OH 555?

[Wojo72]

I have seen a few youtube videos comparing this to the tail of the dragon.  What's the scoop on this route?  Is it worth the ride?  There seems to be  a common complaint about lots of gravel in the corners.

[TimTheAzn]

I've only ridden parts of it. It is a technical road if I am not mistaken that can have gravel in the worst places. Other than that, it's a good road.

Edited February 9, 2015 by TimTheAzn

[max power]

Certain sections are good. I don't care for the piece between 78 and 377. Lots of bad pavement and blind off camber dirty turns. South of that to 50 is my fav but not as tight and twisty. More sweeper-ish. That said, there are much better roads in that part of the state just like there are better roads than the dragon in the Deals Gap area.

377 from Malta to 555 s in Chesterhill is more fun IMO.

[BadTrainDriver]

Rt. 555 is a good road, but Rt. 536 is more commonly referred to as "Ohio's Tail of the Dragon", and is a much better road, IMHO.

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/75/455/Ohio/The-Ohio-Cousin-of-the-Tail-of-the-Dragon.html

[oldschoolsdime92]

It's hardly the best road in Ohio. It's not even in the top ten, to be honest.

Amen. IF it's on your ride route, cool. Don't change plans to include it.

[JustinNck1]

I ride the section from Rt 50/7 to Rt 550 on my way home from work, which is the best quality section of 555 IMO. Lots of blind hills and curves. It's an ok road, not my favorite. I wouldn't avoid it though.

[Mary#17]

I don't think it's worth the hype. There are better roads in Ohio. Check out this forum for some other road recommendations. 

 

 

http://ohioriders.net/index.php?/forum/53-ride-routes-and-reports/

[JackFlash]

• There are 90 degree turns just over the rise, that sneak up on you, almost before you can react.
• There is a coating of dusty grit that you don't see until you are right up on it.
• it's a good ride if you are taking it easy, but not so much it you want a more spirited pace.
• Ride it the first time, keeping the above in mind.

.

[speedytriple]

Ive been on it about five times every time someone crashed. It is a dirty, blind, unkept road. Try 556 or 536, both are just as twisty but upkeep seems much better on them.

[oldschoolsdime92]

• There are 90 degree turns just over the rise, that sneak up on you, almost before you can react.
• There is a coating of dusty grit that you don't see until you are right up on it.
• it's a good ride if you are taking it easy, but not so much it you want a more spirited pace.
• Ride it the first time, keeping the above in mind.

.</p>

This feller hit the main points of 555

[JackFlash]

 

• There are 90 degree turns just over the rise, that sneak up on you, almost before you can react.
• There is a coating of dusty grit that you don't see until you are right up on it.
• it's a good ride if you are taking it easy, but not so much it you want a more spirited pace.
• Ride it the first time, keeping the above in mind.

.

 

This feller hit the main points of 555

 

I forgot to mention that on sunny summer Sundays

the road is full of road-clogging Harleys riding two up.

 

.

 

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Edited February 9, 2015 by JackFlash

[optimoprime]

its a road that i almost always avoid when im in the area. every time i ride it with people someone goes down, its because it is tight and twisty and you want to pick up the pace but the issue is that there is so much gravel and dirt and its never in the same place so if you try to pick up up and have fun you can get in trouble pretty quickly. 

 

dont know where your from but the ride we take is 78 starting in nelsonville>mcconnellsville (lunch)pick up 669>555>zanesville  its fast paced and scenic ride with minimal traffic and clean, smooth roads.

[JustinNck1]

 

dont know where your from but the ride we take is 78 starting in nelsonville>mcconnellsville (lunch)pick up 669>555>zanesville  its fast paced and scenic ride with minimal traffic and clean, smooth roads.

 

That ride is awesome. Pretty much any road out of McConnellsville is a good road.

[Chuck78]

Lots of better roads, but 555 does have the most tight and technical turns though. There are a lot of other roads with sections of many tight curves that are more enjoyable and scenic to ride.  555 is mostly not forested as one might think from reviews, it's mostly farms and clearcut big hills with some wooded sections here and there. Lots of SE OH is like that really.  377 has a lot more flow. 676 with 2 year old pavement has a RAD stretch northeast of 555 and 676, like 555 but better.  550 has a very very enjoyable stretch for several miles just east of 377&550. 

 

Hocking is great, but on weekdays and off season or early mornings on the weekend (watch for deer near sunrise/sunset).  Many times on the main routes on weekends, you will get stuck following slow tourists in cars that go 15 mph into turns that I want to take at 30-45mph. And the slow Harley crowd.

[drc32-0]

I have seen a few youtube videos comparing this to the tail of the dragon.  What's the scoop on this route?  Is it worth the ride?  There seems to be  a common complaint about lots of gravel in the corners.

What's the scoop on this road?

First of all,at a little over 70 miles from top to bottom 555 is very long as far as good SEO motorcycle roads go.I keep seeing 536 suggested over 555...536 is 11 miles long...apples to oranges.

Another big consideration for me when it comes to what roads to ride is the condition of the road surface.555 crosses several rural counties and when it comes to paving it seems to be sectioned up along county lines,so I have never seen a top to bottom paving.If,and that's a mighty big if,the whole length was paved at the same time it might be the best long SEO motorcycle road.26 would definitely give it a run for its money under similar conditions.Of the other long rides...78 is out due to the long boring section east of 77,800 is out due to heavy traffic,145 might be in the running.But this is all fantasy because I doubt if you will ever see all of 555 in good condition at the same time.

Back to reality,I usually ride the whole length of 555 once a year because it's something of a personal tradition,but I wouldn't include the whole length in any ride route.Most of the really good rides in SEO are comparable in length to 536,some where under twenty miles long.If you section 555 up in the typical length of most good roads there are a couple sections that might just make my top ten roads in SEO list.First would be the section from Bartlett to Little Hocking,especially near Cutler, second would be Portersville to about three miles south of Ringgold.When these areas have good pavement they are as fun as most anything in SEO.And since 555 cuts through a lot of good riding areas you can always link the good sections of 555 to other good roads that are in better condition than the rough sections of 555.

BTW...the middle section of 555,from below Ringgold to Chesterhill is listed to be repaved in 2017.That should be interesting.

[jschaf]

Re-paved would be great. Re-chipsealed would suck.

[ReconRat]

555 is the old wagon trail from Zanesville to the Ohio River. It was originally a road made from logs. Also why it has blind crazy corners right over hills. It was built for the speed of horse drawn wagons.

 

Two digit roads are state roads, and much better maintained. Three digit roads are county roads, and will vary from one county to the next.

 

I'll vote for 78. It's a very interesting road. But I've got nothing against 555, as long as it's understood it can bite you hard. 555 south of 78 isn't too bad anyway. Till it gets congested near the river. Watch out for buggies in the small towns near Zanesville, and farm equipment on the road near the river.

Edited February 19, 2015 by ReconRat

[Gump]

 

 

Two digit roads are state roads, and much better maintained. Three digit roads are county roads, and will vary from one county to the next.

 

 

Very cool, never knew that.

[Connie14]

Two digit roads are state roads, and much better maintained. Three digit roads are county roads, and will vary from one county to the next.

This is not accurate. There are many state roads with 3 digits, including 555. County roads do change numbers at county line, but state routes do not. ODOT is responsible for maintaining the state routes. Counties are responsible for maintaining their county roads.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Connie14

[drc32-0]

A lot of the the good roads we ride today were wagon roads,and before that trappers,and before that Indian trails.That's what makes it so fun riding here today...a lot of these roads were never intended for modern transportation.

555 probably was a road from Zamesville to the river,but it was probably used mostly by farmers and locals.60,or what used to be 88,would have been a much more direct,less demanding,commercial route to the river at Marietta.

Edited February 19, 2015 by drc32-0

[ReconRat]

This is not accurate. There are many state roads with 3 digits, including 555. County roads do change numbers at county line, but state routes do not. ODOT is responsible for maintaining the state routes. Counties are responsible for maintaining their county roads.

well dang... burst another bubble then.

 

edit: ok, I looked. Big mistake. Those two digit roads are marked as federal. But yes, two digit and three digit roads can be state or county. So I guess it is the federal roads that are better maintained.

Edited February 19, 2015 by ReconRat

[Connie14]

well dang... burst another bubble then.

 

edit: ok, I looked. Big mistake. Those two digit roads are marked as federal. But yes, two digit and three digit roads can be state or county. So I guess it is the federal roads that are better maintained.

The feds turned over the maintenance of federal roads to the state (not including the park systems). However, the FHWA does supply a significant portion of the funding and bureaucracy that the states must adhere to. For the most part, the state DOTs prioritize the maintenance of roads.

[JackFlash]

Here is a list of Interstate Highways in Ohio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Interstate_Highways_in_Ohio

 

Here is a list of U.S. Routes in Ohio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._Routes_in_Ohio

 

Here is a list of State Routes in Ohio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_State_Routes_in_Ohio

 

In Ohio, county route numbers are mainly internal and are rarely

seen, and usually only used by the public when a standard road

name is not present. In cases like those, the number is printed

on a standard street sign in the format "Co Rd 46".

 

Don't miss this: Ohio Scenic Byway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Scenic_Byway

Byway maps:  http://www.dot.state.oh.us/OhioByways/Pages/Byways-Map.aspx

 

Or this:  Covered bridges in Ohio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ohio_covered_bridges

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Edited February 23, 2015 by JackFlash