Recent comments in /f/Pennsylvania

IamSauerKraut t1_jc2db4t wrote

Reply to Any scenic route(s) from DC up to the Pocono Township area? by CrownStarr

Take the 15 north out of Frederick. When you get to Thurmont, take 550 north. This road takes you up thru deep woods and along crackling creeks. You'll hit some hollows with farms and then you'll end up in Sabillasville. At the St John UCC (and park), take a right onto Harbaugh Valley Road. Stay on that until you hit Rt. 16.

Follow Rt. 16 east for a very short while, then turn left (north) onto Jacks Mountain Rd. That will bring you by the ski place (Ski Liberty in Carroll Valley). That road joins up with Rt 116 and you'll go thru Fairfield. Turn left onto Carrolls Tract Rd (State 3011). Follow that into Ortanna where the road joins with Ortanna Road, which joins with old Rt. 30. Turn left.

Follow old Rt. 30 until you get to the traffic light at highway Rt. 30. Cross over to Rt 234. Follow that for miles until you get to the traffic light in Biglerville at Rt. 34. Turn left. (If you turn right you can get into downtown Gettysburg.)

Follow 34 until it T's into Rt 94. Turn left and enter Mt. Holly Springs. Keep going. It's still Rt 34. Follow 34 thru Carlisle, thru Carlisle Springs (dont miss the turn onto Carlisle Springs Rd at the railroad tracks!) and then go up the 1st Mountain.

At the top of the mountain is an annoying roundabout. It's new and people still do not know how to drive around it. You can take the 2nd right or continue on down 34. Either way, you'll end up on Rt 850. If you go down 34, you'll hit another roundabout at 850. If you go down Mountain Rd, 850 is a right turn. Can't miss it either way.

850 dumps you out into Marysville at Rt. 15. This is Perry County's first ever traffic light. You can go south (right) and pick up 81 just a few miles down. Or you can go north (left) and follow the big river to Duncannon (N. Market St.) to 322 south. (Or follow 15 up to Rt. 80).

If you decide to go across the Clarks Ferry Bridge, immediately take Rt 147 north. Follow that into Millersburg to 209 east. 209 intersects 81 above Pine Grove. Or...

You can hop off 209 at Joliet and get onto Rt 125 north. That will take you thru coal country up to Shamokin and Rt. 61. Take 61 east from there into Ashland. Jump onto Rt 54 east. If you get onto 54 in Strong you will miss sniffing the air in Centralia. Follow 54 to get on 81. By then you'll be ready for the highway. Or...

Follow 54 into Hometown and pick up Rt 309 north from there. That'll take you up to Wilkes-Barree, but 309 goes thru a million traffic lights in dingy Hazelton and most of it is anything but scenic.

1

Maleficent_Bee_9092 t1_jc2a3je wrote

Reply to Any scenic route(s) from DC up to the Pocono Township area? by CrownStarr

I-81N to I-78E to PA 61N to PA 895E to PA 248N to US 209W(or S?) to PA 903N to PA 115N to I-80E. That's a VERY convoluted route but takes you thru some pretty nice Pocono's & farmstead scenery - the Schuylkill gap, parallel to the Blue Ridge on the north side, which is very rural, along the Lehigh River in a spectacular gorge, thru historic Jim Thorpe PA, up the Pocono's Escarpment, thru the Pocono's Plateau scrub brush forest country. You might hit tourist traffic around Jim Thorpe if you're traveling on a weekend, especially a big weekend like Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day. This will also take SIGNIFICANT more time, although it's still generally in the same alignment as the major interstates. I grew up in Philly & my parents retired up that way in the late '70's ("Ashfield PA") so am fairly familiar with the area.

1