Trip to Dorney

There's always the Knoebels side-trip option since they're open, though it's about an hour-1/2 or more each way. They have a POP option available on both Saturday and Sunday, although they haven't said what it is yet. As someone already pointed out, it may be cheaper to just buy tickets anyway. I'll try to find out tommorow what the price is (Fri).

FYI, folks driving up from the Baltimore/DC/Harrisburg Area, extensive road contruction is underway in a couple of spots along I-78 between Harrisburg and Allentown. It added an hour to my trip.

The first mistake was taking I-78 which is quite possibly the most boring road I've ever been on. My late grandfather who was an Allentown native gave us alternate directions which first take you on Rt. 30, then connect up with Rt. 222. I'll have to get more detailed directions from my parents if anyone wants them.

A lot has changed in that area since I last went up there in 2002. There's a whole area around Sinking Spring that's getting a new road which I don't know if it's finished or not (I would bet no since they were in the process of condemning a lot of buildings). There's also some timesavers which have been added in the last few years, which I'm not so familiar with.

It seems lately there has been at least one accident per day on I-78 which either closes the highway totally or causes major tie-ups. Construction itself has been causing backups of 8-10 miles eastbound during rush hours.

One possible alternate route is what's commonly called "Old 22." Get off the Lenhartsville exit, make a right at the end of the ramp. Turn left at the next stop sign, and you're on it. It generally parallels 78 but is only a two lane road, so that can get backed up as well. I tried it once on a weekday, and it didn't work out all that well.

Intamin, I guess you mean you could take either I-83 or US15 north to US 30 (Gettysburg or York), then take 30 East to Lancaster, then 222 North. That could work. There is one 4-5 mile stretch of construction on 222 around Adamstown, but now 222 totally bypasses Reading. That knocks a good 15 minutes off the trip you would have taken in 2002.

Seeing how I came from Montgomery County, MD up through Frederick on 15-N by Williams Grove and around the east side of Harrisburg, then up I-78, I-Fan's solutions wouldn't have worked for me.

*** Edited 5/20/2005 9:09:32 AM UTC by coasterguts***

---

Intamin Fan said:
There's a whole area around Sinking Spring that's getting a new road which I don't know if it's finished or not (I would bet no since they were in the process of condemning a lot of buildings).

---

No, that project is nowhere near complete yet. The northern phase is finished which is about a 2 mile stretch from where the Colonial Hills bowling center was up through West Lawn. There is also heavy construction on 222 in Lehigh County, where they are building a bypass just south of Trexlertown (which is always a mess) that will dump you out basically right at Dorney Park. That has probably about another 5 years to go on it.

I always go up 222, then take Shantz Road to 100, hook up on 78 for about 4 miles and get off at Dorney.

c-guts,
It might have helped it you would have gotten off at Route 30 at Gettysburg, headed east towards York/Lancaster, then picked up 222 at Lancaster. Route 30 is a bit more of a scenic route between Gettysburg and York, but still beats sitting in traffic on I-78.

g-freak,
an alternative to Shantz Road I like to take is Long Lane. It's the first light past Kutztown, where the BK and the mini-golf place are. Hang a left there, and follow that road about 4 miles to Old 22 in New Smithville. That will put you on 78 either past or very close to the end of the construction.