Rt. 16-Rt 47 - Taste of Appalachian Foothills

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From St. Mary's just find Rt. 16 and head south toward Harrisville. Continue past Harrisville till you get to Smithville where Rt. 16 and Rt. 47 intersect. Here you want to take Rt. 47 west for another very nice 38 miles of backwoods West Virginia scenery to Parkersburg and the interstate (I-77). Total miles from St. Mary's to Smithville to Parkersburg = 70 miles.

Starts out in St. Mary's, WV, which is next to the Wayne National Forest (in Ohio) among the rolling Appalachian foothills. Very green lush forest with excellent colors in fall.

There is not much to do along the way in terms of restraunts and shops. Near Ellenboro, WV, you may want to take a detour and check out North Bend State Park. It offers camping and picnicking along a river bank setting and features a 72 mile "North Bend Rail Trail" ... a trail designed for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding ... the trail follows the path of the old B & O Railroad. At the end of the route, Parkersburg has plenty of places to relax, grab a bite, and gas up.

There are so many places to stop along that way that this scenic drive could take days. You can visit a large cave on the Ohio River where pirates once hid to rob the boats going down the river. Metropolis is the home of Superman ...

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

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