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Ohio 555
- Thread starter slowbird
- Start date
I took the "Scenic" route staying off the interstates and spent about 4-5 days over all. The first night was in St Marys PA and then across to Ohio. Stayed at the Best Western in Uhrichsville OH. Cheap park in front motel, close to gas and fast food.
Headed further south and took in Rt 26 from Woodsfield to Marietta, some covered bridges, rustic rural stuff.
Met some locals that suggested 555 so I picked it up after lunch in Marietta. I didn't start at the south end and may have missed the choice bits further south.
I ended up in Amish country near Millersburg. There are tons of smaller roads going just about everywhere or nowhere. Some look like driveways but there is a state road number and off you go past corn fields and farms etc.
Things I liked
Big Muskie Bucket. If you are passing it it's a OK photo op. Special trip to see it maybe not.
Rosco Village in Coshocton is a historic village with a mix of museum stuff, retail shops and restaurants. I'd go again.
Favourite restaurant Chalet in the Valley Charm OH, Check for hours as they are closed Mondays. No shortage of alternates.
Favourite apple fritters, Amish Door bakery in Wilmot.
Favourite hardware store, Lehmans in Kidron. Pick up a new wick for your kerosene lamp, horseshoe nails or price a wood stove.
Favourite road, the one between Hannibal and Woodsfield.
Caution. Going through VA I met a rider who had lived in OH and he said that in Ohio 30 MPH meant 30 not 31 where most states gave you a forgiveness factor. I never tried hard to find out but usually gamble by 10MPH on the highway.
Have fun.
Headed further south and took in Rt 26 from Woodsfield to Marietta, some covered bridges, rustic rural stuff.
Met some locals that suggested 555 so I picked it up after lunch in Marietta. I didn't start at the south end and may have missed the choice bits further south.
I ended up in Amish country near Millersburg. There are tons of smaller roads going just about everywhere or nowhere. Some look like driveways but there is a state road number and off you go past corn fields and farms etc.
Things I liked
Big Muskie Bucket. If you are passing it it's a OK photo op. Special trip to see it maybe not.
Rosco Village in Coshocton is a historic village with a mix of museum stuff, retail shops and restaurants. I'd go again.
Favourite restaurant Chalet in the Valley Charm OH, Check for hours as they are closed Mondays. No shortage of alternates.
Favourite apple fritters, Amish Door bakery in Wilmot.
Favourite hardware store, Lehmans in Kidron. Pick up a new wick for your kerosene lamp, horseshoe nails or price a wood stove.
Favourite road, the one between Hannibal and Woodsfield.
Caution. Going through VA I met a rider who had lived in OH and he said that in Ohio 30 MPH meant 30 not 31 where most states gave you a forgiveness factor. I never tried hard to find out but usually gamble by 10MPH on the highway.
Have fun.
slowbird
Well-known member
555 and many of the other roads in the area (565 comes to mind) are some of the best pure riding roads you will ever encounter if you are a rider that wants to really get into twisties.
If you are looking for scenic destinations this simply isn't the place, but for fun sport riding it is amazing! The roads tend to go up and down little post-glacial ridges so you have elevation changes in the 50 foot range with some blind corners. It is fun stuff if you are an aggressive rider that pushes things and perhaps scrapes pegs a lot on the roads. You can do this for hours on end down there with all the little roads. Road speeds are generally 50 to 60 mph so in general there are no issues with police,
I have been down there several times and really love riding there.
By the way, here is the scoop of "Big Muskie":
And here is a picture (of a picture) that shows the rest of "Big Muskie". The scoop is all that's left.
..Tom
If you are looking for scenic destinations this simply isn't the place, but for fun sport riding it is amazing! The roads tend to go up and down little post-glacial ridges so you have elevation changes in the 50 foot range with some blind corners. It is fun stuff if you are an aggressive rider that pushes things and perhaps scrapes pegs a lot on the roads. You can do this for hours on end down there with all the little roads. Road speeds are generally 50 to 60 mph so in general there are no issues with police,
I have been down there several times and really love riding there.
By the way, here is the scoop of "Big Muskie":
And here is a picture (of a picture) that shows the rest of "Big Muskie". The scoop is all that's left.
..Tom
16 miles west of Caldwell on Hwy 78. BTW I stayed at the Best Western in Caldwell. It isn't park in front but you can park so you can at least see your bike through your window. They don't have the typical breakfast buffet but instead give you coupons to the restaurant behind them.
You're far enough from the border to get biscuits and gravy if you need a fix of fats and starch.
You're far enough from the border to get biscuits and gravy if you need a fix of fats and starch.
slowbird
Well-known member
slowbird
Well-known member
So I took 2 days and took a trip to ride the roads down in S/E Ohio. The roads down there are some of the best I have ridden. The OH-26 is (IMO) right up there with the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Dragon. The road surfaces on some routes could have been better....but most of the time it was a fun challenge!
I basically made a bee-line to Zanesville, Ohio which is where the 555 starts. An hour before I got there I got off the interstates and took the back roads so I could approach Zanesville from the North. (took OH-60 down)
I stopped at a Starbucks there and while having a coffee and using their Wi-Fi, a cousin of mine mentioned he lived around the corner, so I was able to go visit some family.
I then hopped on the 555 and I have to say I wasn't too impressed. The road was dirty at times with gravel. The corners were incredible and the scenary was nice, but it wasn't confidence inspiring to go around blind corners/crests knowing there was a good chance of gravel on the road. (I had a few butt puckering moments)
I stayed the night in Marietta, Ohio at the Microtel Inn which was great value for money. (The town smells though). In the AM I gassed up and it took me about 2 minutes to get to the next road; OH-26.
What a great road! Great surface, great scenery, fantastic turns. The trips was worth it for this road alone. Deer were a bit more plentiful then I would have liked...but otherwise it was fantastic!(lots of covered bridges too)
I then hopped on the OH-255 which was also great with amazing road surfaces. It was a bit more challening then 26 with alot of blind crests and corners. Still an incredibly road.
The last road I took before starting my journey home was the OH-536 Another fantastic road with alot of great scenery and turns....unfortunitly it looks like parts of this road was repaired with some kind of Tar with gravel underneath. it is coming apart in places and makes turning hazardous in some corners. It was definitley the twistiest of them all.
[IMG=http://imageshack.us/a/img821/2180/img2870sw.jpg][/IMG]
Overall a great 2 day trip. It was well worth it. Lots of great roads down there.
I basically made a bee-line to Zanesville, Ohio which is where the 555 starts. An hour before I got there I got off the interstates and took the back roads so I could approach Zanesville from the North. (took OH-60 down)
I stopped at a Starbucks there and while having a coffee and using their Wi-Fi, a cousin of mine mentioned he lived around the corner, so I was able to go visit some family.
I then hopped on the 555 and I have to say I wasn't too impressed. The road was dirty at times with gravel. The corners were incredible and the scenary was nice, but it wasn't confidence inspiring to go around blind corners/crests knowing there was a good chance of gravel on the road. (I had a few butt puckering moments)
I stayed the night in Marietta, Ohio at the Microtel Inn which was great value for money. (The town smells though). In the AM I gassed up and it took me about 2 minutes to get to the next road; OH-26.
What a great road! Great surface, great scenery, fantastic turns. The trips was worth it for this road alone. Deer were a bit more plentiful then I would have liked...but otherwise it was fantastic!
(lots of covered bridges too) 
I then hopped on the OH-255 which was also great with amazing road surfaces. It was a bit more challening then 26 with alot of blind crests and corners. Still an incredibly road.
The last road I took before starting my journey home was the OH-536 Another fantastic road with alot of great scenery and turns....unfortunitly it looks like parts of this road was repaired with some kind of Tar with gravel underneath. it is coming apart in places and makes turning hazardous in some corners. It was definitley the twistiest of them all.
[IMG=http://imageshack.us/a/img821/2180/img2870sw.jpg][/IMG]
Overall a great 2 day trip. It was well worth it. Lots of great roads down there.
Last edited:
pnosko
Member
I just got back form a trip down through PA, WV and took in some of southeast OHIO which included 255, 526 and 800 as per the following route link below - really enjoyed those roads. I will have to look up some other the other roads listed in this thread when I make it back down that way. If anyone plans on a trip down that way give me a shout - would enjoy the trip again!
https://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=O...XgIdzW8q-w&mra=mi&mrsp=6&sz=14&via=1&t=m&z=12
https://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=O...XgIdzW8q-w&mra=mi&mrsp=6&sz=14&via=1&t=m&z=12
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