Author Topic: Seneca Rocks, WV (Read 6932 times)

PeteSC · « **on:** June 23, 2005, 08:00:15 PM »

I spent a couple of days riding around this area on my way home from PA this week.
Pretty good riding. Nice twisty roads, good scenery.............
Will post some pictures in a bit.
I camped at the USFS Seneca Shadows Campground. $15 a night, adequate bathrooms/showers.
There are lots of cabins for rent in the area...and a few small motels.

PeteSC · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2005, 09:32:22 PM »

Here I am on top of Spruce Knob, the highest point in WV.

The gravel roads that lead up to the top are kind of rough. Although you can make it up to the top on a sportbike....you wouldn't enjoy it!

One of the small, tight, paved roads in the area, is Smoke Hole Road.
It leads you through this......

and you end up down here....

Smoke Hole road, and a lot of the neater small paved roads, are VERY twisty, but so narrow, and totally unmarked, I hesitate to recommend them to sportbike riders. They are very tight, and you really take you into the boonies. You won't see many cars, but the few you do will materialize in the middle of the road as you round a tight corner. You CAN'T go fast!
They're real nice to cruise down at a modest pace. They take you across ridges, and mountain tops....and through virtual tunnels of trees. Very nice....just don't get ambitious! I saw quite a few deer.....
I went of 5-6 of these 'un-numbered' paved roads. All were about 20 miles long, and would cross some mountain at some point. Pretty nice....you'd wander through rural farms and houses, and then plunge into some dense vegetation/forest, or drop into a gorge.

Red01 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2005, 09:45:23 PM »

Looks like you were having some WA style weather.

Out here in the west, we can't drive/ride to the highest points in the state... something about the difficulty in roadbuilding across glaciers.

PeteSC · « **Reply #3 on:** June 23, 2005, 09:51:22 PM »

No, Paul, they didn't build roads to the highest point in WASHINGTON, since there aren't any TREES the citizens need to hug up there!

I was kind of surpised the road led to the top, myself.
The area is all part of the Monongahela National Forest, and there are several gravel roads that traverse that peak.
I didn't have a good map, and actually came down the 'wrong' one.
I thought I was really 'roughing' it, until I passed a septic tank truck heading up the same road, at about 10 mph!

12sdrag · « **Reply #4 on:** June 24, 2005, 12:02:27 AM »

pete, thats awesome! Parents of a friend of mine owned property in Elkins. Just outside the state parks. We spent most of are time riding dirt bikes all through the mountains.It`s a beautiful place to ride. Can`t even imagine what it would be like to ride in Paul`s neck of the woods.

PeteSC · « **Reply #5 on:** June 24, 2005, 09:20:37 AM »

JR, it actually seems like a good area to escape to on a bike from the DC/BALT area. (HInt, Gary, if you haven't been there...)
I saw a few cruisers, and a couple of sportbikes during midweek. I kind of wonder how busy it gets on weekends?
I was almost considering holding the next rally there, but it's kind of hard to get to from 'anywhere'!
Elkins looks cool. Large enough to have most amenities, small enough not to be too annoying!
I did notice a lot of signs in the National Forest about 'No Off road vehicles', though.

scooter trash · « **Reply #6 on:** June 24, 2005, 09:40:12 AM »

Being Harley owners Susie and I have gone to several Harley rallies at Snowshoe. We just love the roads (read paved roads not goat paths) in that area. Even on a cruiser they are fun and very scenic.

scooter trash · « **Reply #7 on:** June 24, 2005, 09:41:52 AM »

I forgot to mention Snowshoe is the second highest point in WV at 4848 ft.

PeteSC · « **Reply #8 on:** June 24, 2005, 09:57:30 AM »

Scoot, the paved goat paths are kind of cool. The campground manager suggested a couple to me, and tells the Harley riders about them.
They love putting along and seeing the wildlife............

I trucked south from Seneca Rocks to White Sulphur Springs, then took 311 to Roanoke. The whole route would be great on a bike....

scooter trash · « **Reply #9 on:** June 24, 2005, 10:21:27 AM »

Susie and I have ridden all through that area. We especially liked the Goshen Pass on 39 from Goshen to Rockbridge Baths. It is truly amazon the size of the boulders that the river has cut through the mountain. We’re talking about rocks as big as tractor-trailers sitting along the riverbed and a twisty winding tree covered road on the edge of the river. Beautiful ride !! We’ve been all over that area. Coventing, Clifton Forge, All the springs (Hot, Warm, Falling, Millboro, White Sulphur, etc) all the way up to Front Royal. Then across the border to Snowshoe, Elkins, Marlington, Minnehaha Springs. And you are right about the wild life. Deer and Bears OH MY !!!! Great riding in that whole area.

GaryB12VA · « **Reply #10 on:** June 24, 2005, 10:22:35 AM »

Pete, I've ridden 33W out of Harrisonburg to Seneca Rocks several times. 33 going across the mountain is a great sport bike road. US 250 in that area is also a great ride.

12sdrag · « **Reply #11 on:** June 24, 2005, 09:29:03 PM »

Pete, I thought those signs just meant not to stop an talk to the nice man waving Hi from the green truck

We were warned once buy the parents at the age of 13-14 not to get caught riding in the park. The problem is figuring out where private land stops.

PeteSC · « **Reply #12 on:** June 24, 2005, 09:38:32 PM »

Yeah, JR. The signs actually say something like "Licensed Vehicles Only Allowed on Forest Service Property, unless road closed" or something.

I stuck to the FS roads, and of course, I do have a tag on the DR.
I don't get any big thrill out of going 'cross country', but enjoy taking a dirt or gravel road I that goes somewhere I want to go, or offers a shortcut.

12sdrag · « **Reply #13 on:** June 24, 2005, 10:13:10 PM »

O.K. I`m sorry I was a youngster

It was actually a fairly long ride on a 81 yz125 (2.5gal. tank)to get into park lands. Please don`t think I would deliberately ride on posted land. I`m almost an adult now and realize why it is state land

PeteSC · « **Reply #14 on:** June 24, 2005, 10:56:44 PM »

Naw.....when I was a kid....any sign with 'NO' in it, mostly meant 'Don't get caught! (Or if you get caught, hope they don't tell your parents!)

The extent of off roading I enjoy are the milder 4wd trails (Authorized) in the National Parks, Forest Service fire breaks and roads......stuff like that. As a Geezer, I find them challenging enough....