Originally Posted by
emreeken
I'm going to visit Niagara Falls on April 23. I hope that Maid of the mist will be operating at that time. Because, as I see, it opens on may depending on weather. I'll land at JFK and will drive a minivan to the falls with 6 people. Do you have any route suggestions?
Falls are worth seeing if without the Maid of the Mist.
It should operate then. Bad weather that day could cancel it. Then it runs around 9:30-4:30 (5:30 on weekends)
Your drive will take 3 days
1 day driving to
1 day there
1 day driving back
Its about 7-8 hr drive.
There are alternate ways to drive.
option 1: follow the new york state thruway taking I-87 Albany then I-90 to Buffalo
option 2: I-87 to I-86(NY 17) to Binghamton then I-81 to Syracuse, I-90 to Buffalo. An alternate---from Cortland there is a state route 41 to Skanettles, then US 20, then 378, 414, onto I-90.
option 3: I-80 through NJ into PA, cut over to Scanton, then get on to I-81 to Syracuse.
option 4: I-87 to NY 17/I-86 past Binghamton to I-390 to Rochester, NY36 and NY 63 cut through to Batavia then meet up with I-90.
On I-90 you hit the terminal toll booth at Buffalo. after passing through there you be on the right side because it splits to I-90 (left lanes) I-290 (right lanes).....then take I-290 to it ends on I-190, then take the Right (to Niagara Falls) exit. You go through the Grand Island bridge toll booth then over the bridge. about 7 min later You go over a second bridge leaving the island. Here you exit the first immediate exit--Robert Moses Parkway--and take it till it ends at the state park for niagara falls.