except crossing the Hudson on 84, and most of the bad cities. You will have some truck traffic, but there are extra lanes on most of the grades.

If you could start the evening before and get a few hours under your belt it would take the pressure off greatly. Try to get to Virginia, maybe Lexington area the first night.

Thanks emalloy. i have two friends that just made trips from CH to MA and one of them said to avoid 95 even though the miles are longer. i am waiting to hear more from her and will share what i learn for some feedback.

The reason you can't take a 'truck' on the Merrit parkway is that there are a lot of low bridges - so it's a height thing. It also does make for a much more pleasant driving experience to not have the big trucks but I think the main reason is the height.

After you cross the Tappan Zee you will be on I-287 (Cross Westchester Expy) - just stay on that till I-684. Don't do the saw Mill River pkwy, won't save you any time and it might have low bridges as well. Not sure about every single road around there but generally in the NYC area 'parkway' means no trucks.

I hope you enjoy the Northampton/Amherst area.

The route emalloy posted is how we went to NYC and it was really a piece of cake--it was about 12 hours from Charlotte to give you an idea. I was pretty amazed.

Hi Amber:

Cars pulling trailers (along with trucks and such) are not permitted on anything named Parkway in New York State. So this means you can not use the Merritt Parkway, nor the Saw Mill River Parkway.

Instead, you should stay on I-287 until it meets I-684.

And yes you should fill up with gas NJ where it is cheaper. One interesting fact is they do not allow self-serve gas stations in NJ, so you do it the old fashioned way with an attendant.

Have a fun trip!

thanks everyone! i can't wait to move to the area.

amber, I would definitely do the 287 to 684 route. Have lived in the Pioneer Valley for almost 40 years and love it. Enjoy!