Advice on road trip from SE PA to East Burke, VT

[Webbo85]

So end of July we're doing a family vacation up the Kingdom Trails in East Burke Vermont. Started to plan out the trip and was hoping some people may have some recommendations on the chosen route, as there are a few options. Plan on heading up Saturday morning (7/29) from SE PA, hitting the road by 9.

All the apps are telling me the quickest time will be up 95 and head across the George Washington Bridge up to 91 all the way up. I hate the GW bridge! Other option is heading up 87 to Albany and cutting across from there to Vermont, but it's saying that could add an hour to the drive.

Couple questions for people who have done similar trips or know the areas:
1, How bad will summer traffic be in New York/Connecticut along the coast (ie. 95)? Not sure if I'll be dealing with beach traffic going that way. If there's a good chance I'm going to be sitting in traffic going that way, I may just be better going the 87 route.
2. If I decide to go the 87 route, any chargers I should try and avoid. I've looked at Plugshare and ABRP, but not sure how accurate & current those reviews are. Just trying to avoid locations that are always crowded or known to have issues.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[TaxmanHog]

Southern CT shore line route (95) sucks in the summer!
You might ~enjoy~ the extra hour (maybe less) when considering traffic jams and high tolls.
That said I have no advice about best charging along an inland route to VT.

 

[Webbo85]

Southern CT shore line route (95) sucks in the summer!
You might ~enjoy~ the extra hour (maybe less) when considering traffic jams and high tolls.
That said I have no advice about best charging along an inland route to VT.

Thanks for confirming my fears! I’d rather be moving than sitting in traffic honestly.

 

[VTbuckeye]

The one time I needed to charge outside of Queensbury NY the 350kW charger in Fort Edward worked great. I live outside of Burlington VT. The fast charging network up here is not great. Luckily I can charge at home. If you can make it work driving through VT would take longer (unless traffic is bad), but it would be much more pleasant.

 

[ivan256]

IMO suck it up and take the GW, then take the saw mill, and I-84 to I-91. Other than the bridge that will be the most pleasant route overall. And you can charge in Waterbury or Springfield (EA in Hartford seems to be broken lately). Then top off in Lebanon VT before heading into the charging desert.

(Edit: There's also the Tesla charger at I-684/84 in Brewster which is one with "magic" docks.)

Most importantly, confirm destination charger access in advance. If you are staying at a hotel or resort with a half-dozen Tesla level 2 chargers, in VT and NH it’s been my experience that they’re all taken during parking hours. And maybe a couple Teslas deep stacked up to be next in line. There aren’t a lot of options in that area so the types of stations you might expect to be available near home are very busy up there.

 

[VTRedWingsFan]

I charge at home too.

Thought you might find this interesting: http://vtdigger.org/2023/07/15/damage-assessments-underway-for-popular-trail-networks/

Pretty sure there is an EA in West Lebanon, NH. (I-89 & I-91 jct more or less)

 

[ivan256]

IMO suck it up and take the GW, then take the saw mill, and I-84 to I-91. Other than the bridge that will be the most pleasant route overall.

Oh, and if you really don’t want to take the GW you can take the garden state to the Tappan zee/cuomo bridge. Then 684 to 84. Etc…

 

[VTbuckeye]

IMO suck it up and take the GW, then take the saw mill, and I-84 to I-91. Other than the bridge that will be the most pleasant route overall. And you can charge in Waterbury or Springfield (EA in Hartford seems to be broken lately). Then top off in Lebanon VT before heading into the charging desert.

Most importantly, confirm destination charger access in advance. If you are staying at a hotel or resort with a half-dozen Tesla level 2 chargers, in VT and NH it’s been my experience that they’re all taken during parking hours. And maybe a couple Teslas deep stacked up to be next in line. There aren’t a lot of options in that area so the types of stations you might expect to be available near home are very busy up there.

There are a lot of teslas here in VT. Not like California, but they are everywhere. I expect that kingdom trails is open, but it might be muddy. I'm on the other side of the state and I have been trail running instead of mtb riding due to the mud.

 

[Webbo85]

Thanks for the input! It's funny, because I keep going back and forth on the best route as each poster has a different opinion. Stay away from 95 in Connecticut is the one solid point I'll take! When I've driven to Boston I've always taken the Cuomo to 684/84, but skiing in VT I've gone 87. Might be a quick check on Waze as we're leaving the house, and just have both routes planned out.

As far as East Burke, there's no charging up there really. We're renting a house in town, where we can pretty much ride our bikes to the trail network and walk to the restuarants, so plan on charging 120V while there. Plan on charging to 80% at the West Lebanon EA before the final leg to East Burke. Also a 125 kW charger in Saint Johnsbury, which is 20 minutes south of where we're staying, so plan on topping off there during the week if needed, pizza place and brewery within walking distance.

Hopefully trails will be in good enough shape for riding after all the rain. House we rented backs up to the Passumpsic River, hopefully the house didn't get damaged with the rain. Should be an adventure!

 

[doolin64]

@Webbo85 how did you make out on your trip?

 

[Webbo85]

So trip up went great. Took the 87 option. Stopped in Red Hook NY at a Tesla charger, got 125kwh, then a quick stop just south of Albany at an EVgo, only got 80 off a 350kwh Charger, but family was in Starbucks whole time anyway. 2 other lightnings at the station, pretty funny. Then hit West Lebanon EA station in NH. Only pulling 105 at a 350kwh but family had to stretch their legs anyway. So took us 9.5 hours total but smooth driving, no traffic, and nobody complained.

With the little bit of non highway driving mixed in I was averaging between 2.2-2.3 m/kw doing 75mph on the highways. But actual average speed was closer to 60 mph. Only averaged 1.7 the last leg from NH to East Burke, but it was pouring rain, and I really think truck was just working harder in the rain.

Here till Friday so hopefully smooth sailing home. Mountain biking trails have been phenomenal and are in pretty good shape with all the rain they had. And heading to Mt. Washington today, so we’ll see how well the regenerative braking works coming down!

 

[doolin64]

That's great news. I've only been up there in the winter to ski Burke. I have family that lives in Waterford. I've wondered how a trip from central Mass would be up to their house. They're about 205 miles door to door. I would go right by the Lebanon station in NH

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