Wv Route Suggestions?

[Heagachongoose]

Ill be heading out to WV/Va October 4th. Might just make it a 2 day trip.

[Heagachongoose]

Ok. So first off big thanks to everyone sharing all the information in this thread and others. I've been reading up on all that I can and have come up with nearly 5 pages of notes which I will be assembling into routes soon. Looks like myself and a friend will be spending 3 days in West Virginia oct 3-5th. It's going to be a good time. Riding looks like it will mainly be focused on the hawks nest/new river gorge area and some portions south of there. Then out east to the big mountain passes and passing into virginia multiple times. Any good suggestions on places to stay? It's going to be a little chilly for camping

[Mj 88]

Ok. So first off big thanks to everyone sharing all the information in this thread and others. I've been reading up on all that I can and have come up with nearly 5 pages of notes which I will be assembling into routes soon. Looks like myself and a friend will be spending 3 days in West Virginia oct 3-5th. It's going to be a good time. Riding looks like it will mainly be focused on the hawks nest/new river gorge area and some portions south of there. Then out east to the big mountain passes and passing into virginia multiple times. Any good suggestions on places to stay? It's going to be a little chilly for camping

The Inn at Snowshoe!

Ride report later.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Mj 88

[Mj 88]

We had great weather and riding last weekend. We road 350 miles Saturday, some of my favorites were the road up to snowshoe, 66, 250, 33 and 219 had some good parts. All of them had good pavement. We took 15 in the truck on the way in to snowshoe, I wish we could have road it on the bikes but we ran out of time. We also missed the best part of 39, we took it west and then up 150.

Day 2, we got 170 miles in before we called it quits. The best part of 60/61 we road 4 times and then we started to get rained on. All great roads, can't wait to go back next year.

[Mary#17]

Looks like the weather is finally going to work and hope to head to WV this week.  I'm planning my route now. Any thoughts on Route 5 and Route 15?  Anybody ridden lately and know the road conditions? Thanks. 

 

[Mary#17]

Oops! Sorry, just saw the post about 15. Might have to try that one. 

[Tpoppa]

Here is an uber twisty 2 day OH/WV route.  Elkins is a decent place to spend the night.  Just avoid the Days Inn, it was concerted from an old hospital.  I kind of feels like an asylum.   The Holiday in is much nicer.

 

Bolivar, OH to Elkins, WV and back

Day 1

1.OH-93 S

2.OH-83 S

3.OH-78 W

4.OH-377 S

5.OH-550 E

6.OH-7 E

7.       I-77 S into West Virginia

8.       Take exit 174 for W Virginia 47/Staunton Ave

9.WV-47 E

10.   WV-16 S; Continue onto US-119 S/US-33 W/WV-16 S

11.   US-60 E/Midland Trail

12.WV-20 N

13.WV-15 E

14.   US-219 N; Continue onto US-219 N/US-250 N/WV-55 E/WV-92 N

15.   WV-92 N/Harrison Ave.  Arriving at:

Days Inn and Suites Elkins
1200 Harrison Ave, Elkins, WV ‎ 0.9 mi NW
(304) 637-4667

Day 1 Total: 449 mi - about 10 hours 58 mins

 

Day2

1. US-219 S/WV-92 S
2. US-33 E/WV-55 E; US-33 E/WV-28 S; US-33 E
3. US-220 S/US-33 E; Continue to follow US-220 S into Virginia
4. US-250 E into West Virginia; US-250 N/WV-92 N
5. US-219 S/WV-55 W
6. WV-15 W
7. WV-20 N; US-19 N/WV-20 N/W Pike St ramp; Continue onto WV-20 N
8. WV-7 W
9. WV-2 N entering Ohio
10. OH-7 N
11. OH-556 W
12. OH-145
13. OH-148 W
14. OH-800 N; OH-800 N/US-250 W; Continue to follow US-250 W
15. I-77 N

Day 2 Total: 419 mi - about 10 hours 6 mins

 

That's about as many corners as you can squeeze into 2 days.  You can reach some other excellent roads if you add a 3rd day.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Tpoppa

[Mary#17]

We are doing 3 days. Looking to use Elkins as a base camp.  Any good roads east of 33? I'd like to do some kind of loop that takes us back to the hotel.  Trying to keep at about 250 miles a day give or take. 

 

PS - we trailer to near Marietta and then ride from there. 

Edited August 10, 2015 by Mary#17

[smccrory]

Tpoppa - that's a damned good route, thanks for sharing!

 

Chuck78 - you're right to point out Smoke Hole Road's shared use.  We rode it this May and there were indeed a lot of pickup trucks and SUVs with families and fishermen parked along the valley sides.  It's a beautiful road with sweeping altitude changes and tight turns, but like you said, it is no race course.  It's best to simply appreciate it for the scenery and variety.

[Tpoppa]

 

We are doing 3 days. Looking to use Elkins as a base camp.  Any good roads east of 33? I'd like to do some kind of loop that takes us back to the hotel.  Trying to keep at about 250 miles a day give or take. 

 

PS - we trailer to near Marietta and then ride from there

 

 

Avoid the Days Inn in Elkins.  Seriously.    

 

Take a look at this route.  It includes Smoke Hole Rd.

 

http://www.motoroads.net/routes/DadsRun/DadsRun.htm

 

btw, occasionally I see your Duc in Ridgeville, near 83.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Tpoppa

[Chuck78]

I have never experienced much of any other traffic or sightseers on the smoke hole route, but it is a very narrow road when you get up into the mountainside and out of the canyon. When we mountainted biked (bicycles) up there, I really had to lecture my friend driving his truck through the extremely twisty Park, as he was very prone to going to the center of the road around the tight turns, as I caution him about the severity of that move with motorcycle riders potentially racing through there recklessly and accidentally going left of center while deep into a sharp blind curve... now he's gotten his first bike, an old Kawasaki cafe racer, so hopefully that will open his eyes at least.

Point being, in tight turns on narrow roads, always expect the need to hug the inside and be cautious, for fear of cages hogging the middle of the road when barely 2 medium sized cars can pass each other...

Those words of caution were something I copied and pasted from a blog or another website, not my words, but I agreed. I, too, am often guilty of hot rodding around, although I try to keep it safe and manageable. We all (should) know the risks of such.

I usually give people a similar warning about Clear Creek Rd in Hocking. Half of it is new pavement, half is horrible, so that slows the throttle-eager riders down, but this is another amazingly beautiful scenic route that you will appreciate at least as much at a moderate speed as you would racing it. LOTS of foot traffic there. With all good pavement and no traffic/pedestrians, it would be a very fun medium speed road, but otheewise, proceed with caution.

[Mary#17]

 

 

 

 

Avoid the Days Inn in Elkins.  Seriously.    

 

Take a look at this route.  It includes Smoke Hole Rd.

 

http://www.motoroads.net/routes/DadsRun/DadsRun.htm

 

btw, occasionally I see your Duc in Ridgeville, near 83.

 

Thank you! Yeah, I have reservations for the Holiday Inn. Any recommendations for restaurants there? We tried CJ Maggies and it was meh...

 

We are probably heading to get gas at 83 and 82. My husband's Monster gets like 85 miles before we have to get gas. Makes for some interesting road trips. 

 

Smoke hole looks super narrow in some of the videos. Is that just a skewed view?

[Mary#17]

I have never experienced much of any other traffic or sightseers on the smoke hole route, but it is a very narrow road when you get up into the mountainside and out of the canyon. When we mountainted biked (bicycles) up there, I really had to lecture my friend driving his truck through the extremely twisty Park, as he was very prone to going to the center of the road around the tight turns, as I caution him about the severity of that move with motorcycle riders potentially racing through there recklessly and accidentally going left of center while deep into a sharp blind curve... now he's gotten his first bike, an old Kawasaki cafe racer, so hopefully that will open his eyes at least.

Point being, in tight turns on narrow roads, always expect the need to hug the inside and be cautious, for fear of cages hogging the middle of the road when barely 2 medium sized cars can pass each other...

Those words of caution were something I copied and pasted from a blog or another website, not my words, but I agreed. I, too, am often guilty of hot rodding around, although I try to keep it safe and manageable. We all (should) know the risks of such.

I usually give people a similar warning about Clear Creek Rd in Hocking. Half of it is new pavement, half is horrible, so that slows the throttle-eager riders down, but this is another amazingly beautiful scenic route that you will appreciate at least as much at a moderate speed as you would racing it. LOTS of foot traffic there. With all good pavement and no traffic/pedestrians, it would be a very fun medium speed road, but otheewise, proceed with caution.

 

and, that answers my narrow question. Thanks. 

[Tpoppa]

Any recommendations for restaurants there? We tried CJ Maggies and it was meh...

 

I think that's the best in town, sorry

 

If you take 33 into Harrisonburg, VA there are lots of good restaurants and bars near James Madison University.  

[Mary#17]

That's actually a thought. We could always end Day 2 down there. I'll have to check it out. Thanks. 

[Chuck78]

I have been told that Hellbender Burritos in Davis West Virginia is a great place to eat. That is a bit north of 33. You can link up to the Dry Fork Road section of WV-72 on your way up there from the Harman West Virginia area. that is one of the tightest roads in existence, and completely desolate. Also fairly narrow. The rest of 72 is pretty mellow, but when you see the section I am talking about that squigglies all across the side of a mountain, you will definitely know it.it's about 15 miles of incredible scenery and very desolate heavily forested mountainside. Not sure on the current payment conditions, unfortunately have not been down there this year. First weekend of October. Brrr...

[Chuck78]

despite being fairly narrow up in the mountain section, smoke hole road is a MUST RIDE, absolutely. I believe the road named smoke hole only applies to the section up in the mountain actually. the road that goes through the actual Smoke Hole Canyon is county route 25/2 or 7 or something along those lines. It starts at Upper Tract, West Virginia. Heading north through the canyon, after the really beautiful and somewhat twisty canyon route, there is a left hand turn you need to make at a small community there with a white old farmhouse general store type place. if you mistakenly stay in the canyon on that road, it dead ends into Big Bend campground, and parts of it are dirt and gravel. Hang a left up past a row of campers and trailers as you begin to ascend briefly out of the canyon into the mountain where you make a right hand turn onto the actual smoke hole road. you go through a few sections of nice turns with some very hilly farmland, and then it jumps you up more into the mountainside into a very very wicked twisty stretch on a fairly narrow roadway that is incredible to ride. Low-speed turns that are very fun. Just be incredibly careful on the blind turns with the uphill side of the mointain on the inside. there are a couple of very good vistas to check out this way. None like the ones on 33, as you are not anywhere near the top of the mountain and it is very heavily forested.

[Chuck78]

when you say East of 33, I'm not sure if you mean east of the amazing section of 33 east bound into virginia, or whether you mean northeast of us-33. It does go somewhat southeast-northwest, so it is easy to see what he might possibly mean by saying east of 33.

to the northeast, the really good roads are fairly sporadic. There is a section around Davis that is good, which can link you to dry fork road route 72, mount storm has a very good short stretch (on rt 42?), more of a continental shelf up to a plateau. also, Howard's Lick Rd in Lost River State Park is supposedly a very incredible ride, but much better one direction than the other. that road I've studied on the terrain maps and looks to rise up a mountain and ride along several mountain ridges and then back down after you pass through Lost River State Park.

those are the only must ride roads that I know of that are near & to the north of the epic spots of US-33, Seneca Rocks, smoke hole, etc.

south of US-33 and Brandywine West Virginia are Reddish Knob Rd & Moyers Gap Road, which are incredible, also fairly narrow, but great mountain climbs. Then US-250 just south of there over the same mountain range.

Spruce Knob off 33, the other must ride. Briery Gap Rd, or Briery Branch Rd. I forget which one, that is the start of the route up to spruce knob. The other road with the similar name is the descent after you climb to the top of reddish knob road and go to the reddish knob look out. The Virginia side of that one on the Briery named road is not nearly as twisted as the reddish knob road side in West Virginia. they are basically the same road, but on different sides of the mountain in different states.

[Chuck78]

http://www.ridingwv.com/FolderStreetReports/WV06.htm

Where I borrow the WV-72 "Warning Narrow Road Sharp Curves Next 15 Miles" sign photo from. Has a good bit on 72. Quite narrow, quite spectacular. More than just 72 info on there, but that's where his writeup starts getting good.

[Chuck78]

Another borrowed image of US-33. And another...etc