Touring Bike-Friendly Routes Collection

Are easier for big touring bikes. 
Note: These routes are available for MSTA FlyBy Week attendees only-
please do not share them with others.
Note: To download GPX & ZIP files, right-click or control-click the links. Otherwise you may get a 404 error. 

(Do not use ZIP versions if there are last minute route changes- individual routes will be most up-to-date)
Note: To download ZIP files, right-click or control-click the links. Otherwise you may get a 404 error. 

All Road Routes GPX format
All Road Routes PDF format

Touring Bike-Friendly Routes

MAP PDF GPX 
Route Type: DESTINATION- Includes a stop at the Big Muskie Bucket park on OH 78. Lunch stop is also very popular. TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY, TWISTY
Navigation difficulty: AVERAGE
Distance: 269 miles. If you want to shorten the route after lunch, Norm suggests backtracking to Woodsfield and picking up the afternoon route there. That saves about 45 miles. The afternoon route crosses OH 26 multiple times, so if you are getting tired, just follow it and it takes you back to the hotel.
Lunch Stop: Historic Beallsville Diner in Beallsville, OH
Direction from Marietta: NW, N, NE, CLOCKWISE
Comments: Lots of fun, great mixture of sweepers and tighter curves and hills. Lots of great roads- OH 676, 339, 792, 377, 78, 26, 800, 260 

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION- New River Bridge near Fayetteville, WV. TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY
Navigation difficulty: SIMPLE except for the 8 mile optional Gorge section
Distance: 315 miles. One of the longest routes but much of it is open with sweepers so you can maintain a good pace.
Lunch Stop: Pies and Pints in Fayetteville, WV
Direction from Marietta: S CLOCKWISE
Comments: Main roads: Calhoun Highway, Clay Highway, US 60, 19 This is one of the most popular routes at FlyBy Week for good reason.
Not to be missed- the 7.5 mile road to the bottom of the gorge under the bridge. This is the 02 BrdgRideGorge route segment and and is very slow going. Pavement is in good shape but has tight turns and fairly steep grades. Part of it is narrow and one-way. The only trick is finding the starting point if you don't have the route in your GPS. It comes out near the West end of the main bridge, so afterward simply cross back over the bridge and proceed to the start of the afternoon return route. 

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY, TWISTY
Navigation difficulty: SIMPLE
Distance: 235 miles
Lunch Stop: Grandma Joe's Polkadot Cafe, Moundsville, WV
Direction from Marietta: NE COUNTERCLOCKWISE
Comments: Lots of fun, great mixture of sweepers and tighter curves and hills. Roads- OH 26, 260, 800, 255, 7, 145, 821, WV US250, Mountaineer Highway 

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION- Covered bridges along a TWISTY route. Includes a trip across the Ohio River on the Sistersville Ferry, TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY
Navigation difficulty: AVERAGE
Distance: 228 miles
Lunch Stop: Pizza House Restaurant, Harrisville, WV
Direction from Marietta: S, SE, E COUNTERCLOCKWISE
Comments: Lots of country roads in Northern WV. Gets off I77 at Mineral Wells, heads South through Elizabeth, Spencer, North on Calhoun Highway. Lots of nice lesser-known roads, including Pullman road out of Harrisville. After lunch enjoy more great twisties all the way to the Sistersville Ferry. Once back in Ohio, it's OH 7, 260 and 26 back to the hotel.
Note about the Ferry: It runs 6AM-6PM Thur-Fri, 9AM-6PM Sat-Sun, so you might want to choose a different route Monday-Wednesday. If you find that the ferry is closed, the nearest bridges are at St. Marys 16 miles SW and New Martinsville 10 miles NE.  

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION, TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY, TWISTY with a TECHNICAL option
Navigation difficulty: AVERAGE (TECHNICAL route uses COMPLEX routing)
Distance: 210 miles, 276 miles for the TECHNICAL version.
Lunch Stop: Ridge Inn, Laurelville, OH
Direction from Marietta: W CLOCKWISE
Comments: This route has a lot to offer- it goes further West than any other route in the FlyBy Week collection. Part 1 takes you through Hocking Hills State Park, including Ash Cave, Old Man's Cave and Conkle's Hollow Gorge.

The 05 Norms RidgeInn Pt1 Tech route option offers an additional 66 miles of Norm's favorite TECHNICAL backroads, including Goosecreek, Limerick, Three Locks and Charleston Pike, plus you get to ride the wonderful, recently repaved OH 335 from Beaver to Waverly.

Lunch is at the Ridge Inn restaurant in Laurelville, a favorite of many Ohio MSTA members. The menu is filled with good stuff, and the chicken cusabi sandwich is to die for.

The return route 05 Norms RidgeInn Pt2 is taken directly from Norm's favorite route he uses to go to FlyBy Week each year- it includes Thompson Ridge road, OH 180, 664, Marietta road, Portie Flamingo road and many more.  

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION, TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY
Navigation difficulty: SIMPLE
Distance: 200 miles- the fastest, simplest and shortest way to get there. There are two options for the return trip- Fastest is the 102 mile route via I-77. The longer 131 mile OH version is available if you want to avoid I-77.
Lunch Stop: The unique Hillbilly Hotdogs, Lesage, WV Note: Closed Tue & Wed
Direction from Marietta: SW COUNTERCLOCKWISE
Comments: Hillbilly Hotdogs is one of the favorite destinations for FlyBy Week attendees. If you've never been there, you HAVE to go! The route there is 95 miles and very quick. That's important because you want to get there as soon after about 11AM as possible, especially if you go on Saturday. Norm recommends going earlier in the week- It gets CROWDED after about 11:30AM, especially on Saturdays.

The 06 Hillbilly Fast Pt2 Return 102 follows the river road (WV 2) back to Point Pleasant where it picks up WV 62, a fun road with sweepers that takes you all the way to I-77. From there, it's 40 miles on I77 back to the hotel. 

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION- Holly River WV State Park, TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY, TWISTY
Navigation difficulty: SIMPLE
Distance: 280 miles
Lunch Stop: Holly River State Park Restaurant, WV
Direction from Marietta: SE CLOCKWISE
Comments: The Holly River route is one of the favorites in the FlyBy Week collection- highly recommended! Route follows lots of rural highways in Northern WV, including WV 5, 19, 15, 20, 4, 119, 47, US 33. Includes Pullman road out of Harrisville.Gets off I-77 at Mineral Wells WV, heads Southeast through Elizabeth, Glenville etc. to Holly River State Park for a lovely lunch stop. From there it's North to Weston, then Northwest via lots of nice curvy highways. 

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION- River City Ale Works in downtown Wheeling WV. TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY, TWISTY
Navigation difficulty: AVERAGE, although you have to pay very close attention to the route instructions to get across the bridge and reach downtown Wheeling.
Distance: 206 miles using the Ohio return route, 231 miles using the WV return route..
Lunch Stop: River City Ale Works in downtown Wheeling WV Note: Closed Sunday
Direction from Marietta: NE, E
Comments: Great route to Wheeling via OH 821, 78, 145, 26 etc. Getting to downtown Wheeling is not too complicated, but you must turn at the right place because there are not many opportunities to cross the Ohio river. This is certainly doable with paper maps but the GPS with prompts is easier. Great food in an interesting restored downtown building that used to be a nail factory.

There are three choices for the return route. The 09 NailFact Pt2 Via OH 100 version is mostly the reverse of the morning route. The 09 NailFact Pt2 Via WV 129 version is 29 miles further and includes US 250 to the town of Hundred, WV 7 and a trip on the Sistersville Ferry to get back to Ohio. The remaining run back to the hotel is via OH 260 and 26. The third version of the return route, 09 NailFact V2 Pt2 Via WV 133 No ferry is also Via WV but does not use the ferry.

Note about the Ferry: It runs 6AM-6PM Thur-Fri, 9AM-6PM Sat-Sun, so choose route
09 NailFact Pt2 Via WV 133 No ferry to avoid it. (If you find that the ferry is closed, the nearest bridges are at St. Marys 16 miles SW and New Martinsville 10 miles NE.)

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: SINGLE SEGMENT SHORT, SIMPLE, TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY
Navigation difficulty: SIMPLE
Distance: 108 miles
Lunch Stop: None
Direction from Marietta: W CLOCKWISE
Comments: This route is fom Ohio's "Windy Nine" collection, modified to begin and end at the FlyBy Week event hotel.

MAP PDF GPX
RouteType: DESTINATION, TOURING BIKE-FRIENDLY, TWISTY
Navigation difficulty: AVERAGE
Distance: 223 miles
Lunch Stop: Chatterbox Tavern, McConnelsville, OH
Direction from Marietta: W, N, CLOCKWISE
Comments: This route traces a nearby section of Morgan's Raid of 1863, a Civil War incursion of the Confederate cavalry into Union states Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. It is named for Confederate Commander John Hunt Morgan.

Covering over 1000 miles, the raid's purpose was to draw Union troops away from the Vicksburg and Gettysburg fronts by frightening the North into demanding their troops return home. The raid ultimately failed, and the remainder of the command was forced to surrender in Northeast Ohio near the Pennsylvania border.

Jim Miller, of Belpre, Ohio, spent several years tracing the Raid's path and created an adventure route from it. He also created a nice road version suitable for all road bikes that includes lots of historical sites. For FlyBy Week attendees I used the 117 mile section of Jim's route that runs from Nelsonville to Senecaville, Ohio, adding about 50 miles from the ends to get to and from Marietta. If you are a Civil War or history buff, this route's for you!

For more info and complete GPX track files of Morgan's raid, visit Jim Miller's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/694392778189363 

FlyBy Week Volunteers
  • (Click HERE to join our Volunteers)
  • Jeremy Riffle
  • Ron Vess
  • John Smith
  • Lou Laguna
  • Scott Lane
  • Jennie Kimes
  • Jerry Patten
  • Jeff Dolence
  • Brian Holmes
  • Allan Skinner
  • Chris Shoop
  • Jim Miller
  • Brad McFadden

About

FlyBy Week is MSTA's largest regional sport touring rally, over 25 years running at Marietta, Ohio

Event Coordinator
Norm Kern

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