Originally Posted by
jeneralist
Looking for a way from Philadelphia to Darlington, MD.
GoogleMaps (yuck!) is helpful in pointing out that starting out by going west on the Schuylkill River Trail isn't really a winner -- but once it gets that part right, it's first recommendation is to route me through Wilmington AND Newark.
Its second try is to have me spend a lot of time on Baltimore Pike -- which, I believe, is another name for Route 1.
Suggestions?
I used to run a NYC to DC non-stop ride that included routing from Philly to Darlington. That part of the ride was usually between 2 and 9 am, scenery was not a design criterion.
Out of Philly on US 30 (Lancaster Ave)
LT (south) onto US 1 (City Ave, Township Line Rd, State Rd)
LT onto PA 320
RT onto Baltimore Pike
Merge back onto US 1
Back onto Baltimore Pike (follow sign for Kennett Sq in Chadds Ford)
Follow Baltimore Pike through Kennett Sq, Avondale, West Grove, Jennersville, Oxford, Barnsley to Nottingham
LT on PA 272
1st RT onto Stoney Ln
2nd RT onto State Line Rd
LT onto Sylmar Rd
RT onto MD 273
LT onto MD 276
RT onto MD 269
RT onto Basin Run Rd in Liberty Grove
LT at T intersection
RT onto US 222
LT onto US 1 - Cross Conowingo Dam
1st LT after dam onto Shuresville Rd
RT at T intersection into Darlington (MD 161)
US 1 still uses Baltimore Pike in sections. There are sections where US 1 has been upgraded to a limited access highway. Baltimore Pike parallels these limited access sections and is pleasant riding. I'm also sure you can find roads parallel to US 1, where US 1 uses the Baltimore Pike. My concern was a direct route that was easy to follow in the dark for people not familiar with the area.