Visit just Orient Point or both Orient Point and Montauk? (Riverhead: appointed, motel)
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Hello. My first post in the Long Island forum. I live just north of the Bronx and I've never been to the East End and have always wanted to.
As a teacher, I have time during the summer to visit during less crowded weekdays, but unfortunately my kids (21 and 19, they are both in college) have Monday to Friday summer jobs and neither drive so I have to take them both to and from their jobs (they work in summer day camps located inconveniently from public transportation in that they would have to take multiple buses). As such I'm limited to the weekend.
I had made up my mind that this was the summer I would do it, but too many weekends so far had too high a chance of rain to make the trip. But this weekend is looking stunning. Here was my plan:
1) Leave Saturday at 7am to go to Montauk, hoping everyone would've left on Friday and worst case I'd get there at 11am (Google Maps says 2.5 to 3 hours if no traffic but I know better). Explore around.
2) Drive from there to Orient Point in the early afternoon, explore more and get the New London Ferry at maybe 5 or 6pm.
3) Stay in the New London area in a motel and drive back from CT during Sunday, maybe making some stops along the way like perhaps in New Haven.
But when I did a Google Maps, I didn't realize that with the Shelter Island Ferries, that going from Montauk to Orient Point takes over 2 hours. And that driving "around the forks" via Riverhead was 75 miles and over 2 hours as well (obviously no limited access highways, but that's part of the appeal, right?)!
So my next thought was stay overnight in Riverhead Sat night, explore Orient Point Sunday morning, then take the ferry and go home Sunday through CT. But (I expected this though), cheapest motel in/near Riverhead was still around $200, twice what the New London motels would be.
So now I'm thinking if I do this at all, I go just to Orient Point on Saturday (then ferry to New London, stay over and come back Sunday). Is even this doable? Am I going to be frustrated with traffic and crowds? Will I be disappointed (in terms of view at Orient vs. Montauk, what there is to do there, etc.)? Maybe I'm just crazy but thought it was worth an ask. I teach in CT which starts in late August (gets out earlier in June than NY because of it) and my kids go back to college a few days after their jobs end for the summer, so going in late August to make it an extra day or two not really an option. Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Four hours minimum to Montauk if you leave 7am (you mentioned you're just north of the Bronx) either by the NYC bridges, or Port Jeff/Bridgeport ferry. There is always traffic just before Water Mill village on Route 27, and it's often a standstill from there to Amagansett.
Getting through Queens to Long Island quickly is never a given either.
If you take the Orient Ferry, you have to deal with driving around the forks, or the Shelter Island Ferries, which get really busy on weekends with wait times.
Maybe just take the Orient Point ferry over , spend the day in Greenport which is a nice old whaling town with lots to offer, and spend the $200 in Riverhead Saturday night.
Next day, tour the beautiful North Fork Vineyards, and then head back to New London on the ferry.
Save the south fork for another trip.
Remember to book the Orient Ferry in advance !
Thanks. Have the familiarity with the Queens to LI part given that I do try to go to Jones and Robert Moses at least once (though haven't in a few years) and once a year on Father's Day we go to the Pinelawn cemetary complex in Farmingdale where my dad and all 4 grandparents are buried.
I didnt think about the stretch going through the Hamptons that's probably going to be quite busy on a weekend morning. Is the north fork traffic from Riverhead to Orient like that too?
My original plan was even crazier. Go with the Bridgeport/pt Jeff ferry in the morning, then go to montauk for the day and drive back after dark. But I realized that was extremely ambitious and a bit much unless I lived right near the ferry or was starting out in Nassau or western Suffolk
Thanks. Have the familiarity with the Queens to LI part given that I do try to go to Jones and Robert Moses at least once (though haven't in a few years) and once a year on Father's Day we go to the Pinelawn cemetary complex in Farmingdale where my dad and all 4 grandparents are buried.
I didnt think about the stretch going through the Hamptons that's probably going to be quite busy on a weekend morning. Is the north fork traffic from Riverhead to Orient like that too?
My original plan was even crazier. Go with the Bridgeport/pt Jeff ferry in the morning, then go to montauk for the day and drive back after dark. But I realized that was extremely ambitious and a bit much unless I lived right near the ferry or was starting out in Nassau or western Suffolk
the North Fork traffic is not as bad (from my experience), except during "pumpkin picking season" . There are two main options - Route 25 or Sound Avenue (which runs north of 25 and is more scenic in my humble opinion). Plenty of vineyards on both (and even more on Oregon Road, which is short but also scenic).
Peconic Bay Blvd. is a nice ride too if you are in the area.
Lifetime eastern LI person here, who now lives in New London. Prior suggestions are good ones - trying to do both will be virtually impossible, unless you want to spend a lot of money and time in traffic. It will easily be 4 hours to Montauk, probably more. That could be a stand alone trip. Going through the North Fork, then over to New London could be a second trip. You want to be able to enjoy the scenery and beaches, not feel pressured to scramble around, getting frustrated. Both forks are beautiful in their own way and worth visiting.
Hello. My first post in the Long Island forum. I live just north of the Bronx and I've never been to the East End and have always wanted to.
As a teacher, I have time during the summer to visit during less crowded weekdays, but unfortunately my kids (21 and 19, they are both in college) have Monday to Friday summer jobs and neither drive so I have to take them both to and from their jobs (they work in summer day camps located inconveniently from public transportation in that they would have to take multiple buses). As such I'm limited to the weekend.
I had made up my mind that this was the summer I would do it, but too many weekends so far had too high a chance of rain to make the trip. But this weekend is looking stunning. Here was my plan:
1) Leave Saturday at 7am to go to Montauk, hoping everyone would've left on Friday and worst case I'd get there at 11am (Google Maps says 2.5 to 3 hours if no traffic but I know better). Explore around.
2) Drive from there to Orient Point in the early afternoon, explore more and get the New London Ferry at maybe 5 or 6pm.
3) Stay in the New London area in a motel and drive back from CT during Sunday, maybe making some stops along the way like perhaps in New Haven. 4 hour plus predictions are a bit ridiculous.
But when I did a Google Maps, I didn't realize that with the Shelter Island Ferries, that going from Montauk to Orient Point takes over 2 hours. And that driving "around the forks" via Riverhead was 75 miles and over 2 hours as well (obviously no limited access highways, but that's part of the appeal, right?)!
So my next thought was stay overnight in Riverhead Sat night, explore Orient Point Sunday morning, then take the ferry and go home Sunday through CT. But (I expected this though), cheapest motel in/near Riverhead was still around $200, twice what the New London motels would be.
So now I'm thinking if I do this at all, I go just to Orient Point on Saturday (then ferry to New London, stay over and come back Sunday). Is even this doable? Am I going to be frustrated with traffic and crowds? Will I be disappointed (in terms of view at Orient vs. Montauk, what there is to do there, etc.)? Maybe I'm just crazy but thought it was worth an ask. I teach in CT which starts in late August (gets out earlier in June than NY because of it) and my kids go back to college a few days after their jobs end for the summer, so going in late August to make it an extra day or two not really an option. Thanks for any thoughts on this.
Im checking during rush hour traffic and from north bronx to Montauk point is 3 hours 13 min including traffic via google maps.
Not much going on in Orient Point. Maybe Terry's farms for fresh vegetables. You can't even drive to the "end" like you can on the south fork. You're better off hanging around Greenport. Make them 2 separate trips. Use one of the trips to visit Montauk Lighthouse. You don't want to rush that. Depending on your interests, there's lots to see in both places, as well as well as stuff in Riverhead.
The ferry parking lot gets you almost to the end. You can walk along the beach to the end, or walk the dirt road called Point Road to the end. There is also a walking path that takes you along the north side of the point.
If you have a Suffolk County Outer Beach Access 4x4 permit you can drive the dirt road to the end.
A nice spot with open views, pretty small, water is usually surprisingly blue-green clear, but no big dramatic cliffs or views like at Montauk.
The ferry parking lot gets you almost to the end. You can walk along the beach to the end, or walk the dirt road called Point Road to the end. There is also a walking path that takes you along the north side of the point.
If you have a Suffolk County Outer Beach Access 4x4 permit you can drive the dirt road to the end.
A nice spot with open views, pretty small, water is usually surprisingly blue-green clear, but no big dramatic cliffs or views like at Montauk.
Thanks that is helpful.
Turns out we have to now attend an event Sunday morning that is ironically a nice country drive in another direction (north) so this has been put off for possibly another weekend. But we're taking advantage of that to stay over somewhere there Saturday night and make it a weekend in the country.....but thanks all!
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