Overall Route Rating
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4.64 out of 5 Rider Rating 4.64
27 Reviews

Motorcycle Route Author

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By Guest (0 McR Points) on Apr 30, 2008

Rider Reviews

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Guest
September 10, 2008
I drove this road in a Dodge minivan in the rain…
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Akumu
3916 McR Points
December 28, 2013
My favorite road once you get east of Mill Creek…
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Written Directions

This one is easy - Just take US 250 between Staunton, VA and Elkins, WV - easy to find on any map!

Scenery

On this road, you will ride up and over two large mountains and on both sides you will be treated to some panoramic vista views of the valley below. As you ride in the valleys you will see (at various times) some beautiful farm land as well as miles of thick forest as you hug the banks of various wide & rocky creek beds in certain sections. I understand that these large creeks serve as the headwaters for the Potomac and the James rivers.When I ran this section - I did it on a Saturday morning. I left Staunton at 6:45am and I had this road all to myself with literally NO traffic to get in my way - I highly recommend this approach to get the most out of this great road.. Road Quality: 3US 250 provides some very technically challenging switchbacks, tight corners, elevation changes etc. There are a few breaks in between the mountain ascents and decents - the valleys are a nice break. If you enjoy taking-on challenging roads - you will really love this one. The road quality varies from good to fair. Some sections are a bit rough, with heavy and uneven patchwork. There are no sections of this particular stretch of road that I would label as "poor". Roadside Amenities:: 4There are plenty of places to eat and things to do in Staunton and Elkins. In the middle of the route you will travel through the George Washington National Park and the Monongahela National Park. Both are spectacular forests with lots of picnic areas, hiking, scenic overlooks etc. Staunton is a much bigger town and has more to offer. Both are college towns.* Monterey,VA - near the middle of this route (at the intersection of US 250 and US 220) was labeled by Dale Coyner in his book Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians as "the most rider friendly town" due to the number of local riding enthusiasts and their hospitality towards others with the same passion.

Drive Enjoyment

US 250 provides some very technically challenging switchbacks, tight corners, elevation changes etc. There are a few breaks in between the mountain ascents and decents - the valleys are a nice break. If you enjoy taking-on challenging roads - you will really love this one. The road quality varies from good to fair. Some sections are a bit rough, with heavy and uneven patchwork. There are no sections of this particular stretch of road that I would label as "poor".

Tourism Opportunities

There are plenty of places to eat and things to do in Staunton and Elkins. In the middle of the route you will travel through the George Washington National Park and the Monongahela National Park. Both are spectacular forests with lots of picnic areas, hiking, scenic overlooks etc. Staunton is a much bigger town and has more to offer. Both are college towns. * Monterey,VA - near the middle of this route (at the intersection of US 250 and US 220) was labeled by Dale Coyner in his book Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians as "the most rider friendly town" due to the number of local riding enthusiasts and their hospitality towards others with the same passion.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .
 

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Guest
July 13, 2009
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
A few friends and I did this ride last weekend (early July 09). Unfortunately, 5 minutes after we started into the highly anticipated mountain-road rollercaster, the sky opened up and dumped on us - a torential down pour! This put a serious damper (excuse the pun) on things as we had to slow it way down and missed that exhilarating adrenaline rush of the ride. It didn't help that we had a rider along that lacked confidenence in cornering. But once the rain stopped, it was still a remarkable ride through the mountains and valleys and small, historic towns. Note to other riders: motels are far and few between along this route. There's 1 in Monterey that is reasonably priced for what it is. And onother in the next town (toward Elkins) that's about the same. If you can do the ride in a day, I suggest you hold out for Elkins, WV to get a motel room as there are more to choose from and extremely inexpensive. Plus if you still have energy left, there are a few places where you can go to socialize with the locals and have a celebration drink. So, for this rider, Rte. 250 is an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up - rain, rookie rider and all!! Be safe!
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6 riders found this road review useful
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Guest
April 24, 2011
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
Taken this route to the Blue Ridge Parkway and more a couple of dozen times. Never grow tired of it. Almost no traffic in rural areas, and very little in towns.Most of it smooth surface.
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5 riders found this road review useful
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Guest
December 26, 2010
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
26 Dec 2010, and snowing. Rt 250 in W.V. is an awesome ride and part of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike which is a National Scenic Byway. I'm planning to do this ride when it warms up a bit. The byway follows 250 west from Va/WV state line to Rt 219 N to the Town of Beverly, then 33 through Elkins, Buckhannon, and Weston. Near Troy then Rt 47 to Parkersburg. I'll take three days to do this and check out the Little Kanawha Parkway on my way home. Go to https://byways.org/ to see other byways, it's a great resource for bikes and cages. Lets see is it still snowing?
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5 riders found this road review useful