Highland Scenic Highway · WV-150

The highest road in West Virginia, in a loop from Marlinton: the route heads south on US-219 to Mill Point, climbs WV-39 to the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center and then rides the whole Highland Scenic Highway (WV-150), 22.5 miles of ridge with its overlooks, before dropping to US-219 near Edray and back to Marlinton. It's 45 miles. There are no services on WV-150, so fuel in Marlinton. WV-150 isn't plowed in winter and closes with snow: ride it from May to October.

The Highland Scenic Highway is WV-150, 22.5 miles of road along the ridges of the Monongahela National Forest, dedicated as a scenic highway in 1980 and topping out at 4,545 feet. The route reaches it from Marlinton: south on US-219 to Mill Point, then west on WV-39 to the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center, where WV-150 begins. The overlooks along the ridge, Little Laurel among them, look west over the Cranberry Glades and the Cranberry Wilderness and east over the long ridges of the Alleghenies.

At its north end WV-150 meets US-219 near Edray, and the route rides back south to Marlinton. There isn't a single town or gas station on WV-150, so fill up in Marlinton before you start. The road isn't plowed or treated in winter: snow piles up at that height and the Forest Service closes it when it's covered, so the season for a bike is May to October. Fog can be thick on the crest, and bears and deer cross the road.