I'm with John on avoiding the stretch of 93 past the powerplant during a snowstorm. I've found the whiteouts and drifts to make for a pretty hairy drive - especially at night. Throw in some fog, and it's a white knuckler all the way into Davis. Don't discount the drive from Davis into the Valley either if it's really snowing - it's 8 additional miles of twisty-turny up-and-down 2 lane to cap off your trip.

I prefer the southern route of 55-33-32. I usually don't hit serious snow until Seneca Rocks. Route 33 over the Allegheny Front is the worst part - about 4 miles of steep climbing (going down on the way home is scarier than going up though). There are truck lanes too, which help you avoid getting stuck behind anyone having trouble climbing the Front. The summit of Allegheny Mountain is indeed as desolate and exposed a place as you'll ever want to see during a winter storm (what amazes me is that there are houses up there!). The ride down from the summit into Harman isn't bad. The southern approach into the Valley on 32 all the way to Timberline is pretty much a straight shot also. I also like that the WV DOT posts road conditions on their website for the stretch of 32 from Harman to Canaan (for some reason they post no conditions for any of the popular westbound routes from Virginia (50, 93, 42 or 55).

Glenn,

Snow fences look very similar to the fences you see at many Mid-Atlantic beaches - between the back of the beach and the start of the dunes. The fences have vertical slats spaced maybe a few inches apart joined together by wire. I believe they are relatively portable. IIRC, the general principle is to interrupt the flow of the wind, causing the snow in the air to fall to the ground. I guess the same principle applies to the beach fences causing the wind-blown sand to drop. Snow fences are very common in the Northeast.

I'm a bit surprised that several people have recommended 33 via Seneca Rocks as a good alternative in bad weather. I've only been to T-Line once and took that route, but I'd imagine it could get pretty hairy in bad road conditions. As long as I was the only car on the road in that stretch ...

Thanks for the info everyone. Has anyone ever gone 50w past 93 and 42 cutoffs and taken SR 90, it's about a 10-12 mile road linking 50 and 32 in Thomas. It straddles the potomac. That would allow one to climb the Allegheny front on 50 instead of 93, and best of all avoid 93 through mt. storm area (which is apparently appropriately named!). I've gone this way in the summer and it's the same mileage from baltimore as going 93. I now have two options. The southern route is out since I'm coming from Baltimore, so:

*70-68-220-50-90-32 or
*70-68-219-32

are the two options. Anyone familiar with the lesser known SR 90 route?

It isn't too too bad anyway you go - just be careful if the weather is bad and keep the spped down - the half hour you save by driving fast is not worth it.

On another note I got new tires yesterday, plus I have been hitting the gym and shed 5 pesky pounds over the past month.... the elliptical trainer in reverse wil burn your quads something fierce: ok enough is enough BRING ON THE SNOW!

Great thread guys. I am always curious about how to more easily access our landlocked neighor to the west. I assumed that the easiest way would be 70-68-219... And it is the way that I know best since I go that way to all points west. I hate the PA TPK. I just wanted to suggest that rather than having two routes that people just pick a good route and stick to it.

All major roads are built with an appropriate safety factor (banked curves, ample shoulders, passing lanes up hills, lane markers and proper signage, phones for emergency, fuel / service stations, etc...) and are generally maintained to a sufficient level so that travelers are safe in any conditions. If the path you are on doesn't have those features then its not safe under any conditions and its probably a good idea to go another way. I wouldn't want to drive that road even it were clear weather. Cars can be brute beasts and you never know what will happen.

I suggest that you just find a good road stick to the same path you usually take. When it's dark and there is poor visibility (due to snow, rain, fog, etc...) it is much more important to know the road. You need to know distances between safe stoping places, where to get fuel, if you break down you need to know if there is a serivce area right arround the bend or if it's still 3 miles distant, etc... You will probabbly be safer on a road you know and are comfortable with than on a road that you have taken only once or twice (even if it technically an easier path). Don't keep going your usual way and then go a totally different way that you have never been before when the storm comes. If you don't know the road you won't know to slow down or watch out at key sections. This is all pretty obvious advice but no one has really brought it up to this point.

I don't know if the hightech GPS / road mapping aids would help, I have never used them. It might be interesting to see how they go. Like in the ralisport game for xbox, the copilot is constanly telling you where to go he is like "...Hard right, over crest, into hard left, danger exposeure... medium right, danger rocks indside, onto tarmac, into long straight..."

Unlike Virginia, where one can generally be assured of safely making a curve at a speed a little above the posted "safe speed", in WV this is not the case. The speed shown is close to that which the last driver to go off the road was traveling.!!!
The Colonel