I know this has probably been covered, but i searched and got tons of unrelated posts.
I have to go adjust my bindings and pack car now and am hoping someone can just post a quick opinion on best way to timberline from Arlington. My GPS sometimes takes the funniest routes.
We head out at like 5am tomorrow.
Thanks in advance.
mm

google maps link

just make sure after wardensville you get on the 4 lane expressway to moorefield

I think App is taking you on the southern/Scenic Route But I couldn't tell by his Link (Did not come up). I still think that it will be faster to take the Northern route untill they complete some more Corr H, which is to take the Dulles toll rd on up & link with 7 to Winchester. At winchester you can go straight thru & continue west on 50 or you can bypass Winchester & link up with 522 on the north side which will take you to 127 & then to 29 which will bring you back to 50 west.(this way you avoid a lot of twisty 50)..continue to 93 west & then up (Scherr Mtn) 42/93 to bismark & then 93 to Davis.

I went to college in Elkins and have done this trip 100 different ways. I agree with Fishnski on the route. The only variation is instead of dropping down 93, stay on route 50 up the front and then hang a left on 42 south at Mount Storm and pick up 93 up top into Davis past the power plant. This is only 1 mile longer and a better route in bad weather as they tend to plow and treat the route 50 section presumably before the 42/93 climb at Scheer. An old girlfriend's dad (from Parsons)told me this, but Fishnski's route is still the best route in good weather until they finish the next section of Corridor H. The main problem with 55 all the way is that you loose a fair amount of time dropping down to Seneca, and then you have to pick that back up from Harman into CV.

Hey Mr. T ..I got some freinds & Family heading that way in a couple of weeks & I will keep the Bad weather route in mind!
The Mangy Varmit is probably Crashed seeing that he has to get up so early ...maybe he will ck this out 1st thing in the morn.

hey. thanks for the input.
now all i gotta do is actually wake up at 4am. ugh. got the coffee pot on timer. Thank the lard for modern conveniences.

MM,
If you take the "most frequented" route via 55 through Wardensville, then 55/Corridor H to Moorefield, DO NOT SPEED while in Hardy County (from entering WV through to Petersburg).
Bawalker has warned all of us multiple times that the Hardy Co. police, and the Wardensville police are out to get you even if just a couple miles over speed limit.
The Colonel

Mr. Fish,

I'm going to disagree with you on this. I used to take the Rt. 50 route, but I found the RT 55 route to be much quicker and that was before Corridor H was constructed. Getting around Winchester can be a pain and the Rt 93/42 is pretty exposed as you go by the power plant to Davis, which just plain sucks in the fog & snow.

It takes me less than 2hrs 45mins to get from I66/RT28 to the Tline parking lot. This includes a stop at Sheets in Petersburg. Corridor H makes the drive pretty easier than Rt. 50.

If you thought that the 55 route was faster for you than the 50 (did you ever try the 522/127/29 50 bypass?)Route...BEFORE CorrH?!...then you must have looked like the Road Runner smoking up the road in order to miss Wil.E Coyote!

I agree with Mr. SCWVA, I've found the southern route 55-Corridor H to be about 5 miles and 15 minutes shorter from my home in Fairfax when compared with the northern Rt 50 route. Of course, the southern route actually has more 2 lane (close to 100 miles even with the 20 miles of Corridor H - compared to ~90 miles going via Rt. 50)and fewer truck lanes which can make for slower trips. The straights on 55 towards Seneca Rocks invite speeding; however, beware - law enforcement seems to be up since the economy went down!

Tom

I've never taken the Hwy 50/Mt Storm route, but I don't see how it would be faster for anyone living within a few minutes of I-66. I do agree that heading south towards Seneca kills the time. But if I'm really in a hurry in wintertime, I cut across on FR-19 to Laneville.

As they say on PTI, I'm going to 'push'. The one factor that I consider is that 93 can be a bear to drive during a storm because of the wind and if there is fog laying on the mountain then it is really a b---h.

Now that I think about it I always used Davis as the end point which would have been a factor..OOPS....Back in the older days before what has been built on Corr h the 55 route was just too twisty turny Slow..I was told by folks that lived in Davis & had family that they visited in the DC area every 2 weeks that if you did the 522/127/29 bypass around winchester it was the better route...well scap that!..the 55/seneca route is much more scenic anyway!...Ok..I've given bad info on a route...I'm calling in Sick today-just after I posted on the "Sick" thread that I never get sick...Whats next?..all the BS I spew on the "Skiers F-cast" thread will fall apart on me?...I'm having a Crush..ing moment...don't know when I'll be back again...

Actually... for those who are interested there is a way that involves the bypass around Winchester, hitting 50 earlier, going through Wardensville and via Corridor H.

Regardless of how you bypass Winchester, maybe it's coming in on Rt. 7, you hit 81 North until the next exit off at Rt. 11 / Rt. 37 and make a left at the stop light. Stay stray through the next 3 stoplights and then it's 4 lane cruising on Rt 37 the partial bypass of Winchester. You have two options, with the first being more out of the way than necessary.

You can get off at the first exit from Rt37 onto 522 North and stay on that road until Gainesboro. There is a 6 mi cut-off road between 522 and Rt 50 at Gainesboro, but is only 45mph.

Rather though, stay on Rt 37 past the Winchester Hospital Exit upto the Rt50 exit and make a right and go through 4 or 5 stoplights past the 'new' walmart. From that point onward you will be driving about 14mi to Gore VA. You have the option of staying on 50 with it being a single lane road up the allegheny front, or you can make a left onto Rt 259 at Gore. From there it's a 19mi drive to Wardensville to get onto Corridor H and ... off you go!

I have a dentist in Leesburg and this is the way that *IS* the quickest from Wardensville to get there and back with best traveling and least hassle. So I know the Rt7 / Greenway pretty well by now and if anyone is looking to come that route. Here's an accurate link to get to CV from Leesburg via this route:

Leesburg to Canaan Valley Drive

Hey!
We went. Took the 50-ish way. did avoid Winchester. The GPS actually seemed to track the first directions posted. But then on the way home it took us to 66. We made it home in a bit over 3 hours.

Conditions were OK. Got pretty soft in afternoon. The lift lines were horrendous. First time i've ever had to call ski patrol. A woman dislocated her shoulder on the drop. The lift op wasn't very helpful. i couldn't remember name of trail. told him it was the mogul run (like there is more than one of those there)... and he kinda blew me off. finally got him to radio ski patrol.

I was surprised how good the coverage was on the trails.

hm. this post is a meandering stream of consciousness. sorry bout that.