West Virginia Route 150

West Virginia Route 150 marker

West Virginia Route 150
Highland Scenic Highway
Route information
Maintained by WVDOH
Length: 22.5 mi[1] (36.2 km)
Tourist
routes:
Highland Scenic Highway
Major junctions
South end: WV 39/55 near Mill Point
North end: US 219/WV 55 near Edray
Location
Counties: Pocahontas
Highway system
WV 140WV 152

West Virginia Route 150 is a 22.5-mile (36.2 km)[1] long northsouth scenic state highway in the Marlinton and Gauley Ranger Districts of the Monongahela National Forest in southeast West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 39 and West Virginia Route 55 northwest of Mill Point. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 219 and WV 55 north of Edray, near Marlinton.

Route description

WV 150 is designated as the parkway portion of the Highland Scenic Highway. Dedicated in 1980, the road is specially designed to be a scenic byway with a meandering course along mountain ridges that reach an elevation of 4,545 feet (1,385 m).[2] Due to these geographical conditions, the road is not maintained in the winter months. (Access is not prevented during the winter, however.) Furthermore, commercial traffic is prohibited and the speed limit is 45 miles per hour (72 km/h).

The parkway section provides several scenic overlooks of Cranberry Glades and the Cranberry Wilderness to the west and of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians to the east, from numerous points along the Allegheny Front. The overlook at Black Mountain also provides an educational boardwalk that explains the irresponsible timbering practices that led to a destructive forest fire that left the area barren for decades.

The parkway also provides access to recreational areas along the Williams River and to several different trails with varying degrees of difficulty. The road is not plowed during the winter and commonly sees significant snow accumulations at its high elevation. It is frequently used for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in these conditions.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Pocahontas County.

LocationmikmDestinationsNotes
  WV 39 / WV 55 Marlinton, Richwood
  US 219 / WV 55 Slatyfork, Elkins, Marlinton
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Highland Scenic Highway.

References

  1. 1 2 Distance calculated using Microsoft MapPoint mapping software.
  2. Williams, Susan (2003-10-19). "Road with a view". Sunday Gazette-Mail (Charleston Gazette). p. 6B.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, November 06, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.