NYC, the White Mountains, Lake George and Niagara Falls with a Baby and a Dog

Every road trip has a beginning and an end, and ours were full of stops we’d never done before: Central Park with a dog, the Ivy League, waterfalls and swimming holes in New Hampshire, a lake week in the Adirondacks, and Niagara Falls on the way home.

This post covers both ends of our 5-week East Coast van trip. The middle is in our Cape Cod, Nantucket and Boston and Maine and Acadia guides. Andi was five and a half months old when we left and almost seven when we got home.

Route: St. Louis → Ohio → Pennsylvania → New York City → New Haven … Maine → White Mountains → Lake George → Niagara Falls → home
How long: 4 days on the way out, 9 on the way back
Who came: Colin, me, Andi (5½ to almost 7 months) and Jack, our German Shepherd
Where we slept: Our van, including a campsite in the pines in Bartlett, NH, and a pool stay at Lake George
Best for: Families who want a mix of city, mountains and lake on one route

The drive east

We left St. Louis on July 10th with a full van, Jack in the front seat, and big plans. The first two days were all driving: through Indiana to Ohio the first night, then across Pennsylvania. We stopped at grassy rest areas every few hours so Andi could stretch out on a blanket and Jack could sniff everything.

Colin holding Andi at a grassy rest stop while Jack sniffs the ground — Day one: rest stops in Ohio.

Jack riding in the van's front seat while Colin drives

Colin and Andi napping in the van with Jack curled up next to them

New York City with a baby and a dog

We rolled into New York on the night of the 11th and walked straight into the giant World Cup trophy, lit up for the summer. The next day was our big NYC day, and we spent most of it in Central Park.

Colin taking a selfie with Angela, Andi in the stroller and Jack in Central Park — All four of us in Central Park.

We set up a picnic blanket on the grass, and Jack stretched out like he lived there. Andi did a pop-up with the skyline behind her.

Andi vs. Manhattan.

A pond in Central Park with the skyline behind the trees

Andi sitting in the grass in Central Park

A giant World Cup trophy display lit up at night in New York

Central Park with a dog: leashed dogs are welcome all day, and many areas of the park allow dogs off leash early in the morning and late at night. Check the park’s current off-leash hours before you go.

Driving a van into Manhattan: it’s doable, but plan your parking before you get there.

New Haven

On the 13th we drove up to New Haven and walked around Yale’s campus and the New Haven Green with Andi in the carrier. It’s a nice, easy stop to break up the drive to Rhode Island.

Colin with Andi in the carrier and Jack sitting by the van

From here we spent two weeks in Newport, Cape Cod, Nantucket and Boston, then a week up the coast of Maine. Then we turned west.

The White Mountains

Coming out of Maine on August 5th, we drove into New Hampshire’s White Mountains and parked the van at a campsite in the pines in Bartlett. After weeks on the coast, the mountains felt completely different: cool mornings, rivers and green everywhere.

Our van parked at a campsite in the pines in Bartlett, New Hampshire — Home sweet van, Bartlett, NH.

Colin, Andi and Jack sitting in the grass in Conway, New Hampshire

We spent our days chasing waterfalls and swimming holes. Near Gorham we found a waterfall pouring down a rock face and a swimming hole with clear water and big flat rocks, perfect for sitting with a baby on your lap.

A waterfall tumbling down a rock face in the White Mountains

Colin and Angela at a rocky swimming hole in the White Mountains

Colin holding Andi on the rocks by a mountain river

On the 7th we drove the Kancamagus Highway across the mountains and stopped at the overlooks. It’s one of the prettiest drives in New England. Most of the scenic stops and trailheads along it need a day pass for parking, so grab one before you go.

Colin, Angela, Andi and Jack at an overlook in the White Mountains — The Kancamagus Highway.

White Mountains with a dog: White Mountain National Forest was easy with Jack. He came on our walks and to the overlooks on a leash.

Lake George

From New Hampshire we cut across Vermont to Lake George in the Adirondacks and gave ourselves three days of nothing. We stayed in Diamond Point with a pool, and the days were floaties, pool time and dusk on the dock.

Andi in a colorful baby floatie under a picnic shelter — Floatie season.

Colin holding Andi by the pool at Lake George

A dock stretching into Lake George at dusk

Colin with the stroller and Jack next to a big bear statue in Lake George village

One evening we walked through Lake George village with the stroller and Jack, past the big bear statue and the ice cream shops. It’s touristy in the best way.

Niagara Falls

Our last big stop before home was Niagara Falls State Park on the American side. We walked out to the railings by the falls with Andi, and she did her final pop-up of the trip with the mist behind her.

The last pop-up of the East Coast trip.

Then it was two long days of driving home through Indiana and Illinois.

What worked on this route with a baby and a dog

Rest stops every few hours on the long driving days. Blanket out, baby on the grass, dog on a long leash.
One easy lake stop near the end. Lake George was our reward for five weeks of moving.
A park pass. National forest day passes and parks add up fast.
A swim float for lakes and pools.

The whole trip

Want the full five-week route in one place? Read our East Coast van road trip itinerary.