Route 81 From Connecticut To Florida (81 to 77 to 26 to 95)
The choice is yours. It seems that you have to take a combination of highways to use Highway 81 from Connecticut to Florida. However, those combinations may add more miles to your trip, up to 200 miles more so factor this in when you plan your route.
The best route to take, if you want to go all interstate would be to start with Interstate 84 out of New Haven and take that highway till it intersects with I-81. Then follow this highway till it intersects with I-77. At Columbia switch to I-26 and take it to I-95 to Jacksonville.
To learn more about how to get from Connecticut to Florida, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can plan a nice route that avoids most of the major cities and their traffic issues. There are a myriad of routes to take.
Can You Take Route 81 To Florida?
The answer to this question is not good. While I-81 can be part of a combination of highways you use to travel this route, it takes you well away from Florida and does not even start in Connecticut.
It seems to be a good route to travel for a short distance to avoid places like Baltimore, Washington, DC, and other big cities. Traffic in those areas can be difficult to get through and can add to the hours you are going to be on the road.
But then making your way to I-81 can also add miles as well as hours on the road. It will depend on the combination of highways you will take to get to your destination.
The highways you eventually will take will depend on your destination in Florida and your starting point in Connecticut.
Route 81 From Connecticut To Florida
Unfortunately, Route 81 or I-81 starts at the Canadian border in Vermont and does not come close to Connecticut at all. To get to it you would have to use I-84 out of Hartford until it intersects with I-81 in Scranton, PA.
You can use I-81 to avoid some major cities but it travels in a South-westerly direction and ends up taking you away from Florida. That means you will have to find another highway to take to head due South.
That could mean switching to I-77 till it intersects with I-26, which would connect you to the I-95 which does take you directly into Florida. But these are all Interstate options. There are a myriad of state and lesser highways you can combine to get to your destination.
The route you take will depend on whether you want to see the sites those larger cities advertise or if you just want to make it to your destination without a stop. You could avoid all of these highway changes by taking I-95 out of New Haven and just traveling through those bigger cities.
If you can avoid both morning and evening rush hours, it may be the shortest distance to go.
Map Of Route 81 To Florida
You can spot the origin of I-81 at Oswego near the Canadian border, next to Lake Ontario. Then you can follow it down to Knoxville, TN before it turns into a more Westerly direction.
The part of the map that is cut off shows that only 2 Interstates enter Florida along the east coast from North to South. Those Interstates are I-75 and I-95. To use I-81 to get to this state or return to Connecticut, you have to plan to use a combination of highways that fits your purpose.
There are better maps you can use and while you may rely on GPS, or the internet for directions and route, the best option is an up-to-date road map. Nothing beats those paper road maps or atlases that you can hold in your hand
To get to I-81 you should use I-84 out of Hartford as your most direct route.
81 to 77 to 26 to 95
This is a very straight forward route to take and your most convenient one if you are traveling by Interstate alone. It is said that I-26 may have some steep inclines that may slow your progress a little bit. The descents are also very long so make sure to check your brakes before turning onto that highway.
To connect to the I-77 you need to travel to Wytheville or to the eastern side of that smaller city. Then I-77 connects with I-26 at Columbia which then takes you to I-95 at Santee or close to that smaller town.
This last connection is just west of Charlotte and from there you head south till you get to Florida. Once in Florida, you can take the smaller state highways to get where you are going if you do not want to pass through Jacksonville.
If you want an alternative route you can stay on I-81 to Knoxville, and connect with I-75 there. But I-75 will take you through Atlanta before going into Florida.
Route 81 From New York To Florida
If you live in this state or City, then your best option to travel the I-81 would be to take the I-84 if you live north of New York City. If you live in or east of the City, then I-80 is your best connecting road to use.
Finally, if you are living just south-east of New York City, but still in New York State, then I-78 is your best route to take. It connects directly to I-81 between Harrisburg and Allentown.
I-80 connects with I-81 around the Drums area, north of Hazelton, and I-84 makes the connection in Scranton. From any of these connecting points, you still have quite a few highways to take if you do not want to travel to your destination completely by Interstate.
Take some time to view what you want to do while on the road. First time travelers may want to go to the Big cities in the area and see history or some great scenery. That means avoiding I-81 and taking alternative highways.
How Long Does It Take To Get From Connecticut To Florida?
Via the most direct route and under ideal conditions, and a lack of traffic, you may be able to travel to Florida from Connecticut in 18 hours and 46 minutes. That most direct route is 1247 miles long.
However, if you take different routes, both the mileage and the time on the road will increase. The distance can grow to just over 1600 miles for one of the longer routes you can take.
That means you will be traveling a few more hours depending on your speed of course. It is said that the 81 to 77 to 26 to 95 portion of the trip has light traffic so you may make good time.
There are three more factors, besides distance & speed, that may slow you down. The weather conditions, traffic, and the dreaded construction projects on each highway.
Then if you want to go slow and enjoy your trip, you may stop for a night or two along the way. This will add to your travel time but at least it will not be straight driving all the time.
Since you choose your routes directly, it will be up to you how little or how much time you spend driving.
Does Interstate 81 Go Through Mountains?
This highway follows a historical migration route that seems to parallel the Appalachian Mountains. This migration route has been used by animals, early settlers, and troops during the Civil War.
Plus, it follows a good portion of the old Route 11 and is used by the big rigs as a bypass route to avoid more heavily trafficked highways. There may be some hills to go up and down but it does not seem to have any serious hills to go over.
The route you should need to be concerned about in regards to hills, etc., will be I-26. That is said to be fairly steep with long descents above Asheville., NC. A good topographical map should display the types of hills you have to drive over and should give you a good idea of what to expect.
For the most part, I-81 is supposed to be very rural and a very nice drive. It may be worth it if you have seen the big cities already and do not want the hassle of traffic.
Some Additional Words
I-81 seems to be a very good road for RVers to take. While it can be a bit of a hassle to reach, once you are on it, you can enjoy driving as the traffic is said to be not that heavy, and the scenery is nice.
Unfortunately, this highway does ot reach Florida and by taking it you will be adding miles to your trip. That extra distance and time may be worth it if you enjoy seeing the scenery as you drive.
