SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — The newest scenic route of the Mountain Rides program is now open.
Gov. Jim Justice, West Virginia Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby and other state officials unveiled the Cranberry Corridor as the third route of the West Virginia Mountain Rides program on Wednesday. The corridor is a loop that starts and ends in Summersville and will take travelers across 211.1 miles of the central and eastern portions of the state.
The program is a collaborative partnership between the West Virginia Department of Transportation and the West Virginia Department of Tourism to designate and promote the Mountain State’s most scenic country roads.
Justice said during the ceremony at Hawks Nest State Park that West Virginians have embraced the state and its beauty.
“Any frog that is not proud of his pond is not much of a frog. We absolutely needed to get really proud of who we are and then we needed to put real money into it and turn us loose. That’s what we’ve done,” the governor stated.
According to Justice’s office, the Cranberry Corridor takes travelers along a variety of roadways in the state including US-60, US-219, Route 150, Route 55 as well as Route 39. The route leads riders on a trip through just over 200 miles and can be completed within a little less than a five-hour round-trip drive. It is accessible for both cars and motorcycles.
This route includes several scenic detours including Summersville Lake, the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, Beartown State Park and Hawks Nest State Park.
“I’m thrilled to unveil another scenic route for travelers to explore when they’re visiting our great state,” West Virginia Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said in a release.
“The Cranberry Corridor route has breathtaking scenery around every turn – it’s the perfect way to go leaf peeping this fall. None of this would have been possible without the support we have received from Governor Justice, not only for this initiative but for tourism in the state as a whole. And I want to give a big shoutout to all the folks at the Division of Highways who have been working hard to ensure that our roads are in the best condition possible.”
West Virginia Department of Transportation Spokesperson Randy Damron said, “I want to once again thank Governor Justice for his vision of the Roads To Prosperity program. Because of this initiative, we’ve had the opportunity to upgrade our road system to the point where we can now attract motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts to drive along our incredible, winding roads. Our DOH teams have been working hard on these roads for years to ensure they’re as close to flawless as they can be so that motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts have a safe and enjoyable ride.”
Cranberry Corridor is the third official route of the West Virginia Mountain Rides program to be released this year.