Guy Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages

Adventures in Sport Touring with the Honda ST 1100, 1300 and the BMW 1200RT

Exploring North America...One Road at a Time

                                  West Virginia

U.S. 219 West Virginia (2002)-  Truly a great road.  Smooth with lots of challenge ,and good scenery.  US 219 transports a rider through the heart of the Appalachians.  Good elevation, interesting towns, creeks and rivers.  I really enjoyed this slick ribbon through some of the east coasts best scenery.  A little too much traffic near the villages, but don't let that deter you.  Many good routes sprout off this road, but I was unable to check them out.  I will oneday.

West Virginia SR 16 (2003)  This road is found in the southwest area of the state and travels north-south.  I followed as far as I could on my way to Parkersburg in 2003.  I don't know if I've been on a more twisty road.  It very much has a Deal's Gap feel to it.  The curves were highly concentrated, and a rider has to stay aware.  Road surface is excellent.  I leaned for a full day on this road.  The only time you are straight up is when you pass through the mountain villages.  One of the most challenging roads of my career.

West Virginia SR 20 (2004) This route has the same look and feel as SR 16, but spends more time crossing through farmland.  Very twisty with good elevation.  The road travels north to south, and is a good route to take if you are working you way to the Blue Ridge from somewhere north.  Road surface is excellent.  I picked the route up near Beckley, so don't know much about the southern portion near I-77, but I suspect it is even better then the portion I was on.  A fun, scenic, and  challenging route.