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Old 06-04-2018, 10:37 AM   #1
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I-81 to I-95 going to Florida

Hi,
i am a newbee with a Sunseeker 3170ds. We are planning to go down to Florida coming from Montreal Canada. Which routes should i be taking to avoid mountains (Blue Ridge ) ? For this first long trip, flat routes would be the best . Any suggestions would be appreciated !

Thank you!
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:48 AM   #2
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The flattest but busiest route would be I-95 but from upstate New York we take I-81 to I-40 near Knoxville TN to I-75 into Florida. It has some hills and mountains but nothing steep. Traveling the interstate will not put you into any tight unforgiving mountainous areas.


We have been taking this route with slight variations since the late 80's with no problems.
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Old 06-04-2018, 01:21 PM   #3
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Not a fan of 95, especially around DC, but less of a fan of 81, which is a beautiful ride but seems to have many more semis that slow up going uphill, which is dangerous and curvey. If you take 95, always take the Richmond bypass (295) which hooks back up to 95 South of Petersburg.
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Old 06-04-2018, 01:29 PM   #4
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I95 = flat, expensive (tolls and fuel), lots of traffic, no scenery.


I81 = a few mountains, no tolls, cheaper fuel, less traffic, nice scenery


Make your choice.
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Old 06-04-2018, 01:42 PM   #5
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95 does not have tolls south of Baltimore
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Old 06-04-2018, 01:44 PM   #6
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Cheap fuel stop Exit 104 in Virginia and Exit 4 in Va
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Old 06-04-2018, 01:47 PM   #7
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95 does not have tolls south of Baltimore

True but the tolls north of that can get quite pricey especially if you're in a large vehicle such as an RV. Not to mention that the Fort McHenry Tunnel on I95 and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel on I895 do not allow propane. You will have to go around.
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Old 06-04-2018, 05:29 PM   #8
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how about the I-81 then the 66 to join the 95 ? I know in between you have the 17, any mountains ?
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Old 06-04-2018, 05:51 PM   #9
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81-66-17-95 would work fine. I pull my 5ver on 66 often. It has some hills and beautiful views, but nothing too bad.

Like others said, take the bypass on the east side around Richmond, and also take the bypass around Jacksonville, FL to the west.

Safe travels!
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Old 06-04-2018, 05:55 PM   #10
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Bruins....


The flatest and fastest is like you say....

I-81 to I-66 to rte 17 to I-95 to Florida.

Like they say......”Been there, done that” tons of times heading for Florida.
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Old 06-04-2018, 07:34 PM   #11
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Thanks every one for the advises!
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Old 06-04-2018, 07:41 PM   #12
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I go from MA to FL. 81-77-26-20-95-301-75 to SW fl. or something close to that
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Old 06-04-2018, 07:53 PM   #13
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I travel from the hudson valley often. 81 south to harrisburg, to 15 south to 17 to 95 south. 81 is not to bad. Going to be going 81 to 77 to 95 this summer. doing it once without rig. where in florida are you going?
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Old 06-04-2018, 07:57 PM   #14
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Yakfishingfool, i will going to Orlando.
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Old 06-04-2018, 08:03 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Bruins2010 View Post
Hi,
i am a newbee with a Sunseeker 3170ds. We are planning to go down to Florida coming from Montreal Canada. Which routes should i be taking to avoid mountains (Blue Ridge ) ? For this first long trip, flat routes would be the best . Any suggestions would be appreciated !

Thank you!
Many have recommended I-95. I suggest I-81 to I-77 in southern VA, to I-26, to I-95 in middle South Carolina. Yes, I-81 has hills and trucks, but I-95 has TRAFFIC at Baltimore and Washington DC and Richmond! A traffic jam in any of those major cities adds hours of frustration to your trip. I-95 is also very rough for a lot of miles that adds to the fatigue of driving. I travel this route twice a year from central New York Syracuse area to Ft. Myers Beach Fl, right at 1500 miles.
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Old 06-04-2018, 08:12 PM   #16
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good luck on your trip. Hope you are going to fort wilderness. We have done that a few times with our kids and they were wonderful trips!! three days from the catskill mountains. get there around noon on day three.
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Old 06-04-2018, 10:31 PM   #17
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I8-1 to I-95 going to Florida

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81-66-17-95 would work fine. I pull my 5ver on 66 often. It has some hills and beautiful views, but nothing too bad.



Like others said, take the bypass on the east side around Richmond, and also take the bypass around Jacksonville, FL to the west.



Safe travels!


We have driven through Jacksonville during the construction. We now use the east side loop near the Jacksonville Beaches and find it better. This is if you are headed down the east coast to St Augustine, Disney, etc.
If you are heading to north Florida on I-10 then you will use the west side.

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Old 06-05-2018, 01:12 PM   #18
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I like I81 to I66 then 17 to Fredericksburg, VA, to I 95 South to FL, pretty flat and easy drive, might get some traffic on 17 near Frederericksburg, but not bad normally. Good Luck
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Old 06-05-2018, 01:55 PM   #19
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The flattest but busiest route would be I-95 but from upstate New York we take I-81 to I-40 near Knoxville TN to I-75 into Florida. It has some hills and mountains but nothing steep. Traveling the interstate will not put you into any tight unforgiving mountainous areas.


We have been taking this route with slight variations since the late 80's with no problems.
Agree. We live along I-81 in Virginia. Have taken it from basically the Canadian border Tennessee. For an inexperienced RV driver it is a far better route than 95. It has more hills than 95, but nothing that is any problem at all. What it doesn't have that 95 does is the near 24 hour a day traffic mess around NY and, even worse, around DC and frequently between DC and Richmond. Avoid 95 at all costs. You'd rather drive the not very significant hills of 81 than spend your time trying to change lanes and figure out the routing around DC.
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Old 06-05-2018, 02:18 PM   #20
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This is the route I would take also. 81 is a really good road. I've never been on 17, but even if you go all the way to the bypass, you won't be on it long to connect to 95
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