U.s. 340

[creadinger]

Anyone ever ridden US 340 out by Harpers Ferry?

I have a big loop mapped out to Sharpsburg and I have to ride on 340 for about 3.5 miles from Harpers Ferry Rd, west to Bakerton Rd. On streetview it looks like there is a large shoulder in some sections, but in others there’s hardly any. It also looks like there’s a good bit of heavy truck traffic. Anyone have experience here?

One particularly bad stretch looks to be between Union St and Washington St going up the hill out of from Harpers Ferry. The shoulder disappears in favor of a slower traffic lane. Unfortunately I think I’d be TOO slow to qualify as “slow”. I suppose a detour around that small stretch could be arranged using Union and Washington Sts. Once you’re up the hill it becomes a 4-lane highway with a large shoulder.

Any advice?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2563[/ATTACH]

Topic

[DismalScientist]

I assume you mean from Bakerton Rd. to Harper’s Ferry Road in VA.

Why, yes, I do have recent experience with that road.:rolleyes:
Although the bridge over the Shenandoah is OK, between the bridge and Harper’s Ferry Road has heavy traffic and fairly narrow shoulders. Unfortunately, there is no alternative. I’m not to sure between Shenandoah and Washington St, but there are 3 alternatives: Take Shenandoah to the lower town and climb the hill on Washington. Take Union to Washington. Take Shenandoah St, and immediately take a U-turn and go under 340. Take the road up to the main visitor parking lot (this is the road the shuttle buses take), which will leave you at the corner of 340 and Washington.

[vvill]

@DismalScientist 47024 wrote:

Why, yes, I do have recent experience with that road.:rolleyes:

😎

[Justin Antos]

@DismalScientist 47024 wrote:

Why, yes, I do have recent experience with that road.

Ha!!

One alternative is to come in via the C&O, and hoof it across the rail bridge pedestrian footpath. The downside is, well, it’s the C&O, and you have to carry your bike up the steps into Harpers Ferry. The upside is you minimize 340. Track here, if it helps.

[Bilsko]

@Justin Antos 47056 wrote:

Ha!!

One alternative is to come in via the C&O, and hoof it across the rail bridge pedestrian footpath. The downside is, well, it’s the C&O, and you have to carry your bike up the steps into Harpers Ferry. The upside is you minimize 340. Track here, if it helps.

I was curious about this option – in part because my original plan for my long ride last Sunday (before deciding on Gainsville with Pete et. al) had been to do W&OD up to Harpers Ferry and then back down on MD side. I had hoped to avoid 340 too (or at least the bridge) and thought about taking the pedestrian bridge across and then –instead of staying on the C&O– hopping over to Sandy Hook road and using that to get back down to Brunswick. Google maps shows a couple access points from the C&O to Sandy Hook road not too far from the Ped bridge.

[DismalScientist]

You can avoid about 3 miles of the towpath by taking Keep Tryst Road and Sandy Hook Road between Weaverton, MD and the opposite side of the bridge into Harper’s Ferry. You still have about 3 miles of the towpath between Weaverton and Brunswick.

P.S. The shoulder of 340, particularly on the Shenandoah bridge, has a lot of gravel that is not swept away and this could be problematic for 23mm tires.

[Bilsko]

@DismalScientist 47064 wrote:

You can avoid about 3 miles of the towpath by taking Keep Tryst Road and Sandy Hook Road between Weaverton, MD and the opposite side of the bridge into Harper’s Ferry. You still have about 3 miles of the towpath between Weaverton and Brunswick.

P.S. The shoulder of 340, particularly on the Shenandoah bridge, has a lot of gravel that is not swept away and this could be problematic for 23mm tires.

Coming out of Purcelville up to Waterford yesterday I hit a lot of gravel roads…and then of course Furnace Mountain is one long gravelly climb. 28s did very well, I might note.

[DismalScientist]

@Bilsko 47063 wrote:

I had hoped to avoid 340 too (or at least the bridge) and thought about taking the pedestrian bridge across and then –instead of staying on the C&O– hopping over to Sandy Hook road and using that to get back down to Brunswick. Google maps shows a couple access points from the C&O to Sandy Hook road not too far from the Ped bridge.

I couldn’t find a way to miss both 340 and the C&O. Going counterclockwise, you can get from Brunswick west to 340, but you would have to go a mile or so on 340 before the left turn on Keep Tryst, which would likely involve hopping a fence in the median. Instead, I took the towpath from Brunswick to Keep Tryst. Path is here:http://app.strava.com/activities/45204781
Going clockwise, Harper’s Ferry to Sandy Hook to Keep Tryst to 340 to 180 to 478 to Brunswick looks quite doable rather than the towpath.
Of course, it might be illegal to bike on 340 here as it is a freeway. I can’t get Google to route this way.

In retrospect, I probably should have taken the towpath rather than Point of Rocks Rd between Point of Rocks and Brunswick.

[creadinger]

@DismalScientist 47024 wrote:

Although the bridge over the Shenandoah is OK, between the bridge and Harper’s Ferry Road has heavy traffic and fairly narrow shoulders. Unfortunately, there is no alternative. I’m not to sure between Shenandoah and Washington St, but there are 3 alternatives: Take Shenandoah to the lower town and climb the hill on Washington. Take Union to Washington. Take Shenandoah St, and immediately take a U-turn and go under 340. Take the road up to the main visitor parking lot (this is the road the shuttle buses take), which will leave you at the corner of 340 and Washington.

It looks like the shoulder going westbound from Harpers Ferry rd is wider than eastbound for some reason. That’s good for me. Otherwise I think a detour around the hill is a good idea. I like the Shoreline Dr alternate, but if I feel like I need food or water I could take Union to Washington. Thanks for the advice.

[chris_s]

I read threads like this and have to wonder – will there be a day where we feel like we can safely go for a bike ride in the countryside without engaging the internet hive mind and scrutinizing satellite photos for several hours?

[JimF22003]

@DismalScientist 47064 wrote:

You can avoid about 3 miles of the towpath by taking Keep Tryst Road and Sandy Hook Road between Weaverton, MD and the opposite side of the bridge into Harper’s Ferry.

When I ride between Brunswick and HF, that’s how I go. There’s still a stretch of 340 to take from Knoxville (180) to Keep Tryst, but it’s rideable. It looks like a freeway, but it’s not (exactly)

Here’s a ride I did that uses this route. I sometimes cross the C&O into HF when going this way, or when coming back through Hillsboro:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212106175

[Author]

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