Just thought we could use a place to post cool roads... something that when we need to plan events we could troll through looking for ideas.

I personally don't know many roads out here, but I found a great "alternate" route from my house up to the vet in Frederick. Makes a 16 mile trip into 31, but I cannot stand crawling on I270 North late on a Friday afternoon with poor Hudi in the back meowing. It's a beautiful, beautiful drive even though it's not really that twisty...

from Rt 118 in Germantown, MD

West/South on Rt 118
West/North on Rt 117
North on Rt 28
North on Rt 85

You end up going right over English Muffin Way... which I think is one of the funniest names for a road. Of course it's less funny when you know that's the road the Thomas' English Muffins factory is on...

 

Going between rt 4 and Central Avenue are Sands Road, Harwood Road and Wayson Road. These are very twisty and a fantastic way to get from Alexandria to Annapolis, avoiding Rt 50. Once on Central Avenue, take a left on Riva Road and a right on Arris T Allen Blvd to get you over to Eastport, where it is easy to park!


In Fairfax County, just for driving sake, Waples Mill Rd is cool, along with Georgetown Pike (193) and Leigh Mill Road. The latter two are between Rt 7 and the Potomac River, in Great Falls.
Mike

 

There is an absolute THRILLER of a ride into the Frederick Watershed from around the Union Bridge area. I can't remember names of the roads, just where to turn.

And there are some real neck-snappers out in Carroll County.

Once you get west of Frederick, it's a free-for-all with the cows, just pick a road...

Marty

 

So where do you turn??

 

Oooh!! I'm going to have to try this on the way to the dinner next month! Thanks!

-Paul!

 

Enjoyed the "General Lee's Last Stand" run but lost the directions . Can anyone post or send me the directions?

Thanks,
Marty
------------------------
2003 EB/EB MCS "MiniMum" w/Cupholder (heh, it's a start!)

 

Marty, PM me your e-mail address and I will send it to you.

Eventually there will be a route archive on the club website. It's one of the to-do's

 

another Marty, eh? good thing this town's big enough for the two of us!

OK, so one of the most exciting rides out in Carroll County is out past Westminster, starts in Union Bridge, and ends up in the Fredneck Watershed. I promise to have real live street names/route numbers by the end of the week


m

 

Here are a few-

Frederick/Washington counties:
For the Fredneck watershed, try MD rte. 77 from US 15 west past Cunningham falls. It's a beautiful run- just watch out for the pedestrians, anglers, and parked cars that occasionally dot the edges of the road while you're inside the park boundaries. 77 crosses into Washington County, and meets up with MD 17 South (Wolfesville Road.) MD 17 takes you all the way to Burkittsville, where you can catch US 340 south/west over the Potomac and into VA. Once in VA, look for Cherry Hill Road. Those of you who have run the Backroads and Battlefields run know that this one is not to be missed! (This is the road that showed me why the MINI can use a beefier rear sway bar.)

Montgomery/Frederick counties:
While avoiding I270 by way of MD 28/ MD85, consider a detour north on Mount Ephriam Road. This road runs through Sugarloaf Mountain Park. Once out of the park, you will reach an intersection with Park Mills Road:
A right on Park Mills takes you toward Peters Road. A right on Peters Road leads to MD 80. A left on 80 returns you to MD 85.
A left on Park Mills then a right onto Lilypons Road, takes you past Lilypons Water Gardens. The plants are still in bloom!

Garrett County, MD/West Virginia:
Northbound US 219 south of Deep Creek Lake is a good road that offers surprise of views of a wind power farm that runs along a ridge near the MD/WV border.

Anne Arundel/Calvert Counties:
It's been a long time since I've driven the back roads here, and development has been rampant in southern MD, but I remember these ones as being fun in my MGB when I was in school...watch out for the local police, especially along the MD 4 corridor. There's not much "real" crime in Calvert County, so there's lots of time dedicated to traffic enforcement!

Mount Harmony Road: This road runs between MD 2/4 near Dunkirk and Ponds Wood Road? in Huntingtown, east of MD 4 (It's been a long time since I ran this road, but there are some good sweepers on some of the side roads that connect with Ponds Wood Road. I wish I had an ADC map to be sure I'm getting the names and endpoints right!)

Wilson Road: runs from near the east (bay) end of Plum Point Road to Dares Beach Road (MD 402.) Also joins Emmanuel Church road, which runs north to Ponds Wood Road.

Sixes Road (MD 506): joins MD 231 at its west end, and MD 4 at its east end. This road runs past Battle Creek Cypress Swap. This is a good place to stop for a break, visit the nature center, and walk the boardwalk that weaves through the bald cypress trees. If I recall, Grays Road meets Sixes Road after the swamp, and is also a pretty good run.

Friendship Road: Located at the Calvert/Anne Arundel county border, this road departs from MD 261 and runs along some high bluffs overlooking the bay before descending to the town of Fairhaven. After crossing a small bridge over the inlet to a tidemarsh, the road turns west out of town to join MD 2. If you continue straight across MD 2, you will eventually reach MD 260 (which is boring and straight, since it follows an old railway right-of-way.)

...more to follow, as I remember them...

 

Old 450 between Crofton and Annapolis. Its only 1 lane each way so if you get stuck behind someone doing the speed limit it limits the fun. But other then that it has some nice twisties.

 

Get up early, or go out late; just not on a weekend or holiday because it's closed; but... Take Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park. It runs between the National Zoo and Silver Spring, just South of the Silver Sp. Metro, where the North tip of DC hits MD. Best to get familiar with it in daylight so you know how to follow it, but a good drive when there's nobody in front of you.

 

Here's a shorty but a goody between Catonsville and Ellicott City.

Take 695 to the Frederick Rd/Rt 144 exit (either 13 or 15, I don't remember which). Go toward Catonsville (i.e. away from Baltimore City).

Go past the two traffic lights for Rolling Rd (just past the Hillcrest elem. school), and JUST after the second Rolling Rd light (N. Rolling Rd.), get in the turn lane on the left. Go left onto Hilltop.

Now, Hilltop meanders thru some residential stuff. Make sure you STAY ON HILLTOP! You'll get thru the residential stuff and enter into a wooded area where the road is covered by a tree canopy. Hilltop will take you to Patapsco State Park (where, incidentally, you'll be close to a hiking trail to go down to Ilchester rocks where there is some fun rock climbing and great scenery - there's a small parking area at the trailhead).

Hilltop makes a 90-deg right-hander at the parking area - just follow the road - and makes a tight, steep downhill hairpin near some old abandoned houses. It spits you out onto I *believe* River Rd.

If you take a right, you'll drive along the Patapsco river and see some COOL old stone houses and you'll end up back on Frederick Rd. near historic Ellicott City.

If you take a LEFT, you can have a super fun good time by driving to Bonnie Branch Rd (up the hill and a right-hand turn) and down Bonnie Branch road through some SICK blind sweepers and chicanes.

I've only done each drive ONE TIME, so this is purely from memory (did them Sunday AM) and take no responsibility for anyone getting lost like I did - but truthfully that was the whole point of the drive...

I'll check it out again this week and map out the street names, turns, and approx. mileages.

Marty