Colin & Angela
Van life with a baby + dog

Our 5-Week East Coast Van Road Trip with a Baby and a Dog: Full Itinerary

Five weeks in our van from St. Louis to Maine and back with a six-month-old and a German Shepherd: NYC, Newport, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Boston, Cape Ann, the Maine coast, Acadia, the White Mountains, Lake George and Niagara Falls.

11 states, USA · Jul 10 – Aug 13, 2026 · by Angela

Colin taking a selfie with Angela, Andi in the stroller and Jack in Central Park

Less than three weeks after we got home from Europe, we loaded up the van with Andi and Jack and drove to Maine. Five weeks later we drove home. In between, we picnicked in Central Park, ferried to Nantucket, sailed out of Marblehead, ate a truly irresponsible number of lobster rolls, swam in New Hampshire rivers and watched Niagara Falls with a seven-month-old.

Here’s the whole route, with links to the detailed guide for every stretch.

Dates
July 10 – August 13, 2026
States
Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Illinois
Who came
Colin, me, Andi (5½ to almost 7 months) and Jack
Where we slept
Mostly the van at campgrounds, plus a dog-friendly hotel in Boston

The route

Stretch Dates Guide
The drive east, NYC and New Haven Jul 10–13 NYC to Niagara guide
Newport, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Boston, Marblehead, Rockport, Gloucester Jul 14–27 Cape Cod, Nantucket and Boston guide
Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, Portland, Boothbay, Bar Harbor, Acadia Jul 28 – Aug 4 Maine and Acadia guide
White Mountains, Lake George, Niagara Falls Aug 5–11 NYC to Niagara guide
The drive home Aug 12–13
Portland Head Light on its rocky point in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Portland Head Light, halfway through the trip.

If you only have two weeks

Skip the long drive and fly into Boston. Spend a few nights on Cape Cod (with a Nantucket day), two nights in Boston, then drive up the Maine coast to Acadia. That’s the heart of the trip, and you’ll still get lighthouses, lobster rolls and hydrangeas.

How we did five weeks in a van with a baby and a dog

  • Base camps instead of nightly moves. We stayed a week near Cape Cod and several nights near Acadia, and that kept the trip from feeling like a sprint.
  • A real sleep setup for the baby. Andi’s travel crib set up in the van and stayed put.
  • A plan for Jack on dog-free days. Ferries, sailboats and mansion tours are easier without a 90-pound shepherd.
  • Dog-friendly hotels for the big cities. In Boston we traded the van for a hotel that welcomed Jack.
  • Pools and lakes. In July and August, a campground pool or a lake stop saved our afternoons.
Andi lying next to our German Shepherd in the van
Most nights looked like this.

What we packed

  • Travel crib for the van
  • Soft carrier for towns and trails
  • Light stroller for cities
  • Bucket hat, fleece and warm hat. Maine evenings are cold even in July.
  • Baby swim float for pools and lakes
  • Long leash and collapsible bowl for Jack
  • National parks pass

Read each stretch

  1. NYC, the White Mountains, Lake George and Niagara Falls
  2. Cape Cod, Nantucket and Boston (plus Newport and Cape Ann)
  3. The Maine coast and Acadia

Earlier that summer we took Andi to Europe for five weeks. Read the 5 weeks in Europe with a baby itinerary.

More family trip guides