Spruce Knob · West Virginia High Point

Up to the roof of West Virginia and back: from Riverton the route takes US-33 and Briery Gap Road to Forest Road 112 and Forest Road 104, climbs to the parking lot below the Spruce Knob summit, 4,863 feet, and comes back down the same way. It's 27 miles. The forest roads are paved but narrow, single-lane in places: ride up in single file and with care. Past the FR 104 turnoff FR 112 turns to gravel, and the route doesn't go there. There are no services, and the roads aren't kept up in winter.

Spruce Knob, 4,863 feet, is the highest point in West Virginia and the heart of the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, which Congress created in 1965 as the first national recreation area in a national forest. From Riverton the route follows US-33 to Briery Gap Road, then climbs Forest Road 112 and Forest Road 104 to the parking lot just below the summit. From there an observation tower is a short walk away, and the Whispering Spruce Trail loops around the top.

The forest roads are paved but narrow and winding, single-lane in places: ride up in single file and with care, and watch for oncoming cars on blind curves. Past the FR 104 turnoff, FR 112 turns to gravel, so the route turns at FR 104 and comes back down the same way to Riverton. It's 27 miles there and back, with no services, so leave with a full tank. The roads aren't maintained in winter: the Forest Service closes them when they're covered in snow, and local emergency officials warn against driving up before April. The weather at the top changes fast.