RV Life Season 4

Exactly what you need to know about RVing to and from New England

Nicole Anderson, Anthony C Vicari

18 Feb 2025 • 17 min read

Ah, New England. Our little corner of the country, boasting miles of rocky shorelines along the Atlantic and lovely Granite peaks of the Appalachians. Land of lobstah and clam chowdah, fluffernutters, Hoodsie cups, and Mrs. Fields cookies. It's a great place to visit, whether you're a foodie, history buff, or geography nut. And yet, RVers know all too well that a trip to New England isn't for the faint of heart. Up in our neck of the woods, roads once meant for horses are now attempting to house automobiles as big as elephants. Infrastructure feels like it's from the Revolution, because, well, it is, and therefore everything up here is more congested than Anthony was before his surgery. Let's face it, traveling New England is no picnic, but even getting up here is a feat in itself. In order to enter this region, you must first face the colossal gateway, the densest city in the country, filled with infinite bridges and parkways that are waiting to decapitate your RV's AC unit. When facing this monster, you have two choices: Either go through, or go around. Both options have their downsides, but that's the price you need to pay. Let's face it, it's hardly the most expensive price you'll encounter here.

We RVers who hail from New England all have a special bond. Most of us had to learn the ins and outs of RV travel on these roads, dodging cars, potholes, and Jersey barriers, paying exorbitant tolls, and definitely getting honked at and flipped off a time or two. Furthermore, we've dealt with the cultural challenges of RVing in New England, where campgrounds are far too old to be charging $100+/night but still do because they can, and most campground owners bring little-to-no knowledge of RVing. But don't worry, they make up for it with their attitude.

We might be leading with our cynicism here, but the reality is, despite all its faults, New England is a wonderful place to visit, and despite being into our 4th year of full-time RVing, we still return to our home region often. Before hitting the road, Nicole lived in Massachusetts her whole life. Anthony grew up on Long Island and moved to MA for college, left for grad school, and then returned in 2012. We got our first RV in fall of 2021, picked it up in North Carolina and immediately towed it back to New England. Since then, we have RVed either into or out of New England 9 more times. Among the 10 treks, we've experimented by traveling several different routes, ranging from going way around NYC, to going straight through the city. Now, we're here to impart our wisdom, so that when you take your New England road trip, you can make the best decisions for your RV and your comfort level. Or at the very least, you'll know what you're getting yourself into.

Probably the most common inquiry we see on the RV Facebook groups and forums is from families hoping to take their RV up to the Northeast, but they're wondering how to best avoid NYC. Some hope to avoid I-95 altogether. We totally understand how overwhelming the drive can seem to those who haven't experienced it. We found it overwhelming even though we had driven that stretch countless times before we RVed! We're going to go over the various obstacles you will encounter and the best routes we've found to circumvent them.

Most of our trips routed us via I-95 because our home-base is in the I-95 corridor south of Boston. This is a scary road for some because it brings plenty of obstacles:

If you want proof that our roads used to be for horses, travel I-95 through Pawtucket, RI. You will be shocked by the number of "sharp curve" signs warning you to slow down, and you better listen. This is not your average curve on an interstate.
Providence, RI might be a small city, but it is mighty...mightily filled with traffic from the endless highway interchanges that occur there. Just take some deep breaths, stay in your lane (literally), and enjoy the views of the Providence Place Mall.
If you don't hit traffic in the Stamford or Fairfield areas of CT, you should play the lottery, because you are the luckiest person we know.

The worst obstacle of all is that I-95 travelers are routed straight over the boroughs of NYC. Those who choose to stay on I-95 the entire time will poise themselves to cross the George Washington (GW) Bridge, one of the most dreaded spans in all the US. We will talk about what to expect when taking this route, but we will also cover a couple alternatives that we have found a lot less stressful. But first, let's start with a different option, which will successfully skirt you way around the city. This is what we chose to do on our first trip back to New England, right after we picked up our trailer for the first time.

Option 1: Stick to the interstates away from NYC

As newbie RVers, we avoided NYC like the plague. We decided to take I-81 through Pennsylvania, to I-88 in upstate NY. Then we got on the Mass Pike, I-90, to make our way to our home-base south of Boston.

This isn't the most viable route if you are traveling closer to the coast and want to make good time, but it was doable for the two of us, who were coming from slightly further west. We had only been towing for a few days, so we wanted to skirt major cities as much as possible. Sure, our trailer brake wasn't set correctly and it made us feel like we were riding a horse through the Poconos, and then we bottomed out into a ditch in upstate NY, but that doesn't have to be your story. The biggest obstacles you'll have on this route are narrow lanes and barriers due to construction, plus the rolling ups and downs going through the mountains. All in all, if you're coming from points a little westward, you could consider this route. There is also nothing wrong with wanting to avoid I-95 and take these interstates instead. Just be sure to take your time and possibly add an extra night or two to your trip so you don't get too fatigued.

As far as interstates in and around MA go, I-90 is a great road. The service plazas can be congested, and if you are towing with a gas truck or have a gas-fueled motorhome, just know that you will have difficulty getting gas and parking for a rest in the same service plaza. In most cases, you cannot get gas and then circle back to the truck area. However, we deal with this inconvenience because the Pike is typically well-paved and much easier to navigate than other roads leading to NY.

Option 2: Taking I-287 over the Cuomo (formerly Tappan Zee) Bridge

Once we built the confidence to travel closer to NYC, we chose the Cuomo Bridge as our route over the Hudson River for the majority of our trips to and from New England.

The Cuomo is widely known as the lesser of the evils, compared to the GW. Timing-wise, taking this route is supposed to take longer, but this is in the ideal world, where areas closer to NYC have no traffic. But we're in the real world: New York.

In all of our trips over the Cuomo, our ETA barely changed because traffic was always so much worse going over the GW. As far as bridges go, the Cuomo is fairly easy to navigate. Despite there being several interchanges in a short period of time, and oftentimes construction, the signage has always been clear enough so that we don't feel like we'll make a dreaded wrong turn.

As you approach the Cuomo, traffic gets congested, the roads become bumpy, and you need to stay on your toes as other vehicles will be entering, exiting, and making lane changes. That being said, once you're on the bridge, it's surprisingly smooth. The views are pretty, the lanes are wide, and the bridge feels sturdy.

The most stressful part of our route over the Cuomo was figuring what to do after the bridge, as we made our way south for the first time. Our Garmin GPS wanted us to take the Garden State Parkway in NJ, but New Yorkers know that parkways usually mean extremely low clearances. This can also be the case in NJ. I remember scrambling to research as many websites as possible to see if we would actually be safe on the parkway. The general consensus was "yes," but with some caveats. Getting on the parkway from I-287, most of the clearances are plenty high enough for most RVs. We can fit under anything 12ft or more. However, if you are a tall rig, please do your due diligence and research the parkway before you take it. The clearance signs on the parkway are pretty clear, and most show the height of the outside lanes, not the middle lane, because of the curved arch shape of the overpasses. So, when in doubt, stay in the middle lane.

If you're brave - and short - enough to take the Garden State Parkway, it's one of the less intimidating options. Commercial trucks aren't allowed, so you don't need to worry about giant semis barreling down the road next to you. There are also plenty of rest areas conveniently located in the middle of the parkway, so both southbound and northbound travelers can access them.

For alternatives to the Garden State Parkway, you have US 202 and Route 17. Both are busy commercial areas, but we have taken at least parts of these stretches with our RV.

All of these post-Cuomo roads set you up for getting back on I-95, the New Jersey Turnpike. Again, it might seem like an intimidating road because it has multiple lanes and both express and local sides, but after navigating the NYC metro area, it's always a breath of fresh air when we finally make it to the Turnpike. (We say "breath of fresh air," but don't actually try to breathe in when you're around the Newark area. You can thank us later). We usually stop at one of the service plazas once we get on this stretch. Unlike the Mass Pike, in NJ we can stop for gas and still access the truck parking spots. All gas stations in NJ are full-serve, so don't be surprised when you pull up to the pump and see an attendant. They're always very efficient at the Turnpike service plazas.

If your rig has more than 2 axles, you aren't permitted to drive in the express lanes. Most RV GPS devices should know this and send you to the local lanes.

We prefer the NJ Turnpike service plazas to the ones on I-95 in CT. Not only are the gas stations and truck parking all accessible, but they are much more spacious. Plus they have Auntie Anne's! While you can certainly use the CT service plazas, know that the ones closest to NYC are usually very crowded. If you can make it an extra 45 minutes or so, we recommend getting off exit 40 in Milford, CT and perhaps even taking an overnight at the Cracker Barrel. That exit has a Pilot (although one of the smallest ones you'll ever see) and a Dunkin Donuts walking distance from the Cracker Barrel. We've done a couple of overnights at this Cracker Barrel, and we love grabbing dinner at the restaurant and then walking to get coffee at Dunks before we head out in the morning. Stopping here always makes us feel refreshed enough to continue our drive back to MA.

Now that you have your viable workaround for venturing over the Hudson, it's time for us to talk about the time we went smack-dab through the middle of the mayhem.

Option 3: Taking I-95 over the George Washington Bridge

Light green represents the route we would have taken had we not stopped in Long Island

Yes, that is correct. We have actually taken this dreaded bridge that most RVers try to avoid at all costs. When we launched into Season 2 of travels, we decided to stop on Long Island to visit Anthony's family. We crawled our way through CT traffic and over the Throgs Neck Bridge to the Long Island Expressway. That day, we already decided to never RV to Long Island again, but we still needed to make our way off the island after our visit, and we didn't know which way to go. We were practically in NYC at this point, so the Cuomo would be way out of the way. We had hoped to take the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, but our GPS devices gave us conflicting information on how to get there. So, at the last minute, Anthony decided to just suck it up and go over the GW. Would we recommend this? No. Will you die? Probably not. The hardest part about the GW is that there seems to always be construction, so signs telling vehicles to go one way might be old, while new construction signs tell you to go a different way. All we knew is that we needed to go to the upper level, and after that, we were at the mercy of the trucks to let us into their lanes.

We ended our journey over the GW mentally battered and missing a sewer hose that broke loose from its holder. We can 100% see why travelers constantly ask about alternatives to this bridge.

Option 4: Taking I-84 over the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge

We launched out on Season 4 of travels on January 18, after extra weeks stationary. We were feeling antsy and anxious, which probably fueled our decision to go an entirely new route. It was a strange combination, because on one hand we were unsure of getting back on the road, and so we wanted to keep things as low-stress as possible. On the other hand, we had become so comfortable with RVing New England that we felt totally fine carving our own route.

And so, instead of taking I-95S towards NYC, we went north. After all our travels in the region, we found the Mass Pike most pleasant, and so we went that way. Nicole, the trip planner and navigator, came up with a few options for us to eventually get over the Hudson and begin our trek back south. We decided to take the Pike (I-90) to I-84, which would bring us through Hartford, CT and prime us to cross the border into upstate NY. We could head south on the east side of the Hudson and still take the Cuomo, but Nicole looked for alternative ways to cross the river. If we continued on I-84, we could cross via the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, a bridge we had never heard of. Nicole looked at Google Street View and checked restrictions and saw no reason why we couldn't use it as our crossing point. It would, however, bring us out of our way by an estimated 25 minutes. After crossing the Hudson, we would need to get on I-87S to eventually meet back up with I-287.

We looked at this decision two ways. One, we knew that taking the Cuomo might be faster, but there was also way higher variability. One accident could cause traffic delays of up to an hour or more. Further upstate, less cars and less tricky interchanges means less chance of accidents. Two, we asked ourselves, what's the price of a less stressful drive? Is it worth 25 minutes?

Heading this far upstate is a far cry from the City That Never Sleeps. We ventured through farmland and over rolling hills. The Newburgh-Beacon Bridge didn't have views of distant skyscrapers. It had views of mountains!

After crossing the bridge, we were hooked on this notion of "go a little out of the way for the sake of mental health." We weren't sure how far we wanted to push it. We could take I-287 further west, avoid the Jersey Turnpike, and then eventually cut back east as we approached our destination outside Philadelphia. We could backtrack east 10 miles and take the Garden State Parkway or nearby alternatives, which is more stressful but is the devil we know. The best part about our decision was, when we reached the I-287 juncture, it didn't matter if we took it east or west. We had a viable route either way. It didn't even make us feel like we would end up in the Holland Tunnel!

Considering our launch day is a 375-mile drive down to Delaware in the short days of winter, we needed to be cognizant of time. Therefore, we took our Newburgh Bridge win and headed towards the Garden State Parkway. We continued business as usual, getting on the Jersey Turnpike while carefully making sure to not make a wrong turn, and once on it, exhaling with relief that we were on our final stretch of our long drive day.

After our rough calculations, we maybe lost 30 minutes tops doing our roundabout route over the Newburgh Bridge. We asked each other if this is a route we would consider taking on a regular basis, and we think we would. It's definitely more distance coming from south of Boston, but soon we will be settling in New Hampshire. We don't know what route our Garmin will take us from there, but heading south to the Pike and over to I-84 is now a viable option.

We were quite impressed by the surface quality of I-84, and we also felt like we had plenty of options for easy places to pull off for a pit stop. Even when there wasn't a nearby service plaza, we could find suitable gas stations off the exits.

Special consideration: tolls

(Keep in mind that when we talk about the price we pay for tolls, we have an EZ Pass, so we get discounted rates).

We hear a lot of talk about the tolls in the Northeast, and for good reason. There are definitely quite a lot of them! However, we couldn't include toll information in this blog post the way we hoped we would. You see, we've always heard RVers exclaiming that the GW is not only scary, but also scary expensive. We've seen Facebook comments warning that the fees are $50 or even $100 for a 4-axle rig! So imagine our surprise when we got our EZ Pass bill and saw a charge of $18.73. We looked it up, and the price seems to vary from year to year, but at the time of writing this, the charge is in fact $4.50 per axle, not including tax.

Our Cuomo route has yielded equally confusing results, because the price varies not just by size and axle number, but by time of day. A four-axle rig our size typically cost $10-25.

If you're surprised by the higher cost of the Cuomo vs the GW, we discovered that it's due to the fact that it's run by a different transit authority. The Port Authority of NY and NJ run both the GW Bridge and NJ Turnpike, and they know that anyone going over the bridge will also be taking the turnpike, so they can keep the cost of the bridge lower. Not the case for the Cuomo.

Then we had our Season 4 out-of-the-way adventure, which took us on the Mass Pike, aka an added toll road. Still, with both the Mass Pike and Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, we paid $9.78.

We think all the talk about the expensive tolls going over the NYC bridges is because the Jersey Turnpike is the real drain to our pockets. When taking the Turnpike the whole way from the GW Bridge exit all the way to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, we're charged a whopping $55-60 depending on the day and time. This isn't just specific to taking the GW Bridge, though. When we take the Cuomo or the Newburgh-Beacon, we still get on at the same point, which is labeled the GW Bridge entrance. This means that, no matter which route you decide, the Turnpike fees will be the same.

Special consideration: Fatigue

We've mentioned stress and fatigue quite a lot in this blog post, so it's worth noting that, if you're used to RVing other regions of the country, the Northeast might come as a shock to you. Due to slower speed limits, more congestion, and tolls, you will notice that drives you might be able to normally do will feel extra taxing. We can cover 375-mile days fairly easily in other states once we're away from major cities, but in the Northeast, a 375-mile day is easily an all-day endeavor. Sometimes we need to cover these miles because we're traveling in the off-season where there aren't a lot of overnight options, especially close to the metro NYC area. However, if you are traveling in the warmer months (as you likely are if you're choosing a New England RV adventure), consider lowering your number of miles per travel day and finding some overnights.

Summary

We wish we could give a clear answer of the best route to travel to and from New England, but this part of the country has very complex infrastructure. For us personally, we quite liked the scenic route over the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and we can imagine this being a less daunting route for many RVers. However, if you take the Jersey Turnpike, don't expect to save money by going further out of the city.

If you decide to white knuckle your way over the GW, you can at least rest on the fact that you probably won't be paying the higher toll rates...and we say "probably" because these prices seem to change all the time.

But, if you want to choose the balance between the terror of the GW and the easy-breezy Newburgh-Beacon, the Cuomo is there to split the difference.

We don't want the complexity of this region to scare you. New England is a beautiful place to explore, and it can be even more enjoyable when you aren't stressing about all the unknowns of the roads. We encourage you to use this blog post as just one of many resources to help you find your way. Do your research and decide what is comfortable for you. The best part about tackling New England is that afterwards, you will feel like you can RV anywhere! That's why we've always been proud of our New England origins.