Overall Route Rating
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3.8 out of 5 Rider Rating 3.8
6 Reviews

Rt. 16-Rt 47 - Taste of Appalachian Foothills

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By Guest (0 McR Points) on Nov 30, 2006

Rider Reviews

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Guest
May 14, 2008
I have rode this several times myself and its a…
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Guest
January 4, 2010
A truly world class ride of significant length…
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Written Directions

From St. Mary's just find Rt. 16 and head south toward Harrisville. Continue past Harrisville till you get to Smithville where Rt. 16 and Rt. 47 intersect. Here you want to take Rt. 47 west for another very nice 38 miles of backwoods West Virginia scenery to Parkersburg and the interstate (I-77). Total miles from St. Mary's to Smithville to Parkersburg = 70 miles.

Scenery

Starts out in St. Mary's, WV, which is next to the Wayne National Forest (in Ohio) among the rolling Appalachian foothills. Very green lush forest with excellent colors in fall.

Drive Enjoyment

There is not much to do along the way in terms of restraunts and shops. Near Ellenboro, WV, you may want to take a detour and check out North Bend State Park. It offers camping and picnicking along a river bank setting and features a 72 mile "North Bend Rail Trail" ... a trail designed for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding ... the trail follows the path of the old B & O Railroad. At the end of the route, Parkersburg has plenty of places to relax, grab a bite, and gas up.

Tourism Opportunities

There are so many places to stop along that way that this scenic drive could take days. You can visit a large cave on the Ohio River where pirates once hid to rob the boats going down the river. Metropolis is the home of Superman ...

Motorcycle Road Additional info

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

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ThomSS
October 30, 2019
3743 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Other
We were behind a wide load truck for much of our ride down WV-16, don't know if it's the norm but we experienced a lot of truck traffic on 16. Want to ride it again, think it's a better ride than what we experienced that day.
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Akumu
November 22, 2019
4000 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Sport - Touring
I've been on 47 and 16, but not together. So, 16 is a good solid road that goes south/north for hundreds of miles. (This is the same road as The Back of the Dragon...just a few hundred miles north.) 47 isn't as twisty, a bit more lazy sweepers with a tight sweeper thrown in, and a bit more of a cruiser road. Linking the two is interesting, and probably a good idea if you live in the area. Really, a solid route they got here, but nothing too crazy.
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Chuck
March 20, 2021
94 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
Good roads and right by my house.
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