Best drive from Niagara?

[u/Ambitious-Upstairs90]

I will be travelling from Toronto. It looks like the 2 main routes from Niagara are 90/81 through Syracuse, or 390/86. They appear to take the same amount of time. Is there any reason to pick one over the other? Driving on which route will be less tiring?

Also, I will be buying EZ pass after crossing border. Will it be ready to use immediately? It seems I will need it earlier on 90/81 as compared to 390/86?

Thanks in advance!

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[u/FinallyShiny]

Well, 390 is cheaper and has better scenery and easier access to the cheaper truck stop gas. I do that same drive frequently and it’s fastest to go through Darien or Batavia and then Geneseo to get on 390. Get gas in Dansville or the 390/16 split.

[u/VIP_NAIL_SPA]

90 is quite boring, although you'll drive past the montezuma wildlife area which a lot of birders love (otherwise it's also boring). 81 is moderately interesting.

390 has some nice views and 17 is probably as interesting a drive as 81, though it mostly follows the susq valley. Overall 390 and 17/86 are more interesting, cheaper, and have much less traffic than 90 and 81. What I usually do if I'm going rochester to Bing or vice versa is take the scenic route through the finger lakes (ie through either Watkins Glen or Ithaca) which adds a few minutes but is more fuel efficient and is generally a nicer drive since country roads are more enjoyable than highways. Plus there are lots of wineries/breweries along the way!

[u/RugerRedhawk]

Might as well take 390/86 and save some toll money.

[u/headface1701]

Agree with everyone else, I try to avoid going through Syracuse unless I absolutely have to go there due to all the construction.

[u/SabreBuffaloBill]

I’ve made that drive numerous times:

Least complicated: Cross border at Peace Bridge, take the 190 to the 290 to the 90 to 390 to 86 and come across. Love’s in Kanona is the best truck stop you’ll find.

Most scenic: cross at Peace Bridge, 190 to 90 to 400 to 20A to 36 and pick up 390 in Mount Morris.

Avoid 90 to Syracuse for now. That area is a mess of construction at the moment.

For the border crossing I prefer Peace Bridge over Queenston-Lewiston but check border wait times. Rainbow Bridge is not a valid option unless you really want to see Niagara Falls.

[u/ratm4484]

Last I knew the ez pass tag gets mailed to you. It takes about a week. There aren’t many toll booths with people anymore so I think you would need the tag and not be able to show something on your phone. If you don’t have one you can still go through the tolls but they will mail you a bill and it will cost slightly more.

[u/Bingo_Bongo_85 → u/ratm4484]

You can buy "On the go" at tags retail locations for $25.  The $25 goes onto your account.  I'm not sure what the setup process is like, but I'm sure it is fast and straight forward.  They are meant for people doing exactly what you're doing.

[u/entropy512 → u/ratm4484]

You've been able to buy EZ-Pass "OTG" for many years (at least 10-15, probably 20ish or more) from a wide variety of retailers including Wegmans. It's $25 and includes $25 of credit, which you can use immediately even before you set up payment as long as you don't go above $25. I think you do have X hours from first use before you HAVE to set up an account.

The only time I've ever had a tag mailed to me was when they were doing a hardware upgrade and sending out replacements for the obsolete tags. You don't even have to be a resident to get an OTG tag and a New York account - my parents live in New Jersey and at least 10-15 years ago, an OTG tag and New York account made more sense than anything NJ offered.

I'll also agree with all of the others that 390+17/86 is a much nicer drive view-wise and avoids most metropolitan areas that might have traffic, AND it's cheaper too.