From Central Virginia to Northwestern Indiana

In about a week we will be traveling from central Virginia to Purdue in West Lafayette, IN. We’ve done the trip many times so know our regular route. It’s almost 700 miles so I refuse to do it in a day so you don’t have to give me that warning! What I’m after is any knowledge of the alternate routes just for variety.

We usually take I-64 through West Virginia to US 35 west in Ohio to I-75 north and I-70 west to Indy then I-65 north.

I’m looking at either Ky AA Rt 9 West across Kentucky to Cincinnati then go up from there but I also notice US 52 runs right along the Ohio River in Ohio from the Huntington WV area to Cincinnati. Does any one know how these two roads, KY 9 and US 52 compare through this area? We once took KY 9 back to VA and I remember it as a two lane road. What about US 52?

I know there are connections, etc in there that I haven’t detailed. I’m just now looking to see if there’s another road that could be interesting since the trip will be over night. I’m not looking at going further north and taking I-70 across Ohio. Been there, done that. Thanks.

When I first read your query, US-52 along the Ohio was the first road that popped into my thoughts. I have driven it, on a trip from central North Carolina to Chicago, but it's been more years than I care to admit to. I too am retired. At the time, it was just two lanes and I doubt that there has been any widening as it is hemmed in on its southern side by the river, but you can look at satellite or street-level views in most mapping programs to check that. What I can tell you is that I thoroughly enjoyed the drive along it. Like the Great River Road along the Mississippi, it surprises me a bit that our nation's rivers aren't more populated than they are. So I'd recommend that between roughly Huntington WV and Cincinnati.

Prior to that, I'd look at using US-33 from Harrisonburg VA to Ripley WV. That's a scenic and under-utilized four-lane, near-freeway-quality road through the Appalachians that I always suspected the late Senator Byrd wanted to get designated as the continuation of either I-66 or I-68, but never managed to get upgraded. Between US-33 and US-52 I'd probably be looking at WV-62 and WV-2 as connecting roads.

And after US-52, which I'd leave near Cincinnati, I'd take I-275 around the city to the north, US-27 north to Richmond IN and then US-35 to I-69 north for a short bit before finishing up on IN-26 into West Lafayette. Anyway, that's one possible alternative to the Interstates.

AZBuck

Thanks. I’ll have to look at Google earth and see what 52 looks like as I thought I had read else where it was four lane, or was in parts. I hadn’t even thought of Rt 33 but that’s a good idea. I grew up just off of it in Decatur IN and now live just off of it in Louisa VA so always joked about taking it all the way. Will also have to look at US 27 for the same reason. It also went through Decatur IN and I got a kick out of seeing it in Florida, imagining that’s most likely what my aunt and uncle took back in the early ‘60’s when they went to Florida.

I plotted out a Google Map from Charleston WV to Lafayette IN. The recommended (fastest) route is what you normally take.

First alternate, exactly 1 mile and 17 minutes longer, is KY-9 to Cincy. KY-9 is also known as the AA Highway. From Wikipedia:

The AA Highway follows a general northwest-southeast orientation. For most of its length, the AA Highway is a two lane road that passes through a sparsely populated rural area of Northern Kentucky. While the highway passes through terrain that is rolling to hilly, the highway is generally level with moderate grades and no steep grades. Except for Carter County, all counties that the AA Highway passes through border the Ohio River. The only municipalities on the highway are Vanceburg and Maysville and suburban areas of Cincinnati at its western terminus. Those areas are also the only areas with any services used by motorists such as motels, gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, etc. The only traffic signals on the AA Highway are near Maysville (along a commercial strip with many retail establishments and restaurants), suburban Cincinnati, and at its eastern terminus just north of Interstate 64 near Grayson. There are no rest areas on the AA Highway. Other than the portions that traverse the edge of Maysville and enter suburban Cincinnati, there are no shopping centers or major retail stores along the AA Highway.

High accident rate
The AA Highway is a rural two-lane highway for most of its length and traverses through some desolate terrain. Driver inattention and speeding, in combination with the numerous side road entrances and at-grade intersections have made it a dangerous and deadly road. To address these issues, guide signs comparable to interstate-styled signs have been installed along the highway at major intersections, along with additional overhead lighting. Other measures to improve safety and increase capacity are under consideration.

Another possibility is OH-32 west from US-35 to Cincy. It's 4 lane divided the whole way.

You could take US-52, the stretch along the river is designated as a scenic byway. It's not a particularly fast road but it does have a few expressway and freeway sections.

glc, thanks. Had not seen 32 cutting off of 35 to Cincinnati before. We’ve been on Rt 9 through Kentucky and the write up you gave is what I remembered. Interesting to do once, but I don’t think again. The more I look at it the more 52 looks interesting. There are four lane portions, I think more than 9. I tried on the map to follow 33 through the mountains of W. Va and had a hard time. Maybe some day we will do it but I don’t think this trip. Given our loyalty and connections with the university this is a trio we will be doing many more times.

US-33 through West Virginia may be hard to follow, especially on electronic maps, because it is frequently duplexed with other roads, particularly US-48 and US-119. To get an idea of where it goes (on the map) connect the dots of the following cities and towns: Harrisonburg (VA), Franklin, Seneca Rocks, Harmon, Alpena, Elkins, Buchannon, Weston, Camden, Glenville, Spencer, and Ripley (WV). That's just to get your mapping program to show you the route. The reality is a whole lot easier. Just get to Harrisonburg VA and follow the road signs!

AZBuck

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Originally Posted by AZBuck

US-33 through West Virginia may be hard to follow, especially on electronic maps, because it is frequently duplexed with other roads, particularly US-48 and US-119. To get an idea of where it goes (on the map) connect the dots of the following cities and towns: Harrisonburg (VA), Franklin, Seneca Rocks, Harmon, Alpena, Elkins, Buchannon, Weston, Camden, Glenville, Spencer, and Ripley (WV). That's just to get your mapping program to show you the route. The reality is a whole lot easier. Just get to Harrisonburg VA and follow the road signs!

AZBuck

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Thanks! That was interesting to follow through and to see what they claim are the distances and time. Also shows why a good paper map would be much easier and better. Just need to pull them out. I’ve been sharing with DH so we can see what we want to do, especially since I found out today I don’t have to detour through my hometown in NE Indiana. I’m tempted to try the Rt, 33 through W. VA then hop over to our standard Rt. 35 through southern Ohio going out then do the Rt. 52 along the Ohio River on our way back, hopping over to the interstates to finish out the end. We have the time so it’ll be more weather depended than anything else.

Update. First half of trip report.
Don’t know if this is the right place to do a partial trip report but it is tagged on to my initial inquiry about alternative routes. Today we did the Rt 33 drive through West Virginia and totally had a great trip. Thank you AZbuck for the various towns to use along the way. That helped me figure out times and mileage.

We followed Rt. 33 west from Louisa, VA to Ripley, W. Va. Perfect day. Temps in the ‘70’s so we had the top down on our car as we went through George Washington National Forest and up to about an hour to go when the storm clouds rolled in. I was wondering what you meant about the four lane road as hadn’t seen it at all until suddenly it showed up east then for 35 miles west of Elkin W. Va. Seemed very strange but I’m sure it helps get the tourists from I-79 over to the Canaan Valley area.

A few comments. It certainly does help to have an actual map. I forgot to dig out a W. Va map before leaving so we tracked down the Visitors Center in Elkins and picked one up. That was interesting as I mentioned driving 33 west then in a few days taking 52 in Ohio along the river this one gentlemen visitor kept laughing and chuckling, I think he figured we didn’t know what we were in for. Then the lady assisting us tried to convince me to take I-79 from Ripley and 33 over the Ohio and back down to 35 instead of going across WVa on 62/9 to Pt. Pleasant. We pulled off in Ripley to look at the map again, figure mileage and time and stayed with the two lane roads. I think some people are scared of two lane roads but we were fine.

Another note on mileage and times. We all know not to use the times on the navigator programs so here’s my assessment of our trip today. The mileage on the programs was 341 miles. We actually drove 348, much closer than I expected. Times. Total time on the program was 7.9 hours and we actually took 10.4 hours. That included three stops, Harrisonburg, Va, Elkins, W.Va and Ripley W. Va. finishing up in Gallipolis, Ohio. We traded driving each time and both agreed it was just as much as we wanted to do for one day. Tomorrow will be shorter and faster as we take our normal route. I’m glad we did it. Now looking forward to our alternative going home.

First off, thank you for coming back and letting us know how your trip has gone. When you finish up with your tales from the road, we'll move this entire discussion to the RoadTrip Report forum so future visitors can see how your planning and executing - and enjoyment - went.

I will say this for starters. This site is not one that will simply tell you the same things that you can get from any mapping program. The dozen or so regular contributors here have all been in exactly your position at one time or another. For many of us, learning how to RoadTrip pre-dated the Internet by more years than we care to acknowledge. The main things that we learned were basically twofold: 1) There are far more interesting and enjoyable ways to get from Point A to Point B than simply following the biggest straightest highway between them, and 2) In order to take advantage of (1) you need good paper maps and the ability to read them. Those two things, and a realistic sense of pacing are the main things we constantly return to in our advice, as well as the specific knowledge of roads and venues gained by (and I'm not exaggerating) roughly 10,000,000 miles of collective driving.

I am, I must say, a bit surprised that the attendant at the Elkins visitors center tried to put you on the Interstate rather than encouraging you to enjoy the smaller roads and towns of her state. That has, thankfully, not been my experience by and large when I stop at such centers for advice.

As well, and especially, thanks for reporting your actual 10½ hour driving time vs. the computer estimated 8 hours. That's roughly in line with our general recommendation to add 20% to the 'fantasy' times that come out of mapping programs. And yes, 10 hours or so on the road, even with two drivers changing off every so often, is as much as you want to try in a day. It's good to hear back from people who have found that what we try to tell people about having an enjoyable trip has helped them to do just that.

AZBuck

Thank you AZBuck fir the kind words. I shake my head myself when people use the times on Nav systems and wonder what they really are thinking. That’s why I outlined our actual driving times. I have to admit though I was surprised at how close the mileage comparisons was.

Seeing the country was such a part of this. West Virginia is beautiful but also important to see the poverty, or so it appeared, in many of the homes we passed. What else I did for the first time was when I was the passenger I jotted down in the Notes app on my phone things I spotted and wanted to learn more about when sitting in my hotel room. Good example was a farm near Glenville, WVa that had the name Morris and was the largest mansion I’ve seen, totally out of character with the area. Then in Glenville seeing Waco Oil and Gas company. That led me to discover Ike Morris was the founder and found a wonderful story about him and another man in the area and how they started from nothing. Totally enjoyable reading I would have never discovered on the interstate.

Actually, if you have a smart phone, are the passenger, and don't mind using a little data, you can probably do a search on your phone's browser and come up with the information as you drive. I do it all the time! Occasionally we're in a good area for calls but a lousy area for data, so it doesn't happen, and then I'd write it down.

I also jot down things that I'd like to annotate in my journal that evening. I've transitioned from a hand-written journal to one kept on my laptop (then printed copy later).


Donna

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Originally Posted by NowthatIamretired

Good example was a farm near Glenville, WVa that had the name Morris and was the largest mansion I’ve seen, totally out of character with the area. Then in Glenville seeing Waco Oil and Gas company. That led me to discover Ike Morris was the founder and found a wonderful story about him and another man in the area and how they started from nothing. Totally enjoyable reading I would have never discovered on the interstate.

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I too like to find out about the things I see along the way, and learn more about them. Then when I know more, I want to go back and see/experience those places again. It is one of the reasons why I avoid the interstates whenever there is an alternative. Just like I am always noting down when alternative and scenic routes are suggested on forum, so that I too may enjoy them when I am in that area.

Enjoying reading of your experiences.

Lifey

Back to the road tripping part of our trip. After the last post we just spent the next day going our regular way, Rt. 35 to Dayton, then I-70 to Indy and up I-65 to Lafayette. Not too much to say about it other than we really hit some of the rain storms going through the area. We did detour through a new distraction I discovered last year, Warm Glow Candle Company Outlet at Centrevile, IN ,Rt right off of I-70 not too far into Indiana. I don’t need these but it is fun to get something that is actually made in Indiana. Plus they had a nice little deli which made for something different for lunch.

We spent the rest of Friday and Saturday catching up with friends, some business and generally having a great time. This morning we left and headed to Indianapolis for a stop at the Indiana State Fair so this former Indiana 4-H Farm girl could trip down memory lane not to mention show hubby what a real state fair looks like.

We left Indy about 1:45 to head toward Cincinnati and around it to Rt. 52 to cross Ohio. I had to plug in small towns to convince the nav system to do that as it did NOT want to go on 52! That was not a bad thing as the first one I put in was New Richmond, Ohio. Note, 52 was four lane up to there, then down to two lanes. While we been able to see the Ohio River on much of the road we got off when we saw signs for a viewing area in historic New Richmond. And stumbled into their River Days Festival! It was closing down but it allowed us to walk around downtown, find out about their role in the Underground Railroad during the Civil War and generally enjoy views of the river.

Shortly after that we followed signs and stopped to see the birthplace of US Grant. Didn’t know that hadn’t been his birth name but came about due to a clerical error at West Point. After stopping there we continued on to Aberdeen where we crossed the Ohio into Maysville for the evening. Wonderful hotel on the river and a fabulous river walk below it. We watched a barge going down river and am heading out again at sunset to see the bridge lit up overhead. Wonderful quaint town.

Tomorrow we will continue on 52 to Huntington WV and then hit the interstates to get home at a decent time. My mileage isn’t as accurate today but it’s just a little under 240 miles but we did a lot of stops. Still we got in where we are staying around 5:30 so had plenty of time to eat then walk about and enjoy the scenery here.

Since New Richmond the road has been two lane so far so we will see what tomorrow brings. It is not busy at all, no trucks but a lot of motorcycles which makes sense as it is a pretty route to take. Also we’ve seen a lot of camping grounds and places all along the river so it does look busy at least in the summer. I’ll see if I can figure out later how to upload some pictures, just have t done that before.

Here, I hope, are four pics from today, from New Richmond, Ohio, U.S.Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant, and two pictures of the Ohio River from Mayesville, KY.

Warm Glow Candles, friends, a state fair, River Days Festival, a President's birthplace and a walk along the Ohio. Try doing that while just mindlessly following a GPS along the Interstates. You certainly seem to have a nose for interesting places and the inclination and time to see them. We are very glad to have been of some help in making your trip so enjoyable.

AZBuck

Grant's birthplace would be a fun stop - although the fact that I'm in the middle of Chernow's new Grant biography probably has me a bit biased at the moment.

Last report as we are now home and trying to get up the ambition to get back to reality. The last part of 52 from Aberdeen, Ohio to Huntington, WV wasn’t as interesting as the first part. Maybe because we were more on a deadline, knowing we had about eight hours of driving and wanting to get home at a decent time. Parts of it were further from the river so we didn’t have as many views of the Ohio as we did yesterday. It was all two lane, and part not in great shape up until Portsmoth, Ohio. After that it turned into a four lane expressway with parts of it limited access so it had a 70 mph speed limit. I hadn’t expected that! After Huntington WV we were in I-64 east for most of the rest of the trip. We are very familiar with it and I do enjoy taking it through West Virginia and over the mountains into Virginia. Alton Mountain by Waynesboro, VA can always be interesting as the weather can be unpredictable and today while it was misty and somewhat foggy it wasn’t as bad as I’ve seen before.

Just to give a little bit more on timing and mileage I looked at it last night then compared to what we really did. First off I had to break the trip down with Portsmith, Ohio as one end and start otherwise the nav programs just did not want to follow 52 the whole way! Actually surprised me when I discovered the end of it was expressway. The mileage as before is really accurate. I had it listed as 444 miles and we did 440 miles. The time that nav gave for a total was a little over 7 hours so adding 20 percent to that would be around 8 1/2 hours. That’s almost what we actually did drive, just under 8 1/2 hours which included three stops. Whoever gave that percentage to add, thank you. It does prove out.

So, that’s it. Thank you to all the gurus here for their suggestions, especially reminding me of Rt. 33 through West Virginia. That was fun! Don’t have any road trips planned for now but know there will be in the future.