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West Virginia Mountains Road Trip

Road Trip

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Sherry Mims
344.7 miles: 7 hours, 55 minutes
As I-64 negotiates Appalachian ridges, the palette of forest greens blurs to a smoky blue in the distance. For almost its entire length to Elkins, US 219 is a scenic byway running through the Monongahela National Forest. The road tunnels through trees that are alive with new growth in spring, lush and green in summer, and resplendently colorful in fall.
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Drive trips stop
Courtesy of Pocahontas County Convention & Visitors Bureau
1
White Sulphur Springs to Elkins
118.5 miles: 2 hours, 53 minutes
As I-64 negotiates Appalachian ridges, the palette of forest greens blurs to a smoky blue in the distance. For almost its entire length to Elkins, US 219 is a scenic byway running through the Monongahela National Forest. The road tunnels through trees that are alive with new growth in spring, lush and green in summer, and resplendently colorful in fall.
Recommended Stops
attraction 2
Lost World Caverns
907, Lost World Road Lewisburg, West Virginia 24901
Drive trips stop
West Virginia State Parks
2
Elkins to Clarksburg
72.3 miles: 1 hours, 58 minutes
US 250 parallels the Tygart Valley River most of the way; it crosses the river and joins US 119 in the town of Philippi and then continues through rolling countryside to US 50. Clarksburg, the birthplace of Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, has a downtown historic district that’s ripe for exploration.
Recommended Stops
attraction 2
New Tygart Flyer
315, Railroad Avenue Elkins, West Virginia 26241
attraction 2
Adaland Mansion and Historical Barn
324, Mansion Drive Philippi, West Virginia 26416
attraction 2
Tygart River Dam and Lake
530, Paul E. Malone Road Grafton, West Virginia 26354
Drive trips stop
Getty Images/C Borland-PhotoLink
3
Clarksburg to Summersville
96.1 miles: 1 hours, 38 minutes
I-79 is a particularly pretty route in the fall, when the mountains of central West Virginia are ablaze with color. On the segment of US 19 between I-79 and SR 55, the mountainsides are blanketed with trees, and when the highway ascends a ridge the view below is a sea of deep green, perhaps punctuated by a lone white farmhouse or red silo.
Recommended Stops
attraction 2
WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp
160, WVU Jackson Mill Weston, West Virginia 26452
attraction 2
WVU Jackson’s Mill Farmstead
160, WVU Jackson Mill Weston, West Virginia 26452
Drive trips stop
flickr/Dennis Deitrick
4
Summersville to Beckley
57.9 miles: 1 hours, 26 minutes
En route to Beckley, US 19 passes by Summersville Lake. The largest in the state, this lake has more than 60 miles of shoreline and more than 28,000 acres of water offering all sorts of recreational opportunities. SR 16 is part of the 187-mile Coal Heritage Trail through southern West Virginia’s smokeless coal region.
Recommended Stops
attraction 2
Hawks Nest Aerial Tramway
49, Hawks Nest Road Ansted, West Virginia 25812
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New River Jetboats
49, Hawks Nest Road Ansted, West Virginia 25812
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Canyon Rim Visitor Center
162, Visitor Center Road Lansing, West Virginia 25862
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Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine
513, Ewart Avenue Beckley, West Virginia 25801