New York Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van from Cruise America in Bay Shore, where departures are usually between 1pm and 4pm after a walkthrough of 30 minutes to an hour. Stock up on groceries, then drive about an hour, 35 miles (56 km), to Wildwood State Park on the North Shore, using Sunrise Highway and the Long Island Expressway rather than the parkways, which are closed to RVs.

Day 2: Follow Route 25 along the North Fork, stopping at farm stands and wineries around Cutchogue and Southold, then wander the harbour village of Greenport. Drive on to Orient Point for the Cross Sound Ferry to New London, a crossing of about 1 hour 20 minutes that skips New York City's traffic. Book it ahead with your van's length, then camp near Mystic.

Day 3: Spend the day at Mystic Seaport Museum, a recreated 19th-century seafaring village with tall ships you can board, or see beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium. In the evening, walk through downtown Mystic and watch the drawbridge over the Mystic River lift for passing boats. Stay a second night at your campground in the Mystic area.

Day 4: Drive about an hour to Newport, Rhode Island, crossing the tolled Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, and park outside the narrow town centre. Walk the Cliff Walk past the Gilded Age mansions of Bellevue Avenue and tour The Breakers, then drive the Ocean Drive loop along the rocky shore at sunset. Stay at a campground outside town, booked ahead.

Day 5: Allow about 2.5 hours to Cape Cod, crossing the Cape Cod Canal on the Sagamore or Bourne Bridge, and head for Nickerson State Park in Brewster, with campsites among pine woods and freshwater ponds. In the afternoon, hire bikes and ride a stretch of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, which runs past the park, or walk the Fort Hill trail in Eastham.

Day 6: Drive the length of the Outer Cape through Cape Cod National Seashore, stopping at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, Marconi Station and the dunes at Race Point Beach. Park on the edge of Provincetown, as its narrow streets are tight for an RV, and walk Commercial Street's galleries and seafood shacks. Head back to Nickerson for a second night.

Day 7: Drive about 1.25 hours to Plymouth to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II replica on the waterfront, then continue about 45 minutes to a campground south of Boston. Cruise America bans its RVs from all tunnels, including the I-93 and harbour tunnels under central Boston, so plan routes around the city on Interstate 95 and leave the van at camp tomorrow.

Day 8: Take the commuter rail or subway into Boston and follow the Freedom Trail, a red-brick line past historic sites from Boston Common to the USS Constitution. Lunch at Quincy Market, then walk the Italian streets of the North End. If you'd rather stay outside the city, Lexington and Concord's Revolutionary War sites are an easy drive west of camp.

Day 9: Take I-95 north, around Boston rather than through it, to Ogunquit, about 2.5 hours, and walk the Marginal Way clifftop path. Stop in Kennebunkport, then continue to Cape Elizabeth to see Portland Head Light, one of Maine's most photographed lighthouses. Eat a lobster roll in Portland's Old Port and stay at a campground near Portland or Freeport.

Day 10: Drive Route 1 up the coast through Freeport, home of the L.L.Bean flagship store, and the shipbuilding town of Bath. Stop in Camden, where windjammer schooners fill the harbour, and walk up Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park for views over Penobscot Bay. Continue about two hours to Mount Desert Island and settle in for two nights.

Day 11: Buy your Acadia entrance pass online before you arrive: US$35 per vehicle for seven days, plus US$100 for each non-US resident aged 16 and over, unless you hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass. Drive the Park Loop Road past Sand Beach and Thunder Hole, but skip Cadillac Summit Road, where RVs and vehicles over 21 ft (6.4 m) are banned.

Day 12: Leave the van at camp and ride the fare-free Island Explorer bus, which runs to about mid-October, to Jordan Pond for a lakeside walk and popovers at the Jordan Pond House. Walk the Ocean Path from Sand Beach to Otter Cliff in the afternoon. Blackwoods and Seawall campgrounds release most sites six months ahead on recreation.gov, so book early.

Day 13: Allow about five hours west across Maine to North Conway in New Hampshire, the longest drive of the trip, with a lunch stop in Bangor or Bethel. Settle into a campground near town and browse its outlet shops. The Mount Washington Auto Road bans motorhomes, so book the Mount Washington Cog Railway or a guided van tour if you want the summit.

Day 14: Drive the Kancamagus Highway, about 34 miles (55 km) of mountain road between Conway and Lincoln that is at its best in autumn colour. Stop at Sabbaday Falls, Lower Falls and the Pemigewasset Overlook, paying the White Mountain National Forest day-use fee where posted. Continue to Franconia Notch State Park to walk the Flume Gorge boardwalks, then stay near Lincoln.

Day 15: Drive about two hours into Vermont via I-93 and I-89, stopping in Waterbury for a tour of the Ben & Jerry's factory. Continue to Stowe, a classic New England village with a white-steepled church and mountain views, and walk or cycle part of the Stowe Recreation Path. Skip Route 108 through Smugglers' Notch, a narrow, twisting pass not suited to large RVs.

Day 16: Drive about an hour to Burlington on Lake Champlain and stroll the Church Street Marketplace and the waterfront bike path. Visit Shelburne Farms or the Shelburne Museum just south of the city, then watch the sunset over the Adirondacks across the lake. Stay at a campground near Burlington or on the lakeshore, booked ahead in foliage season.

Day 17: Head south about two hours to Woodstock, Vermont, stopping at Quechee Gorge, a deep chasm you can look into from the Route 4 bridge. Visit Billings Farm & Museum or walk up Mount Tom from the village for views over Woodstock's covered bridge and church spires. Quechee State Park, near the gorge, is a handy place to camp.

Day 18: Drive about 1.75 hours through the Green Mountains to Manchester, Vermont, where Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln's family home, sits above the valley. In the afternoon, continue about two hours south through Bennington to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, and stay at a campground near Lee or Lenox.

Day 19: Explore Stockbridge, the Main Street town Norman Rockwell painted, and see his work at the Norman Rockwell Museum. In the afternoon, walk the gardens at The Mount, Edith Wharton's home in Lenox, or browse the galleries of Great Barrington. Spend a second night in the Berkshires and refuel before tomorrow's drive back to New York.

Day 20: Drive about two hours to Hyde Park in the Hudson Valley to tour Franklin D. Roosevelt's home and presidential library, then walk the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. Allow about three hours to Long Island for your last night, so you can reach the depot by the morning return time, and check which campgrounds are still open in late October.

Day 21: Empty the holding tanks and return the van in Bay Shore between 9am and 11am, as late returns cost US$25 an hour. This loop covers about 1,500 miles (2,400 km), roughly US$585 in mileage at 39 cents a mile, or about half that with Cruise America's Half Price Mileage Deal on return trips departing by 31 October 2027.

Day 1: Collect your van in Bay Shore in the afternoon and drive about two hours, 85 miles (137 km), to the Hudson Highlands near Bear Mountain. Cross the Throgs Neck Bridge and stay on interstates, as RVs are banned from New York's parkways and Cruise America's vans from all tunnels. Camp at a campground in the Highlands, booked ahead.

Day 2: Walk the lakeside path around Hessian Lake at Bear Mountain, then visit Storm King Art Center, where giant sculptures fill rolling fields and hills. Cross the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge to Beacon for the vast Dia Beacon gallery and the cafes on Main Street. Continue about 45 minutes north and set up for two nights near Hyde Park.

Day 3: Tour Springwood, Franklin D. Roosevelt's home and presidential library at Hyde Park, and the Vanderbilt Mansion a few minutes north, both run by the National Park Service. In the late afternoon, walk the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, a former railway bridge high above the river, for sunset views up and down the valley.

Day 4: Drive about 2.25 hours north on the New York State Thruway and the Adirondack Northway (I-87) to Saratoga Springs, known for its mineral springs and historic racecourse, and taste the waters in Saratoga Spa State Park. Continue about 30 minutes to Lake George on the edge of the Adirondacks and camp near the lake, booked ahead in summer and autumn.

Day 5: Spend the morning on Lake George, with a steamboat cruise or a visit to Fort William Henry, then drive about 1.75 hours into the Adirondack Park to Lake Placid, host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. Walk the path around Mirror Lake in the evening and stay two nights at a campground near town.

Day 6: Visit the Olympic Jumping Complex and ride up the ski jump tower for mountain views, or hike a short trail such as Mount Jo above Heart Lake. In the afternoon, walk the gorge trails at High Falls Gorge or Ausable Chasm. Autumn colour usually peaks in the High Peaks from late September, so book early for those weeks.

Day 7: Drive about 3.25 hours west across the northern Adirondacks to Alexandria Bay on the St Lawrence River. Take an afternoon boat tour among the Thousand Islands to Boldt Castle on Heart Island, a grand Gilded Age castle left unfinished for decades. Stay at a riverside campground, such as Wellesley Island State Park, booked through ReserveAmerica.

Day 8: Set off early for the longest drive of the trip, about five hours and 254 miles (409 km) to Niagara Falls on I-81 and the New York State Thruway, with breaks in Syracuse or Rochester. Check in at a campground on the US side, then walk out after dark to see the falls lit up.

Day 9: Spend the day in Niagara Falls State Park and ride the Maid of the Mist boat towards the foot of the Horseshoe Falls. Walk the Cave of the Winds decks beside Bridal Veil Falls, then take in the view from Terrapin Point on Goat Island. Cruise America allows its RVs into Canada and back, but bring your passport and check entry rules first.

Day 10: Drive about two hours south-east to Letchworth State Park, often called the Grand Canyon of the East, where the Genesee River drops over three large waterfalls in a deep gorge. Stop at the overlooks for the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls along the park road, and camp in the park, booked through ReserveAmerica.

Day 11: Allow about two hours east to Watkins Glen at the southern tip of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes. Walk the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen State Park, which climbs stone stairways past a string of waterfalls and through rock tunnels on foot, usually from about mid-May to early November. Camp in the park or nearby.

Day 12: Taste wines and cheeses along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail with a designated driver, or drive about 40 minutes to Ithaca to see the tall, narrow Taughannock Falls and the gorges around Cornell University. Spend a second night around Watkins Glen, and fill the tank and water tank ready for tomorrow's long drive.

Day 13: Drive about four hours east via Binghamton and I-84 to the lower Hudson Valley, and spend your last night at a campground within about two hours of Bay Shore. Stock up on the way, and plan tomorrow's route tonight so you avoid the parkways and tunnels around New York City.

Day 14: Leave early to beat the morning traffic and return the van between 9am and 11am with empty holding tanks, as late returns cost US$25 an hour and a dump charge can be up to US$100. This loop covers about 1,250 miles (2,000 km), roughly US$490 in mileage at 39 cents a mile, or about half that with the Half Price Mileage Deal.

Day 1: Collect your van in Bay Shore in the afternoon and drive about two hours east on Sunrise Highway (NY 27) through the Hamptons to Hither Hills State Park near Montauk, with campsites behind the ocean dunes. Book months ahead on ReserveAmerica, as summer sites fill fast. Watch the sunset from the beach and walk the Walking Dunes on Napeague Harbor.

Day 2: Drive about 15 minutes to Montauk Point Lighthouse, commissioned under President George Washington and the oldest lighthouse in New York, and walk the bluffs at Camp Hero State Park. In the afternoon, explore East Hampton and Southampton, using larger car parks on the edge of each village, then eat at a Montauk seafood shack. Stay a second night at Hither Hills.

Day 3: Set off early for the longest day, about four hours and 172 miles (277 km) to Beacon on the Hudson. Take the Long Island Expressway and Clearview Expressway (I-295) to the Throgs Neck Bridge, then interstates north, as the expressway ends at a tunnel Cruise America's RVs can't use. Explore Beacon's Main Street and Dia Beacon, then camp nearby.

Day 4: Cross the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge and drive about 1.5 hours to the Catskills, then walk to Kaaterskill Falls, a two-tier waterfall in a steep clove, from the trailhead on Laurel House Road. Camp at North-South Lake Campground, run by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, on the escarpment where the Catskill Mountain House hotel once stood.

Day 5: Walk the Escarpment Trail to Artist's Rock for views over the valley, then drive about 45 minutes to the arts town of Woodstock for lunch and galleries. Continue about 45 minutes to Hyde Park to tour Franklin D. Roosevelt's home and presidential library, and walk the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie at sunset. Stay near Hyde Park.

Day 6: Drive about an hour south through the Hudson Highlands to Bear Mountain State Park and walk the path around Hessian Lake, or visit nearby Storm King Art Center. Then allow about two hours back to Long Island on interstates, avoiding the parkways, and spend your last night near Bay Shore, such as at Heckscher State Park, open from late May to early September.

Day 7: Refuel, empty the holding tanks and return the van between 9am and 11am. This loop covers about 550 miles (890 km), roughly US$215 in mileage at 39 cents a mile. From Bay Shore, you can catch the Long Island Rail Road into Manhattan to finish your trip in the city.