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Ohio Twisties

ScottF

New member
Whenever I mention all the good roads in Ohio to friends from out of state, they look at me as though I'm being even stranger than normal. There really are a lot of good twisties in Ohio, one just has to know where to look. After becoming a reborn biker a decade ago, it took me a while to figure out there's really two Ohio's. One was covered by glaciers in the last ice age, and was ground flat. The second Ohio wasn't. One has straight roads laid out in a grid. The second Ohio has roads that twist, curve, go over hills, and are tons of fun.

The second Ohio is about 1/3rd of the state, and is easy to find. Grab a map of Ohio, and find the northernmost point of West Virginia. Look about 10 miles further north, and you'll see the town of Lisbon. Draw a line west from there, about 1/3rd of the way across the state to Loudonville. This is where the glacier that came down over Lake Erie stopped.

From Loudonville, extend the line south to a point 15 miles south of I-70, and about 15 miles east of Lancaster. Then continue the line southwest, passing just south of Chillicothe, and on to Ripley on the Ohio-Kentucky border. This is where the larger glacier that came down over Michigan stopped.

Southeast of this line it's hard to find a dull road, short of the Interstates. Some of the longer and better roads are:

555, discussed in earlier posts, starts a little south of Zanesville, and runs south to the Ohio river.

26, also mentioned in other posts, running northeast from Marietta, to it's intersection with 800.

541 east from the glacier line, through Coshocton, to it's end at I-77

60 south from the glacier line just west of Millersburg, to it's intersection with 16

164, running southwest from Lisbon, to it's end near Leesville. Especially good SW of Salineville.

There's bunches and bunches of other great roads in the second Ohio. 536, 255, 658 and many others. Yeah, getting to the glacier line from Lima will take close to two hours, but it's worth it.
 
ScottF said:
555, discussed in earlier posts, starts a little south of Zanesville, and runs south to the Ohio river.

Scott -- welcome to the forum.

I really appreciate your post, as I plan to explore that area ahead of the rally.

You mentioned The Triple Nickel and I was wondering if you've had a chance to take a peek at the article on the website?

Sounds like you're really familiar with the area and was curious if you know any more details about the area.

Thanks!

Ian
 
555

The tripple nickel is like a track day with scenery thrown in to distract you.
I suggest you ride sections slow to learn the obstacles then go back and ride as fast as you are comfortable with. Also weekdays are better for the traffic concerns. Like the Dragon!
 
Ian:

I had seen the thread, but hadn't followed the link to your article. My loss, as it's excellent .... you sure you haven't ridden 555 before? I'm amazed you were able to pull that together in three hours .... I'm nowhere near that productive.

You're right, there's not a lot of towns of any size along 555. It starts pretty much nowhere in particular, goes through lottsa nowhere, and ends up nowhere. This is good, as there's very little traffic, and even fewer law enforcement officers. The side trip to Burr Oak State Park is an excellent ride, as 78 generally follows ridge lines in that area, and the lodge is a good stop for lunch.

555 may have as many twists as Deals Gap, but 80>>11 miles, so it's much less intense. Come to think of it, that may be good too. Especially as a number of the bends on 555 are somewhat sneaky .... hidden around blind curves, or over rises. They usually do what you think they're going to do, but every once in a while, they have a mind of their own. They're not really evil, just somewhat surprising.

When you get up to Zanesville, if you feel you have time not to take I-70 and US 33 to Lima, you're right at the south end of 666, a short but interesting road, which dumps you out at 60 just as 60 gets good. Take it north for perhaps 35 miles to 62, where you can turn west. That strech of 60 is my favorite road in that part of the state.

You'll have fun. Just stay away from the glaciers as long as possible.

Scott
 
Scott,
I agree with you completely on SR 60 from Dresden to Loudenville. Great road, with little traffic, and all kinds of corners. One of my favorites, along with 541(which has fresh smooth pavement). :clap

If in Zaneville go to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl, and get a Black and White. The best, and very filling. :thumb

Anyone who has time should take a day or two and go to either Burr Oak, Dillon, or Salt Fork State parks, and ride those areas for a day or two. If anyone is going to camp at Burr Oak, they could also look into the Wayne National Forest Campground that is right next to Burr Oak($5/night).
 
ScottF said:
When you get up to Zanesville, if you feel you have time not to take I-70 and US 33 to Lima, you're right at the south end of 666, a short but interesting road, which dumps you out at 60 just as 60 gets good. Take it north for perhaps 35 miles to 62, where you can turn west. That strech of 60 is my favorite road in that part of the state.

Cool... I can do this... and it's still not way outta the way to get to the AMA Heritage Museum.

ScottF said:
... there's not a lot of towns of any size along 555. It starts pretty much nowhere in particular, goes through lottsa nowhere, and ends up nowhere.

sounds like *my* kinda road! Thanks :D
 
Ice Cream

Biff,
Thanks for the suggestion of Tom's Ice Cream Bowl. TheWife and I are going down to Hocking Hills in a couple weeks, armed with the /GS and hiking boots, and we'll be going through Zanesville. I keep trying to find something good about the town, and especially for ice cream, I'll make sure we're ready for a butt break around there.
 
Visian said:
Cool... I can do this... and it's still not way outta the way to get to the AMA Heritage Museum.



sounds like *my* kinda road! Thanks :D

Ian,

You riding up on a GS?

If so, you should check into some of the dirt roads around Wayne Nat'l Forest. Stuff that will have a dirt guy drooling.... There's some great stuff down that way. Some covered bridges, old iron furnaces, a ghost town or two, some kilns for making bricks, and I think some abandoned salt works.

Lotta industry has come and gone down that way.

Doug
 
Scott, You and your wife will enjoy the stop for ice cream, but do NOT try to count calories. :D BTW, if you can avoid SR 60 from I-70 to about 4 miles north of I-70 do it(13ish traffic lights). Enter from either 666, or SR 93.

Doug, you are exactly right dead on about the trails in Wayne National Forest. They would be an interesting trip on a GS.
 
Doug Grosjean said:
You riding up on a GS? If so, you should check into some of the dirt roads around Wayne Nat'l Forest. Stuff that will have a dirt guy drooling.... There's some great stuff down that way. Some covered bridges, old iron furnaces, a ghost town or two, some kilns for making bricks, and I think some abandoned salt works.
If a picture is worth words, check out this S&T map of Wayne N.F. It's not hard to see how good even the paved roads are.

Jim
 

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And, here's the unpaved roads

As we zoom in, here's the kind of roads Doug is talking about.

Jim
 

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Doug Grosjean said:
Ian,
You riding up on a GS?

Me... a GS? Now *what* would make you think that, Doug? ;) Because you last saw me on the K12RS....? :p

I plan to take the G/SPD up through WV and southeast Ohio... and definitely want to spend a day or two in the Wayne NF.

As it stands now, I plan to attend the AMA National MX at Unadilla the weekend before the rally and then head back down for a few days of camping and riding in SE Ohio.

Then to the opening of the BMW exhibit at the AMA Heritage Museum, and then to Lima.

See you there!

Ian
 
Visian said:
Me... a GS? Now *what* would make you think that, Doug? ;) Because you last saw me on the K12RS....? :p

I plan to take the G/SPD up through WV and southeast Ohio... and definitely want to spend a day or two in the Wayne NF.

Because I thought you had a GS stashed away somewhere..... Didn't you go to Alaska on one, and post it as you went?

And because we've talked in the past - I know you're not all street. :)

Jean-Luc and I may try to ride to Moonville - again. It's a former townsite in the Wayne NF, and supposedly the train tunnel is haunted by people who died there over the years. Railroad tracks and trestles were torn out in 1986, so you have to cross a creek on foot and hike the last half-mile or so.

We made it to the cemetery, which was interesting on the DR-350 2-up. When we stopped, holding the front brake wasn't enough to keep the bike from wanting to slide back down the hill - had to kill the engine with the bike in gear.

Thing is that getting to Moonville via the little dirt and then paved and then dirt roads is so neat, that our failing to make it on our first try was no big deal.
 
Ohio twisties..." Rim of the World "

Interesting riding area ...
check this out :

Locals call the first 20 miles of this drive "the rim of the world." The drive starts in Glouster, Ohio by taking Rte. 78 east. The drive is short but can take you several hours to complete. It may be one of the best up and down, left to right, rolling drives anywhere in the Midwest. You're in the high hill country of Ohio.

As you head east out of Glouster, the two-lane state highway twists and turns and features blind, roller coaster-like short juts that keep your speed below the limit and challenge your driving skills. The scenic views are spectacular as you drive through the edge of the Wayne National Forest toward the blue Muskingum River in Malta. Try to take enough time from your driving to also glimpse the scattered and tranquil farms throughout this hill section.
The river towns of both Malta and McConnelsville have fine examples of historic Ohio houses from the days when riverboat commerce was the way of life. The river towns are sprinkled with antique and local craft shops. In the fall, the foliage is spectacular along this route. If you continue east on Rte. 78 for another 20 miles, you will enter the largest coal strip-mining area in the country. This is where the Big Muskie once operated, which was one of the biggest draglines used in the coal industry.

At Bristol, head north on Rte. 284, which takes you to High Hill, one of the highest points in Ohio and close to The Wilds. The Wilds, which you can actually ride through, is a wild animal refuge in the middle of reclaimed strip mines.

Starting Point:
Glouster, OH
Distance of Drive:
42 Miles

Must Eat:
The Blue Bell Restaurant
2 West Main Street, McConnelsville, OH 43756
Phone:* 740-962-3939
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.**
Good Stop For:* Great home style cooking

Best Time of Year for Drive:
Year round (the fall leaves are spectacular)
 
Ohio Twisties Road Maps!!

www.MileageSlaves.com go to Great Roads...we launch that section with maps you can print of the best roads Ohio.. These come out of the Southern Ohio and include Kentucky. Folks, visit the site and log your miles if you care too. Originally created for the Internet BMW Riders where everyone is a President...now everyone is their own mileage contest winner. A more serious purpose is to allow you to track your own miles for the fun of it whether or not you create your own contest. Also note the national schedule of events. But right now....Ohio's Best Roads. Have Fun!!
 
Dancin' Dave - hey, thanks for the link. I even bookmarked it. I gotta say, I enjoy your column in the ON. I'll be lookin' for your big tank at Lima.

Steve
 
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