Some (incl a particular owner) prefer exit 4 or 5 to Rox Gap. I prefer exit 3 to Bethel Mtn Rd to 100N mostly as Bether Mtn Rd paved and all around beter maintained throughout the seasons.
Here's another question which has probably been asked and answered (or atleast the differing points of view explained) in the past.
Is it faster to get to Sugarbush Access Road from the south by exiting I-89 at exit 3 or 4 and taking 12A to Roxbury Gap Road or is it faster to stay on I-89 to exit 9 and head south on 100?
Since we know that the Roxbury Gap route is a shorter distance, what other considerations come into play? I know the top of the Gap road is dirt. Is it regularly plowed and sanded? Is it safe to navigate without 4 wheel drive or snow tires? Is there cell phone service if one has a mishap? How is the road in mud season? What other issues come to mind?
Thanks for any and all info and opinions.
RopeTow
Some (incl a particular owner) prefer exit 4 or 5 to Rox Gap. I prefer exit 3 to Bethel Mtn Rd to 100N mostly as Bether Mtn Rd paved and all around beter maintained throughout the seasons.
No mountain too steep
No powder too deep
(well, not exactly)
I impatiently posted before googling the question. Here are some answers from 2007: http://skimrv.com/oldforums/about1123-0-asc-0.html.
Any updates or new opinions?
(FWIW, I drove the Gap today in the daylight in a VW wagon with front wheel drive only and 4 new snows and it was no problem.)
I like to take 89 to Exit 3, then 107W to Blackmer Blvd to 100N. No mountain passes to contend with. And 107 [I'm assuming] is in great shape as it had to be rebuilt after Irene.
My last trip via this route was in July. Just days after Irene, I had an emergency trip to CT which I had to take 100N to Waterbury, then 89. That drive took an hour+ longer than normal, partially because of 91's closure in Greenfield. But prior to that, I have been taking the 100-107 routing and it saves me significant time, vs going 1/2 hour north to go south again.
I prefer exit 4 as a first choice, exit 5 as a second choice, and 100B to 100 when the mountain roads will be icy. But, when 12A was closed earlier this year on the Exit 4 side, I used exit 5 for a few weeks and enjoyed the change of pace, and it was pretty close time-wise.
GS
AWD Minivan w/ all seasons
1st choice Rox Gap via Exit 5
Sometimes Bethel Mtn via Exit 3 (If I'm sick of the highway)
I usually prefer X4, then X5, but if snowy X9 or X3 to 107-100 to avoid gaps.
Is exit 4 -> 12A -> rox gap open all the way now after Irene? I had heard about there still being a detour and have been using X5 this year.
If you drive 60 mph or more on 12A then exit 4 is open. I've taken it the last 2 weekends to get to Roxbury Gap. If you drive less than 60 mph then exit 4 is closed. That is all.
Dude, what are you saying???? The road is close if you don't drive 60 mph? What.... is there a jump over a hole in the road or something? LOL
I personnally have found that exit 5 is better. I always get caught behind that slow line of cars when I take exit 4. Time wise they are close.
Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!
By timing, I find exit 5 and exit 3 to be equal during good conditions. Mud season avoid Roxbury gap. Ice, avoid roxbury gap.
With AWD or 4x4 and good tires you can make it any exit, but it comes down to your winter driving ability and nerves. No one wants to be behind the guy swerving and spinning his minivan front wheel drive going over a gap in snow or icy conditions. Worse being behind the same guy going down hill.
If you're "that guy" do us all a favor and drive to exit 9, please. Else Hawk, and Yard sale will pass you on the gap road and toss insults in your general direction as they do. I will pass any poor driver at any point to keep my family safe, it is never safe to follow a poor winter driver. But I'm a red neck who grew up in VT and have no issues driving in any winter condition. So if you are "that guy" and don't realize it, when we go zipping by you, you might reconsider your driving ability!!
To clarify, the route from Exit 4 is completely open, regardless of speed.
After 5 PM in the CRP there is a sharp decline in the ability to translate my speak unless you are Captain Morgan himself or at the very least his second cousin Boatswain Johnson.
Yes 4 is completely open, but if you see a silver Jeep Cherokee come up on you fast please be kind and pull to the side to let me pass, specially once you get on the Gap Road. I'd do it for you. No one wants to be stuck behind the Grand Marshal of the Rose Bowl Parade.
FWIW times out Exit 4 vs 5 with almost no traffic on 4 and it was maybe 3 or 4 minutes faster. It just helps break up the highway driving a bit more. Exit 3 just feels longer no matter what you tell me.
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