Ray's ADD Ride - 264 Miles
Ray’s ADD Ride – Created and Provided by FJRiders.com member Spklbuk.
Features three among WVs finest in one extended day; Audra, Cathedral and Blackwater Falls State Parks. A full day could be spent exploring any one of these POIs, so bring your walking shoes, be prepared to hike a bit and budget some time to each site. Riding the 240-mile loop to and from ain’t half bad either. Expect a long active, but more than worthy day. Keep those wheels rolling
Audra State Park is a heavily wooded area bisected by the Middle Fork River. The park is a hilly, secondary forest area bisected by the river. Once the site of a grist mill, the deep pools, large, flat rocks, and riverside beach provide unique scenic views. And don’t miss the hike to Alum Cave, accessible by a boardwalk built along an overhanging sandstone ledge that offers picture perfect views.
Cathedral State Park is the state’s largest old-growth forest and contains one of the largest stands of virgin hemlock in West Virginia. Designated a National Natural Landmark, this 133-acre park offers sanctuary for these ancient trees, as well as 170 species of trees, ferns and wildflowers.
Blackwater Falls State Park is named for the amber waters of a 57-foot cascade tinted by the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. The falls, along with a few of the park’s other features like Elakala Falls, Lindy Point and Pendleton Point Overlook, are some of the state’s most photographed spots. Numerous steps along a boardwalk gives visitors access to the main falls and a short ride and trail hike to Lindy Point is highly recommended.
Be advised: There may be a $2 day use fee for admittance to Blackwater State Park.
Numerous fuel stops are available as is food.
A late breakfast/early lunch at Melanie’s in Aurora immediately across from the entrance to Cathedral is available. https://m.facebook.com/Melaniesfamilyrestaurant
Many eateries are found in the communities of Thomas and Davis. You can’t go wrong. Notables include:
Farm Up Table – https://www.farmuptable.com/
Riverfront Wood Fired Pizza – https://www.woodfiredfoods.com/
Picnic Restaurant – https://m.facebook.com/picnicinthomas
Milo’s Cafe and Restaurant – https://brightmorninginn.com/index.php/milos-menu-more/
Hellbender Burritos – https://www.hellbenderburritos.com/
Disclaimer – GPS routes are provided at no cost to FJR1300 Eastern Owners Meet Rally participants, download and use at your own risk.
All GPS routes were compiled with the Garmin Basecamp mapping program using a version 2022 Garmin map. Routes on your GPS should be calculated with the user setting “fastest time”. A GPS can have problems when a route begins and ends on the same road so some routes begin or end on a branch road. Though every effort was made to create accurate routes no claim is made to their validity. GPS routing is an inexact affair, maps contain errors and roads are subject to construction, closure and other problems.
The free Kurviger routing web site, https://kurviger.de/en/ among others, can be used to display GPX route files and/or convert to other formats.