RidingWV A website dedicated to Riding and Experiencing the wonderful state of West Virginia Home Page
Street Rides Back-Road Rides Destinations Ride Routes Diners Lodging Events Calendar Groups/Links Reader Photos For Sale Contact Us Welcome to Riding West Virginia, a website dedicated to those riders wishing to explore the Mountain State. I see frequent requests on forums for information about visiting and riding around the state, asking for information about what roads to ride, what places to visit, and (of course) interesting places to get good food. With the help of fellow riders, my goal is to make this a First-Stop online for those riders. The site will be divided into 3 main sections: Street and Back-Roads Ride Reports, and Food/Destinations/Lodging. The Street section will cover main highways and county roads - basically any 2- or 4-lane paved road with a painted center line. The Back-Roads section will cover the narrow paved back-roads as well as graded, govt-maintained gravel roads such as Dolly Sods and the Laurel Fork area. We will cover trails (such as Hatfield & McCoy) only if submitted by readers. Guest contributors are welcome to submit Ride Reports and/or Food/Lodging Reports for consideration - please go to the "Contact" Page for more information. CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL ME New: (Nov 2012) Ride Route Maps Page with printable details sheet (See link above)
Street Ride Reports	West Virginia offers a wide variety of roads for every riding style, including 4-Lane Interstates and Divided Highways, as well as 2-Lane Highways with gentle rolling hills and curves to steep mountain passes and 15-MPH hairpin curves. Follow the Ohio River as it lazily outlines the north-western border along Ohio, or scrape the pegs on Rt 20 around Webster Springs. There’s something for everyone!
Back Roads Ride Reports	In order to properly explore West Virginia, be prepared to leave the main highways and wander down the narrow paved and gravel back-roads. These back-roads lead through areas of the state often missed or ignored by the “Instant Gratification” tourists. Allow plenty of time to get sidetracked (and occasionally lost for short periods of time) and allow time for talking with the residents who are often 4^th- or 5^th-generation farmers and landowners. Enjoy National Forests and State Parks far from the hustle and bustle (and cell-phone connection) of the highways. There are still plenty of remote areas where you may not be found for weeks if you go off the side of the road. Ride safely and travel with a partner or leave an itinerary with a friend.
Destinations	Anyone who has followed my WV Historical Markers thread on the ADVRider forum knows there is a lot of history in this state. It is the only state formed by the Civil War, and has had a sometimes turbulent history in its nearly 150 years of statehood. Visit the first land battle of the Civil War. See the Anna Jarvis home numerous Civil War Battlefields. Visit the ancient Indian Burial Mound and museum in Moundsville. But there is also natural beauty, as is evident in Seneca Rocks, Black Water Falls, Spruce Knob, Dolly Sods, Smoke Hole, and more.
Ride Routes - NEW	** NEW ** Here, you will find a list of favorite routes – long and short day-ride loops as well as short sections of different routes. There is a link to maps (using gmaps-pedometer) with mile markers to follow along on the notes. Since this is a new page, there may be bugs to work out, but it looks like it will be a helpful page. Let me know what you think.
Diners	You can't ride on an empty stomach. And why punish yourself with ANOTHER fast food burger and fries when there are so many interesting diners and family restaurants around the state? Diners like Rella's in Hacker Valley are places to experience the people of West Virginia and learn about the area. In addition, you are supporting local West Virginian families! Eat fast food when you get back home.
Lodging/Camping	At the end of the day, it's nice to have a good campsite or hotel to return to for some much-needed relaxation. Some riders prefer the seclusion and privacy of a rustic state park campground, while others like to travel light and have a nice shower and bed along with their internet access. There is something for everyone!
Events	Events Calendar - Shows select WV Community Events and scheduled group rides/events.
Groups and Links	Groups & Links - Links for Riding Groups/Organizations, and various motorcycle links.
Readers’ Photos	To submit a photo for consideration: Readers may submit photos of rides, scenery, restaurants, camping, or WV-travel destinations along with a brief caption (25-100 words) for posting on the Readers' Photos Pages. Please keep it clean and "G" Rated. Photos should be JPEG format and sized 640X480. File size should be no larger than 250kb.
Contact/Donate	How to contact me with questions or submission of photos/articles for posting. Disclaimers/Fine Print, etc.
Bulletin Board/For Sale	Have a bike or gear for sale? Post it here.
I have divided the state into 6 main regions in order to keep information organized and easy to find. They are: 1. Northern Panhandle 2. Ohio Valley 3. North/Central 4. South 5. Allegheny Mountains 6. Eastern Panhandle The Street and Back-Roads sections will each be divided into these regions for easier access by readers. Ride reports that cover multiple regions will have links posted in each section.				My “New V-Strom” After a year of being “bike-less”, my patience paid off when I found a very nice 2007 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 in SW Pennsylvania last week. It is almost identical to my last bike, a 2005 V-Strom 1000, except for the different shade of blue paint. It has only 13K miles, so there is a lot of exploring ahead. (My last V-Strom had over 40K trouble-free miles) I’m looking forward to going out and exploring some more areas of West Virginia so I can add more ride reports to help readers find places to ride in WV. (2 Sept 2012)
Note: This website was started in 2011 as a public forum for riders to post ride reports and their experiences with others wishing to visit WV. You may notice some sections are still empty, awaiting reader submissions. As the site grows, I’m hoping each region will have more and more ride reports posted. If you don’t see something today, please check back. Thanks! Content is for informational purposes only. Please read disclaimers on Contact Page.