Go Back   Winnipesaukee Forum > Winnipesaukee Forums > Getting Here
Home Forums Gallery Webcams Blogs YouTube Channel Classifieds Calendar Register FAQDonate Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-11-2011, 01:02 PM   #1
cillovely
Senior Member
 
cillovely's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 106
Thanks: 17
Thanked 25 Times in 14 Posts
Default 93 or 95?

Just wondering which route would be best for coming up south of Boston to Alton for my week vacation. If I mapquest it, it gives me the route 95 to Spaulding turnpike route as the shortest. Last year we stayed in Meredith, so 93 was the best bet.

Any opinions?

I don't care about tolls, just getting stuck traffic for hours. Naturally where we are renting we are coming up early Saturday afternoon, prime time for the traffic to get hairy.

Thanks
cillovely is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2011, 01:19 PM   #2
jmen24
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,139
Thanks: 223
Thanked 319 Times in 181 Posts
Default

Fastest/shortest route = traffic. Always

If you would like to take a nice drive up that includes some very scenic roads (not back roads all state roads) then I would come up 95, to 16 north (spaulding), get off on 202 west, travel until I hit 126 north/west (take that, it is in Barrington), this will bring you through Strafford into Barnstead and will drop you about 10 min south of the Alton Traffic circle on Rt.28.

Nice ride (cooler air temp and nice views), no tourist traffic (keeps the blood pressure down so Vaca starts off on a good note) and is a nice change of pace.

Look it up on google maps the difference from Boston to Alton (at the bay) is 1 hour 48 minutes your way up 16 vs 2 hours 7 minutes my way off the beaten path.

I created the comparison, but am better with directions than computers, so it did not work out when the links were posted. Google maps will try to send you up Rt 9 from 16, don't do that, it will add more time than it will cut off for distance.

Just a locals perspective on driving around the weekend traffic to go to the same general area.
jmen24 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2011, 01:22 PM   #3
AC2717
Senior Member
 
AC2717's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Maynard, MA & Paugus Bay
Posts: 2,520
Thanks: 742
Thanked 344 Times in 257 Posts
Default

Where south of Boston are you heading from?

always found the best route to be RT 95 to Burlington, get on Rt 3 towards Nashua and stay on that and it turns into Everett Turnpike ($1 toll) then stay straight through MAnchester, meet up with Rt 93 before the hooksett Tolls, and boom you are in concord then go from there any mutliple routes
__________________
Capt. of the "No Worries"
AC2717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2011, 02:17 PM   #4
Charlie T
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 302
Thanks: 248
Thanked 178 Times in 84 Posts
Default Best Route from Boston

I too live South of Boston. I normally drive up to the lake via Rt 93 instead of 95. HOWEVER if you are driving up this weekend stay as far away from 93 as you can. I believe there is a Nascar event at the NHMS in Louden and traffic in the 93 area will be backed up forever. When I go to the lake on Nascar weekends I always drive via 95 with relatively few issues.

YMMV

Good Luck

Charlie T
Charlie T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2011, 03:02 PM   #5
LIforrelaxin
Senior Member
 
LIforrelaxin's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Long Island, not that one, the one on Winnipesaukee
Posts: 2,813
Thanks: 1,011
Thanked 878 Times in 513 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie T View Post
I too live South of Boston. I normally drive up to the lake via Rt 93 instead of 95. HOWEVER if you are driving up this weekend stay as far away from 93 as you can. I believe there is a Nascar event at the NHMS in Louden and traffic in the 93 area will be backed up forever. When I go to the lake on Nascar weekends I always drive via 95 with relatively few issues.

YMMV

Good Luck

Charlie T
I am always around the Lake NASCAR weekend... with the exception of Sunday night when everyone is heading home right after the race, there is never a problem on 93, that is any worse then any other weekend.

Now on Saturday when heading to the lake, the big question is what time will you be heading up? if it is first thing in the morning, well then that can be rough.... however it is to get there in the mid afternoon, like most rentals to get in, I would say head up 95, grab 16, and then get off in Rochester and head up 11, which will bring you into Alton.
__________________
Life is about how much time you can spend relaxing... I do it on an island that isn't really an island.....
LIforrelaxin is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Old 07-12-2011, 07:34 AM   #6
Merrymeeting
Senior Member
 
Merrymeeting's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham
Posts: 2,216
Thanks: 299
Thanked 795 Times in 365 Posts
Default

I've been traveling both ways for many, many, years. In the end, there isn't much difference. We usually make the decision based on any stops we may want to make along the way.

Merrymeeting Lake does not have a road that goes completely around the lake (thankfully!). It's a classic "can't get theah' from heah'". Sometimes we want to approach the lake via Farmington/Wolfeboro (King's Highway). If so, we use 95.

Other times we want to come in via Alton, so we use 93 or Rt 3 (fwiw, I recommend the latter) to Rt 28.

Both ways are within 5 miles total distance, and about the same time.
Merrymeeting is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2011, 08:42 AM   #7
cillovely
Senior Member
 
cillovely's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 106
Thanks: 17
Thanked 25 Times in 14 Posts
Default Thanks!

Thank you all for your advice. I am not coming up until the last week in July so I won't hit any NASCAR issues.

I live in Dedham, basically right on 95 but spent a few years living close to Chelmsford/Lowell, so the route 3 from Burlington up to Manchester route is something I've done many times and not really wanting to do so again.


I might do 95 up and then see how it goes since I haven't gone that way in a long time. And then coming home flip a coin.
cillovely is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2011, 09:58 AM   #8
joann721
Senior Member
 
joann721's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Salem, MA & Meredith, NH
Posts: 116
Thanks: 3
Thanked 24 Times in 7 Posts
Default

we drive from the north shore of boston every friday evening... the first year we came to Meredith we always came 128 to 93 north to exit 23- and the drive was painful - the traffic from Wilmington all the way to where the road opens up to four lanes was stop and go... We then found out about 95 north to exit 4 in portsmouth than exit 15 off of rte 16 towards alton - following it until rte 11 the mileage is almost identical for us. But the difference in time and frustation is priceless...
__________________
JoAnn

Frustration is trying to find my glasses without my glasses.
joann721 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2011, 11:56 AM   #9
Steveo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 523
Thanks: 47
Thanked 123 Times in 63 Posts
Default 95

I would recommend 95 since 93 gets so much traffic on Friday afternoon at exit 1 in Salem. 95 has greatly improved since they got the high speed fast-pass. The only bad spots are in Newington going by the mall and the construction in Rochester. Both of those will be much improved when construction is done next year.
Steveo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2011, 02:42 PM   #10
songkrai
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 723
Thanks: 35
Thanked 145 Times in 98 Posts
Default

Route 95 is best.
songkrai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2011, 05:46 PM   #11
Pineedles
Senior Member
 
Pineedles's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Moultonborough & CT
Posts: 2,534
Thanks: 1,058
Thanked 652 Times in 363 Posts
Default

Route 93 is best.
Pineedles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2011, 11:49 PM   #12
Lucky1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Moultonborough and FL
Posts: 459
Thanks: 318
Thanked 123 Times in 53 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cillovely View Post
Just wondering which route would be best for coming up south of Boston to Alton for my week vacation. If I mapquest it, it gives me the route 95 to Spaulding turnpike route as the shortest. Last year we stayed in Meredith, so 93 was the best bet.

Any opinions?

I don't care about tolls, just getting stuck traffic for hours. Naturally where we are renting we are coming up early Saturday afternoon, prime time for the traffic to get hairy.

Thanks
Why not come earlier .....Saturday morning instead of early afternoon. You can stop for lunch near to your rental and then arrive at your destination and have missed a lot of the traffic!!!
Lucky1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:41 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

This page was generated in 0.20838 seconds