Wv Route Suggestions?

[Chuck78]

 

 

 

Views from Forest Service Road 85 on the the Reddish Knob ridge on the VA/WV border...  I confirmed that the road that dips out off of 33 by a lake on the VA side IS paved, and does connect to this route also. Looks like I just found an entire day trip, or weekend trip rather - split between 33 and 250 and the mountains in between...  I am quite pleased to have spent too much time on the internet tonight to happen upon this...  I don't think these are going to be high speed roads whatsoever, but sooooo much better to spend 35 miles at 45mph cruising the most scenic route to 250 (and hit the Briery Branch Rd > Reddish Knob > Moyers Gap Road mountain pass) than to cruise through the flatlands at the base of the mountains in VA...

 

Here's a more pertinent and less cluttered map of the mountain passes and the park service ridgetop road connecter from 33 to 250 along Reddish Knob:

 

http://goo.gl/maps/dxXHW

 

https://  maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=207813457435995713568.00050065a5b389ffdd53f&msa=0&ll=38.635109,-79.130402&spn=0.805612,1.231842

[Chuck78]

 

http://sportbiker.net/tag/reddish-knob/

[Chuck78]

Okay, unfortunately I misinterpreted someone from Sport-Touring.net "there is also a GREAT two-track route from Skidmore Lake to Reddish Knob on Forest Road 85 with really great overlooks and panoramic views."  I read lots of people saying FR85 was paved, and lots saying it was dirt/gravel.  Moyer's Gap Rd was just paved (was gravel), so I was hoping for the best, but it turns out that FR85 IS paved around Reddish Knob and maybe the other two knobs nearby, but it is a two-track jeep trail (i.e. left and right tire tracks in the dirt/grass/gravel) from Skidmore to Reddish...  Still, learning about Briery Branch/Reddish Knob/Moyer's Gap was a great discovery, and led me to find out about Howard's Lick Rd into Lost River State Park as well...

 

Here is a dream route that I have to do, hopefully all in one trip:

 

shortened URL:

http://goo.gl/maps/kpAqu

 

 

long URL:

https://

maps.google.com/maps?saddr=County+Rte+2%2F3%2FSmoke+Hole+Rd&daddr=Lost+River+State+Park+Rd,+Moorefield,+WV+to:Lost+River+State+Park,+Mathias,+WV+to:US-33+E+to:US-33+E+to:Briery+Branch+Rd,+Dayton,+VA+to:Reddish+Knob+Spur,+Dayton,+VA+to:Doe+Hill+Rd+to:Moyers+Gap+Road+to:US-250+W+to:US-250+E+to:US-33+W+to:Smoke+Hole&hl=en&ll=38.653343,-79.064484&spn=0.855818,1.234589&sll=38.462998,-79.257774&sspn=0.214522,0.308647&geocode=FeMJUQIduz5G-w%3BFYAQUwIdM5pL-ykvqPGVKxe1iTED-hLoxKfpNg%3BFQWDUQId4OFL-yFNEfvk11akqSk9CBPCURq1iTFNEfvk11akqQ%3BFYZjTQIdutRG-w%3BFUrgSwIdsaRJ-w%3BFdidSgIdXGVI-ynV0fE5wri0iTHHqtr33Teutw%3BFY_pSgIdTd5G-ykvc3Ous7e0iTFKwijKrF_tSw%3BFYOwSwIdwgFF-w%3BFWmqSwId65pF-w%3BFe63SAIdZ2xD-w%3BFV_7RwIdptFF-w%3BFZcvSwIdi4dK-w%3BFU_TUAIdtjdG-w&t=p&mra=mivtw&z=10

 

 

This is mapped assuming the rider(s) will be staying in Smoke Hole Canyon at one of the two or three campgrounds there, but you can also camp on the mountains near Reddish Knob (Flagpole Knob and one other, there are numerous camp spots in the area with no facilities), or find lodging in Seneca Rocks or Brandywine

[Mj 88]

Chuck78, thanks for all the good info. I've done some riding in that area and know I missed some good roads. Next time I'm down that way I'll have more time to ride and less time exploring.

[Heagachongoose]

Well then. Looks like I'll be planning a trip to wv soon. Lol

[Chuck78]

I think we are going to be able to pull off the "sag support" trip where a friend (or two) brings our mountain bikes down in his truck, and my wife and a friend and I ride our motorcycles down, and camp out and ride the epic mtb trails and the epic mountain pass roads.  Mid-September.  It won't be as much motorcycle riding as I was hoping for in WV for the year, but still will be a great 3 day weekend refresher. 

 

I can't commit to it, but I would entertain the idea of going to WV the weekend before labor day weekend to ride if anyone here was going... Reda is not to keen on me going solo, said I have to wait for her, but I'm dying to get out...

 

 

Next year, our MTB friend with the truck may have his first motorcycle, so then it's gonna have to be something like this on the way:

Awesome!

[Chuck78]

Also, on that route through the northern reaches of the mountains and into Lost River State Park, I have read two OLD accounts of people saying that when the pavement gets old, the lower side of the road gets pretty rough and bumpy, therefore riding it from the Northeast (west to east, eastbound) is typically likely to be much smoother if the pavement is not recent.  At any rate, it sounds like it is one of the most enjoyable roads in the area aside from 33 and 250 over Shenandoah Mtn and it's adjacent siblings. 

 

That route with the 4 mountain passes that I linked most recently above could be handled any number of directional routes, but the way I have it, you would hit one of the two major routes there (33 or 250) and then turn around and backtrack for the maximum fulfilment of riding the epic passes both directions, as opposed to taking a nice scenic sweepers valley route just west of Shenandoah Mtn at the base for a longer haul but more fluid route and less total distance potentially. 

You could start out from Smoke Hole/Seneca Rocks/Spruce Knob area and head northeast to Howard's Lick/Lost River, then south the longest connector haul to 33 near Hinton VA, 33 E to the bottom of the mountain, south on whatever route that is at the base of the mountain, Moyer's gap west, turn around, cross the mountain base road again and head up to Reddish Knob overlook, then descend eastbound on Briery Branch Rd, then south connectors to 250 west over the mountains, and then ride the mountain base connector road back up, hit Moyer's Gap Rd westbound up the mountain and through the gap again but to 220N. At that point on 250, you could also just ride 250 up northwest to 219 or something sooner - the road that cuts up to 33 @ Spruce and Seneca (28/55???).  All good options.  I was trying to map it to hit 33 both directions, but that was a bigger challenge for a congruent route plan in less than 300 miles/7 hours. 250 and/or 33 should both be ridden both directions on that easternmost mountain pass. They are amazing, and a different ride each direction.

[Chuck78]

Bored rainy day spawned ambition resulted in this revision:

 

http://goo.gl/maps/nXQOD

 

or the long URL:

 

https://

maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Seneca+Rocks+Discovery+Center,+Roy+Gap+Road,+Seneca+Rocks,+WV&daddr=US-220+N+to:County+Rte+28%2F11%2FSmoke+Hole+Rd+to:Lost+River+State+Park+Rd,+Moorefield,+WV+to:Howards+Lick+Rd+to:US-33+E+to:US-33+E+to:Briery+Branch+Rd,+Dayton,+VA+to:Reddish+Knob+Spur,+Dayton,+VA+to:Doe+Hill+Rd+to:Moyers+Gap+Road+to:US-250+W+to:US-250+E+to:US-33+W+to:Spruce+Knob+Trail&hl=en&ll=38.614724,-79.137268&spn=0.856279,1.234589&sll=38.702592,-79.500847&sspn=0.053452,0.077162&geocode=FUSOUAIdptdE-yGcwF4_KYA3SSmRPX-xxCq1iTGcwF4_KYA3SQ%3BFfPYTQIdCYFF-w%3BFbadUQId_4dG-w%3BFYAQUwIdM5pL-ykvqPGVKxe1iTED-hLoxKfpNg%3BFVaDUQIdd9VL-w%3BFYZjTQIdutRG-w%3BFUrgSwIdsaRJ-w%3BFdidSgIdXGVI-ynV0fE5wri0iTHHqtr33Teutw%3BFY_pSgIdTd5G-ykvc3Ous7e0iTFKwijKrF_tSw%3BFYOwSwIdwgFF-w%3BFWmqSwId65pF-w%3BFe63SAIdZ2xD-w%3BFV_7RwIdptFF-w%3BFZcvSwIdi4dK-w%3BFT2DTgIdxWxC-w&oq=Seneca+Rocks+disc&t=p&mra=dme&mrsp=14&sz=14&z=10

 

That could be broken up into two rides, with the Seneca Rocks/Spruce Knob/US33 North Fork Mtn pass/Smoke Hole Canyon/Lost River-Howard's Lick being one ride, and the US33 Shenandoah Mtn pass/Briery Branch-Reddish Knob-Moyer's Gap/Sugar Grove Rd S (to VA-614S)/250E-250W/(VA-614N to) Sugar Grove Rd N being a second, or alternately zig zag on that route to start at Shenandoah Mtn US33E and end Shenandoah Mtn US33W.

 

This includes the 4900' elevation Spruce Knob lookout, and the 4300' elevation Reddish Knob lookout.  This is a KILLER ride, I'm kicking myself thinking that if I planned my summer better, I could have been riding this now

Edited August 16, 2014 by Chuck78

[Chuck78]

To split it into 2 rides, you get to do every mountain pass in both directions, so that it really doubles the different rides you do on this amazing terrain.

 

Spruce/North Fork/Smoke Hole/Lost River ride:

http://goo.gl/maps/d5l2k

 

or the long URL:

https://

maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Seneca+Rocks+Discovery+Center,+Roy+Gap+Road,+Seneca+Rocks,+WV&daddr=US-220+N+to:County+Rte+28%2F11%2FSmoke+Hole+Rd+to:Lost+River+State+Park+Rd,+Moorefield,+WV+to:Howards+Lick+Rd+to:County+Rte+2%2F3%2FSmoke+Hole+Rd+to:Spruce+Knob+Trail&hl=en&ll=38.790486,-79.149628&spn=0.854177,1.234589&sll=38.903057,-79.204559&sspn=0.213207,0.308647&geocode=FUSOUAIdptdE-yGcwF4_KYA3SSmRPX-xxCq1iTGcwF4_KYA3SQ%3BFfPYTQIdCYFF-w%3BFbadUQId_4dG-w%3BFYAQUwIdM5pL-ykvqPGVKxe1iTED-hLoxKfpNg%3BFVaDUQIdd9VL-w%3BFYQUUQId1D1G-w%3BFT2DTgIdxWxC-w&oq=Seneca+Rocks+disc&t=p&mra=dme&mrsp=5&sz=12&z=10

 

 

ShenandoahMtn-US33/Reddish Knob/Moyer's Gap/ShenandoahMtn-US250 ride:

 

http://goo.gl/maps/U1Cc3

 

or just in case, the long URL:

https://

maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Seneca+Rocks+Discovery+Center,+Roy+Gap+Road,+Seneca+Rocks,+WV&daddr=US-33+E+to:Hinton+Market,+Rawley+Pike,+Hinton,+VA+to:Briery+Branch+Rd,+Dayton,+VA+to:Reddish+Knob+Spur,+Dayton,+VA+to:Doe+Hill+Rd+to:Moyers+Gap+Road+to:US-250+W+to:US-250+E+to:Sugar+Grove+Rd+to:Reddish+Knob+Rd+to:Hinton+Market,+Rawley+Pike,+Hinton,+VA+to:Brandywine,+WV+to:US-33+W&hl=en&sll=38.552461,-79.232025&sspn=0.857022,1.234589&geocode=FUSOUAIdptdE-yGcwF4_KYA3SSmRPX-xxCq1iTGcwF4_KYA3SQ%3BFYZjTQIdutRG-w%3BFfDgSwIdDKRJ-yFyiiclpHOfAinDjKm3rsG0iTFyiiclpHOfAg%3BFdidSgIdXGVI-ynV0fE5wri0iTHHqtr33Teutw%3BFY_pSgIdTd5G-ykvc3Ous7e0iTFKwijKrF_tSw%3BFYOwSwIdwgFF-w%3BFWmqSwId65pF-w%3BFe63SAIdZ2xD-w%3BFV_7RwIdptFF-w%3BFaqiSwIdXMhF-w%3BFRQwSwIdSC5H-w%3BFfDgSwIdDKRJ-yFyiiclpHOfAinDjKm3rsG0iTFyiiclpHOfAg%3BFUheTQIdJ9JG-yntXZ0urc-0iTFh_WYEs8sAjg%3BFbJyUAIdLrhE-w&oq=Brandyw&t=p&mra=mi&mrsp=13&sz=10&z=10

 

 

 

and for good measure, the very high elevation and very scenic (but less technical) Hawk's Nest/WV60/WV39 route:

 

http://goo.gl/maps/kuuEg

 

long URL:

https://

maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Hawks+Nest+Rd&daddr=Gauley+Bridge,+WV+to:WV-16+N%2FWV-39+E+to:WV-20+N+to:WV-55+E+to:Seneca+Trail+to:Maury+River+Rd+to:VA-39+E&hl=en&ll=38.084851,-80.183716&spn=1.725115,2.469177&sll=37.824701,-79.436302&sspn=0.108204,0.154324&geocode=FWSfRQIdkz0q-w%3BFXhnRgIdshAp-ynbLNbNZMhOiDGYV31EkmXGDg%3BFcVURwIdvRQp-w%3BFU5VRwId-Ggy-w%3BFUNBRgIdjog4-w%3BFUhERwIdTNE5-w%3BFcXVQwId4JpC-w%3BFWnVQAId1UBE-w&oq=Gauley+Bridge,+WV&t=p&mra=mi&mrsp=7&sz=13&z=9

 

 

[Mary#17]

Ok. So we went to WV last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Here's the route and what I can remember of the roads. Also, heads up, cell phone service in the mountains was EXTREMELY limited. Even at gas stops, we rarely had service. VERIZON carrier. 

 

Day one starting from Marietta.

 

47

16

39

219/55

 

47 was a good connector route and got us warmed up.

 

16 is a very twisty road.  There were times that I was hoping a straight would be coming so I could rest.  Road quality is a huge hodge podge. Kind of rough up north, then you'd hit nice pavement, then you'd hit brand new pavement then back to rough. It was really all over the place. The rough parts could be bone jarring but not impassable so I'd still recommend the road, just be cautious in the bad parts. 

 

39 was fun and in decent shape from what I could remember.

218/55 were also in good shape and had some really nice sections.

 

Day 2 from Elkins

 

33 south. It was so much fun we turned around and did it again.  Southern part of 33 is amazing.  Lots of new pavement and if it wasn't new, it was in great shape.  33 is a must!!!!

from 33 to 28 - ok connector road but not as curvy as I thought it would be. It was interesting though as you were riding  between the two mountains so I would call it scenic.

28 to 250 south - 250 was a very good road. I definitely want to do the whole section at some point. I was worried about road conditions and found this part to be completely fine so I would think the other sections in this area are probably OK as well. 

250 to 220 - 220 was really not that exciting.  We were actually pretty mellow on this road and of course, this is where we get tickets. A speeding ticket for both of us and passing on double yellow for me as a bonus. Thank you Virginia!  After this joyous detour, I wanted to get out of Virginia as soon as possible so we picked up 39 north.  What a nice road!!  Freshly paved in most spots and just really twisty.  I would have enjoyed it even more if we hadn't just gotten the darn tickets but it was really fun. 39 is another must route.

Took 39 to 92 and then over to Beckley.   We almost ran out of gas in this area and GPS tried to take us down a crazy road.  There were lots of adv tour type of roads in this area for those that might be interested.  

 

Day 3

 

From Beckley heading back to Marietta

 

41 to 19 to 60

Over to 61

16

36

14

 

41 is a dump.  The road quality is beyond poor. They had neon red circles and lines all over the road highlighting pot holes and other deformities.  Felt like I was at Nelson Ledges but worse. Until they pave this thing, I would avoid it. 

61 near Deepwater is a blast!!!!!! Brand new pavement and just wow!  Good times.  Keep in mind, unless you are on an adv tour bike, you will need to go to the town to cross the river.  We tried heading over to another crossing and the road was crazy bad. I think the town is Montgomery?

36 is a pretty fun road. There are several parts that are freshly paved. It's a really nice north/south route. 

14 is a decent connector road. Decent amount of turns and pavement is good for the most part although there are some bad spots. 

 

 

I think that covers it and hopefully I remembered all the important details!

[Mary#17]

This was the road GPS wanted us to take to get to get. Um. No. 

 

[Tpoppa]

Day 2 from Elkins

 

33 south. It was so much fun we turned around and did it again.  Southern part of 33 is amazing.  Lots of new pavement and if it wasn't new, it was in great shape.  33 is a must!!!!

 

One of my all time favorites.  If you haven't ridden it, you should.

 

So were road conditions decent overall?  I haven't been able to get too deep into WV yet this year.  The only WV roads I have ridden were in pretty crappy shape.

[Mary#17]

Yes.  Road conditions were pretty decent on most of the roads we took.  41 is probably the only road I would say to avoid. It's just really rough.  There were certainly some bad parts here and there but most were in really good shape. 16 was the only other road that had major issues but the nice parts were really nice so it's hard to say avoid it.  

 

33, 61 (near deepwater), 39 near 220, 250 and 36 were really winners in my opinion. 

 

 

Mary

[Chuck78]

Awesome report, thanks Mary.  Still hoping that our September trip works out, and was hoping for a quick weekend before then but that's jut a pipedream at this point. 

 

I was having trouble understanding your "33 to 28" section. Did you cross over Shenandoah Mountain into Virginia and then turn around on 33?  That is the absolute best of the best, with 250 over the same mountain 35 miles south of there being the close second.  I looked on the maps and I only see a WV-28 north of there a ways that stops at 220, but it seemed your trip was mostly south of 33 at that point, right? 

 

I haven't taken 39 through the mountains, but the very long stretch we did to connect to the Highland Scenic Highway very straight mountain rollercoaster) near 219 (very curvey at the northern end of WV-150 Highland Scenic Hwy) was a very enjoyable and very long lasting section of more than just a connector road.  To hear you say 39 in the mountains area was very twisty, and that 16 from 47 to Gauley Bridge being very twisty - well, both reports were above my already decent expectations. 

 

Sorry to hear about the tickets, that always dampens the spirits on a ride. We went to Hocking two weekends in a row this month, and had 1 seized engine breakdown and shortly after one friend going down at 15mph on a gravel patch, and the next weekend, my buddy's ZRX1100 needing bump started every time (battery failed very rapidly), and then then losing traction from hitting the yellow paint lines while following me into a tight S-curve and sliding across the other lane (no traffic thankfully) and into the grass where he went down.... No real injuries and both bikes rideable (not the GPZ engine that seized, pickup truck ride home for him), but that was a heck of a way to proceed in the middle of only my 2nd and 3rd good long haul rides of the year... Talk about dampened spirits.

 

Thanks again for your reports. I always look forward to hearing about your rides, and Denny's as well.

[Mary#17]

 

I was having trouble understanding your "33 to 28" section. Did you cross over Shenandoah Mountain into Virginia and then turn around on 33?  That is the absolute best of the best, with 250 over the same mountain 35 miles south of there being the close second.  I looked on the maps and I only see a WV-28 north of there a ways that stops at 220, but it seemed your trip was mostly south of 33 at that point, right? 

 

Yeah, we took 33 all the way south until maybe 10 miles outside of Harrisonburg and then turned back around and did 33 again. We picked up 28 from 33, It's just a little bit north of 220.  28 then dead ends into 250. 

 

Yeah. I'm thankful we had a safe trip and even with the tickets, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  I just haven't had any tickets in years and it seems once you get one, they multiply.....  Oh well.  Sorry to hear about your misfortunes but I'm glad that everyone is ok. 

 

Next time around we are probably going to set up base camp in Elkins and just ride around there for 2 days instead of heading over to Beckley. There was just a lot more areas we could have ridden. I am going to keep my time in Virginia to a minimum though.

 

Thank you to everybody who offered suggestions and reports on the roads. I really appreciate all the insight and was very thrilled with the suggested roads!

Edited August 18, 2014 by Mary#17

[Mary#17]

And this is off of 61 near deepwater.  Supposedly there was bridge on this route to take us across the river at some point but we gave up when we came across this rock and decided another route would probably be a good idea. It's hard to tell from the pictures but I doubt a pickup could make it under this rock or it'd be close. 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2014 by Mary#17

[Mary#17]

And the smoky mountains WV style.  From our hotel at Elkins. 

 

[Mary#17]

Also, just remembered, Route 28 from 33. As you get close to a town, the speed limit reduces quickly (25mph?) and you should definitely heed it.  The road goes from pavement to a gravel bridge (wtf?) with NO warning. It was the strangest thing and startled the crap out of me. 

[Chuck78]

16 is a very twisty road. 

39 was fun and in decent shape from what I could remember.

 

Southern part of 33 is amazing.  Lots of new pavement and if it wasn't new, it was in great shape.  33 is a must!!!!

 

 

from 33 to 28 - ok connector road but not as curvy as I thought it would be. It was interesting though as you were riding  between the two mountains so I would call it scenic.

 

250 to 220 - 220 was really not that exciting. 

 

61 near Deepwater is a blast!!!!!! Brand new pavement and just wow!  Good times.  

 

Next time, instead of the very straight flat valley roads 220 and 28, head towards Shenandoah Mountain on the WV side of the WV/VA border, and take Sugar Grove Rd south from 33 down to Reddish Knob Rd/Moyer's Gap Rd, hit up both to the top and back to Sugar Grove, and then keep heading south on Sugar Grove until it turns into 614 or 641(?) in VA, which runs straight into 250. Sugar Grove Rd has lots of decent curves for a valley road, as it hugs the base of the mountains basically. Once you take that south to 250, hang a right for a mile of fun curves at the mountains' base and then a gas stop. Then turn around and head east and hit the other "best eastern US mountain pass" on 250.  west of your gas stop there also leads through the valleys with a few more smaller mountain passes that are good fun. 

 

Also FYI, although US33E out of Columbus, OH heads more south than it does east, 33 is an east/west road, It takes a few jogs south in the mountains, but heads mostly east at that point.

 

I have yet to check out 61 near DeepWater.  and I only got to ride 60/16 Gauley Bridge to Hawk's Nest in the dark in heavy fog, but when I drove it in the truck this past May, I was blown away and wished that the forecast was better for our camping/rafting trip so we could have ridden the bikes... wow.  These New River Gorge area roads are TOP NOTCH it seems. Southwest of the gorge, Coal City Rd caught my eye, and Denny said that and WV-61 Deepwater to Kincaid or whatever it was were two of his favorite roads of his entire trip.

Did you ride WV-41 eastbound from WV-61 down into the gorge? I was on that a while back, and it was an absolute blast going down the side of the forested mountain into the gorge.  Didn't do any past that however. 

 

Next time staying around the Elkins/Seneca Rocks/Brandywine area sounded like a good plan to me as well, especially after discovering reports of Briery Branch Rd to Reddish Knob Rd to Moyer's Gap Rd, and Howard's Lick Rd NE of Smoke Hole Canyon. 

 

You missed out on the Smoke Hole Canyon ride it sounds like. This is a must-ride must-not-miss route.  the Canyon is so serene and has a handful of tight turns and the rest is very nice long sweepers following a beautiful bubbly little river, and then you turn left before it turns to gravel (cliffs on corner of turn with a grassy area in between the N and S lanes that Y into the canyon road).  Then you make the next right, and you are on Smoke Hole Rd headed up into the side of a really good mountain for some very tight turns and nice elevation changes for 5 miles.  You can catch Howard's Lick Rd up a ways NE of the end, and double back.  Those routes I posted above would make for 3 days of amazing riding with more time to explore if you want to do some Iron Butt days, particularly on the 3rd map with 39 through the mountains.  double back and head to Snowshoe Mtn! Starting in Gauley Bridge or Fayetteville is convenient for me, as it's only 3.5 hours from Columbus, and you can take the apparently very twisty 47 to 16 from Parkersburg  to Gauley Bridge after work from Columbus, camp/lodge and then ride 61 and then 60/16 and then catch up to 39 into the mountains or up to Seneca Rocks etc...

 

Last thing - you will find a huge difference in the areas of WV - central and NW WV are smaller tightly packed hills, where you are likely to find many very tight twisty roads.  E/NE WV you are in the mountains, where you will find very flat straight valley roads mostly north/south, and then VERY INTENSE mountain pass roads mosty east-west with major elevation changes.  just to the west of the mountains and down in southern WV you will find larger hills that offer a mix of both of the other terrain characteristics.  I have been leaning towards the mountains, but I know there are a lot of other really great paved backroads  and lesser travelled state routes like 61, 15, 20, Coal City Rd, etc just hiding out in the hills in the non-mountain areas. They are far more remote and just waiting to be discovered.  Sorry for the long windedness, I just REALLY REALLY love WV and can't wait to get back there...

[drc32-0]

Thanks for letting us know what you found over in WV.Lots of good stuff over there.With your post and the maps that Chuck has posted,I'm really wanting to get back over there...maybe I can pull off a two day ride over the Labor Day weekend.

Thanks again.

[Chuck78]

I found some great photos and road trip accounts on http://www.ridingwv.com that I linked below:

I distinctly remember this long downhill heading east on 33, with a very nice turn at the bottom. This was coming down and then back up through a gulch in the side of North Fork Mtn if I recall... it was a very nice warm up and preview of what was to come in the next 15 miles!

US33from VA looking into WV. Amazing scenic overlook ahead, this is the mountain ridgetop border of the two states.

West Virginia DOT added uphill passing lanes to their side of the mountain, which surprisingly do not detract whatsoever from the tightness and twisting of the roads, and allow you to pass all of the slow tourist and trucks. This is simply the most fun and exhilarating road I have ever ridden. I wish I could find pictures that capture the steeply banked turns & the very high degree of incline on the roads.

Smoke Hole Rd:

Smoke Hole Canyon

Smoke Hole Canyon is a blissful dream ride along this bubbly little river:

More Smoke Hole Canyon

Edited August 19, 2014 by Chuck78

[Chuck78]

I played around with some interesting looking routes  back to Ohio from Seneca Rocks, WV after discovering that the twistiest section of WV-72 "Dry Fork Rd" (very twisty road way up on rugged hillsides) is almost directly on the backroads way back to Columbus from Seneca Rocks...

 

This route takes WV-72 Dry Fork Rd to WV-50 to a very flowing and twisty WV-20 to the Ohio River.  Then it hits the most challenging road of the day - OH-536, and then dips down OH-26 a little ways to hit some great familiar routes by way of 536-260-565-145-530--78-13-685

http://goo.gl/maps/iETvz

 

This route starts out similar, but catches WV-7 to WV-250 Hundred to Moundsville, then OH-556 to 145 to 800 to the I-70 slab...

http://goo.gl/maps/rrpoj

 

WV-50 near Cool Springs:

 

 

 

[Mj 88]

Me and a friend are headed to 33/220 area next month. You guys/gals have so much good info here! Let me ask you this, what's your top 10 roads to hit on a supermoto? Tighter the better!

[drc32-0]

The tightest road I was on was CR29,Coal City Rd...but it's southwest of Beckly.it would be #1 on my list.61 near Deep Water would be #2 and #3 would be 3 near Alderson.

They're not really in the area you're going to though.

[Mj 88]

We are just planing now so I'll look in to them. Thanks!