A Motorcycle Tour of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia

Next to the small steel bridge spanning the Elk River in Webster Springs, West Virginia, I pulled over to wrestle with Robert Frost’s famous dilemma. The GPS unit insisted on turning north while my paper map tantalized me with an easterly dotted-green line, which symbolizes a scenic roadway. 

Both would get me to where I wanted to go. Being one traveler with the intent of exploring the state’s great motoring roads as much as seeing major attractions, long did I study the two diverging routes. Route 20 headed north through a series of small towns. The green-dotted Route 15 on my paper map followed a lonely course by a picturesque river up the gorge. Should I save time or savor the experience?

West Virginia contains some of the Appalachians best scenic drives, perfect for exploring via sports car or by my favorite method, on a motorcycle. The beautiful mountain scenery, rich history and abundant outdoor sports opportunities make the state an ideal vacation getaway easily reached by three major interstate highways. What’s the best thing about touring West Virginia?

“The backroads. Get off the main drag,” advises Jerry Sink, a retired coal miner from Lashmeet, West Virginia, as he and his wife, Bonita, sit next to their 2017 Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic. They stopped to enjoy the view from East River Mountain Scenic Overlook near Bluefield along the state line. “The best thing about West Virginia, in my opinion, is there is always somewhere to ride. On the hottest days, you find a river and ride up the valley and its cool.” 

Bonita, a retired art teacher, accompanies her husband on frequent motorcycle trips. They’ve explored most of region, from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania, on two wheels. “You don’t have to ride the interstate,” Bonita said. “We do when we have to,” she said, but emphasized that part of the state’s charm lies in exploring the back roads and finding great out-of-the-way restaurants. 

I kept following U.S. 19 north along the same route taken by country music star Hank Williams on a fateful trip in January 1953. He died along this road in the back seat of his Cadillac somewhere between Bristol, Tennessee, and when his driver stopped for fuel in Oak Hill, West Virginia, and discovered him dead. A small plaque stands near the site of the former gas station in Oak Hill in tribute to the music legend. I hummed a few bars of “Lost Highway” as I motored past the spot and deeper into the state.

A bit further up U.S. 19 past Fayetteville, the highway crosses one of the world’s highest single-arch bridges above the New River Gorge. A visitor’s center next to the bridge offers a place to view the bridge, and to rest one’s nerves after riding a motorcycle across the low-railed span on a windy day. From the visitor’s center, I descended into the gorge on a winding one-way road that offers spectacular views of the towering bridge above and the peaceful river below. The one-lane road crosses the smaller bridge at the river bottom and slowly climbs back up the southern half of the gorge. It’s well worth the detour.

Back in Webster Springs, I sat astride my Suzuki V-Strom 1000 still considering which route to choose. Motorcycling offers so many more sensory experiences than traveling by car. The allure of following the banks of a river as it twists its way through the mountains, smelling the honeysuckle along the shaded banks and feeling yourself floating along sun-dappled pavement make motorcycle touring worth any small inconveniences. I switched off the GPS and headed up river to place my trust in the map-maker’s green dots. Miles passed and the roads flowed gracefully like the waters below. No stop signs. No traffic lights. I couldn’t recall when I last saw another oncoming vehicle. Like the song says, “almost heaven.”

Civilization emerged as I exited the Monogahela National Forest on U.S. 250 and turned toward my next sightseeing destination, the oldest and longest covered bridge in West Virginia. The Philippi Covered Bridge, built in 1852, still carries travelers on U.S. 250 across the Tygard Valley River. The bridge became a focal point in the early days of the Civil War and was used by both armies following one the first organized land battles of the war, historians say. 

The double-arched trusses still stand as elegantly as they did eight score ago, and the bridge is one of the few historic two-lane covered bridges still in existence. A few modern safety improvements somewhat mar the historic looks, but the bridge has survived warfare, floods and a devastating fire before being restored in 1991. Small parks on each end of the bridge make for great vantage points, the northern end featuring monuments to war veterans and perished coal miners. 

Turning eastward, I trekked along U.S. 33 toward one of the state’s greatest natural wonders, Seneca Rocks. Appearing suddenly as you crest a hill, the nearly 900-foot quartzite formation springs to view in shocking contrast to the surrounding lush, green hills of the Monogahela National Forest. Seneca Rocks, formed by geologic processes millions of years ago, shines like a castle in the wilderness. The U.S. Forest Service operates the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center at the base of the mountain, its parking lot full of avid hikers and rock climbers enjoying the recreational area.

Earlier as I entered the valley few miles west and crossed the Eastern Continental Divide, I spotted a painted barn advertising Harper’s Old Country Store. I made a mental note to stop, for old Appalachian country stores hold charms no modern retail business can recreate. Near the awe-inspiring rock formation, on the corner of U.S. 33 and Route 28, the white-clapboard-sided store beckoned visitors as it has since 1902. The wooden floors gave a satisfying creak, and the friendly proprietors welcomed me upstairs to enjoy lunch and one of the best view of the rocks in the valley from their second-floor porch. 

“I think it’s probably the most scenic part of the state,” said Joe Harper, whose ancestor opened the country store next to Seneca Rocks more than a century ago. “I’ve been all around this country, and I’ve seen a lot of great things. When you’re coming down the mountain from Elkins and drive over the hill, and you’ve got a good shot at it with the sun on it, it will wake you up.”

He and his wife, Carolyn, operate the landmark store and restaurant on the scenic crossroads. While leaning back on the porch and surveying the towering landscape, Harper happily regales visitors with the region’s rich agricultural history and bountiful recreational opportunities. As the sun and clouds constantly change the hue of the rocks in the distance, motorcycles rumble in and out of the parking lot.

“Probably the fasted growing part of the tourism business is motorcyclists,” Harper observes. “The scenery, I think that’s what everybody likes. With Canaan Valley and Snowshoe in close proximity, they have Goldwing rallies, Harley rallies, BMW rallies. Those guys are all out riding, and we’re always one of their stops.” 

Besides motorcycles, SUVs and 4x4s loaded with sporting goods of all sorts pass through the intersection under the watchful eyes of diners at the Front Porch Restaurant.

“Most people coming to this area are doing outdoorsy things,” Harper says. “We have two caverns around. We’re close to Spruce Knob, the highest point in the state. The flora, you’d have to go to Canada to find the same plants due to the altitude. Fishing and hunting are big. We’ve got three campgrounds in the immediate area that will accommodate at least 1,000 people or more.”

I swing the bike southward on Route 28 to the next stop on my journey. In the mirror, Seneca Rocks grow brighter as the afternoon sun breaks free from a cloud. A phrase Harper uttered to me lingers in my thoughts: “Those rocks become part of us, and we become part of them.” The road runs parallel to the ridgeline for the next several miles. The countryside slowly unfolds and the mountains recede from their previously imposing heights. Then, standing in stark contrast to the pastural landscape, I spot the huge antenna array and its smaller companion dishes miles away in the distance. It’s the Green Bank Observatory.

Officially called the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the 100-meter dish is the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. The complex houses six other, smaller telescopes and tours are available. The Science Center near the main entrance also houses a gift shop, café and a viewing area. Just don’t expect to use your cell phone or Wi-Fi since the facility lies at the heart of the National Radio Quiet Zone in order to reduce signal interference.

After admiring the technological marvel and its upward gaze to the heavens, I continue south to find lodging and complete my loop of West Virginia. The road from Seneca Rocks and Green Bank ends at Route 39 outside Huntersville. I survey my map again. With a tinge of regret, I head east, climbing the mountains to Ryder Gap and the Virginia state line. Time is running short and this road takes me to the junction of Interstates 64 and 81 and a quick route home. I vow to return soon, to explore more of those tantalizing lines on my map, those roads not taken.

About the author: A native of Western North Carolina, Michael E. Gouge is a senior lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and an avid motorcyclist.