This summer a friend and I will be riding from Pittsburgh to the Outer Banks. I have the ACA maps for the relevant portion(s) of the Atlantic Coast and Trans Am route.
Initially we planned on riding the rails to trail from Pittsburgh to DC, which worked nicely because we could pick up the Atlantic Coast route in DC. However, we have since decided that we want to include Skyline Drive in the trip.
I see that from Hancock MD route 522 is a direct shot to Front Royal and the beginning of Skyline Drive. Can anyone provide any insight as to how bike friendly 522 is? Of course we all have different perceptions of what consititutes bike friendly, but I would love some opinions. Traffic free cow path or certian death
?
Does anyone have any other route suggestions for reaching Front Royal from the C&O trail? It doesn't have to be from Hancock MD, any trail head is fine.
Our intended overall route is:
Pittsburgh to Connelsville PA via back roads, picking up the Allegheny Passage rails to trail in Connellsville.
Take the rails to trail into MD (C&O Canal) as far as Hancock MD.
Roads from Hancock to Front Royal, VA and Skyline Drive
From the south end of Skyline we will follow the TransAm to Richmond, then the Atlantic Coast route to the Outer Banks.
Thanks for any information you can provide.