How Far Would You Go On a Day Trip?

[timm]

Something said in the "when is a deal not a deal" made me curious about how far people were willing to travel on day trips.

I try to stay around 2.5 tops but thinking about upping it this year.

 

[ss20]

I've done 4.5 hours via bus up and back. There's this guy in my ski club who used to drive 6 hours to Jay, ski, drive down to MA where he'd take a nap, and then drive the last 2 hours home.

 

[steamboat1]

When I was younger I would take long day trips. Even drove 5 hours to K & back for the day a few times. Southern VT. & the Catskills many more times. Homey don't play that anymore.

 

[jimk]

Four hours each way is my day trip max. Did it from DC to some ski areas in WV a couple times.
Local skiing from Wash DC is a little further away than say the ski areas near Boston. We have our WaWa type ski areas that are about 80 miles from town, then we have our slightly more interesting mtns in the B-East/Gunstock class that are about 160-180 miles from town. Then it's about 500+ miles to the most interesting mtns in the Killington/ Sugarbush class...which happen to be Killington and Sugarbush
I've often found the three hour drive (each way)/160-180 miles to our slightly more interesting local mtns worth the trouble for better terrain and lower crowds & costs. But when you’re doing day trips that involve close to 350 miles of driving the cost of gas becomes a big part of the equation and it's hard to get fired up for a lot of those kind of day trips in close succession. Instead, in recent years I've tended to ski in clusters of ski days built around long weekends or ski weeks and on a few lucky occasions for ski fortnights.
All I can say is anytime you New Englanders start feeling sorry for yourselves, try living down here for a few seasons where the grass is unfortunately greener!

 

[Edd]

I used to do up to 3.5 but 2.5 each way is it for me.

 

[Cornhead]

I think Stowe is the furthest I've driven for a day trip, like driving half way to Florida, and skiing all day. I remember buying a 2 liter bottle of Mt Dew before the return trip, chugging half of it right away, and downing the rest as I drove. Though not a day trip, I did leave the house at midnight to ski Saddleback at opening, that was rough.

 

[VTKilarney]

Anything under 2 hours is easy. 2-3 hours is realistic, but has an impact on the overall enjoyment of the day. Anything over 3 hours is a major drag on the day's enjoyment.

 

[makimono]

I don't want to drive for more hours than I'll ski in a day...so that means ~3.5 hours each way max.

 

[xwhaler]

2.5 is about my max. Most recent long day trip I've taken was a few Marchs ago when we went to Magic. If it were all highway it woulda been ok but trying to get to Magic from Seacoast NH is a long slog over secondary roads.

 

[spring_mountain_high]

2.5 hours for me as well...did 4 hours to get to platty once and decided that was way too long for one day of skiing

 

[steamboat1]

Though not a day trip, I did leave the house at midnight to ski Saddleback at opening, that was rough.

Did the same thing once except drove to Sugarloaf. I had a reason to though. Storm was coming in & I wanted to get there before the snow started flying. Good thing I did because it started snowing in the early afternoon & continued all night. Wound up with close to 3 ft. & this was in April. Next day was one of my best powder days ever. If you weren't staying on the mountain you couldn't get there. Place was empty & we had fresh tracks pretty much all day.

Not skiing but the craziest thing I ever did was leave NYC around midnight & drove up to Lake Placid with my now wife. Climbed Mt. Marcy (highest peak in NYS), came back down & drove home. I only had one day off from work at that time.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I live in New Jersey and dont enjoy skiing in the Poconos (except for a once or twice per season last minute or miracle "it actually snowed" day), so my most common day trip is:

Plattekill = 2h 45m

Often I'll drive up and crash at free lodging (family) and cut the times

Plattekill - 1h 20m
Gore = 2h 30m

Did Elk Mountain for the first time this year, it was 2 hours. Nice place, but there's rarely ever discounts so that was pretty much a one-time thing as paying walk-up rate is against my religion. I'm an ordained minister in the order of SOTC.

 

[4aprice]

For the most part I could draw a line at Albany, NY. Anything below there is definitely day trip territory, anything above an overnighter. I think I'm pretty lucky with several good choices from the Pocono's to the Catskills and Berkshires in that radius. That said I have done So Vermont and back in a day. Mt Snow, Stratton, Bromley and Magic are all approximately 4 hours from the homestead. I also have done the CSC (Castleton State College) run back and forth in a day several times to see the daughter. Really the drive from here to So Lake George (Exit 20 - Northway) is quite easy, its the 2 lane feeder roads to Vermont that become tedious. I've also gotten to the point where I don't mind getting up early (5am departure) to do the Thruway shuffle (easier drive then a Friday night) and saving myself at least one night hotel fare.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[Smellytele]

2 hrs gets me to just about anywhere in New England except Sugarloaf and Saddleback which take about 4- 4.5. I would never do those on a day trip. It takes me about that long also to get to Whiteface and I wouldn't do that either on a day trip. No easy way to get to Smuggs either.

 

[steamboat1]

I've also gotten to the point where I don't mind getting up early (5am departure) to do the Thruway shuffle (easier drive then a Friday night) and saving myself at least one night hotel fare.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

I do that all the time now (usually a little earlier). Mainly to beat NYC rush hour traffic. Lodging is inexpensive for me (see other thread).

 

[St. Bear]

3ish is my max. That gets me from my parents place in Manchester, NH to Jay. Of course, I also have to drive 5 hours the night before from NJ to NH, and 5 hours back home a few days later.

Longest I've done is from my house to Gore, which is about 4. Of course, it took me 5 and a half on the way up because I forgot my voucher and had to turn around to get it.

 

[4aprice]

I do that all the time now (usually a little earlier). Mainly to beat NYC rush hour traffic. Lodging is inexpensive for me (see other thread).

I-80, I-287 and the Thruway are great in the early morning. Set the Cruise Control at 75 (Along with a Bagel and Thermos of hot coffee) and I'm in Albany @ approximately 7.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[jimk]

This thread needs some day tripper photos

Wintergreen, VA. Upside down ski area. This parking lot is about 3 hrs from DC


Timberline, WV. The Magic Mtn of the mid-Atlantic. Fun place and once 4 hrs from DC, now only 3:15 due to improved "country roads take me home."


Blue Knob, PA. The MRG of the mid-Atlantic on the rare occasion Mother Nature smiles upon us. 3 hours from DC.


Wisp, MD. Set next to a pretty 4000 acre lake. Only ski area in MD, about 3 hours from DC. Old photo, those two offspring are adults now.


Liberty Mtn Resort, PA. 90 minutes from DC, near Gettysburg Battlefield. Probably served more DC day trippers over the years than any other local ski area.

 

[Savemeasammy]

Smuggs is about 3ish hours from me, so that's probably the furthest I will go for a day trip. Most of the other quality resorts in New England (the exception being Maine) are
2.5 or less.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ScottySkis]

South Vermont Mount Snow is about 3.5 hours from where I live and did that once last X mas week after big snow fell. It was fun day for sure but i was tired when I got back. Maybe 4 to K I do with out hotel and back leaving around 3 pm mountain time.