US Route 11 - Possible to ride?
#1
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US Route 11 - Possible to ride?
I was just tinkering around on the internet and thought about US Rt 11 (Parallels I-81 on the East Coast). What is that road like? I know it's pretty popular for Motorcycles.. is it safe for bike touring? I know I-81 is like the major N/S Trucking route.. does that mean I'd be dealing with a lot of 18 wheelers on rt 11?
#2
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Rather general question.
US 11 runs from New Orleans to Upstate New York
I-81 is "just" from Knoxville to Upstate New York
So there's a lot of real estate in between.
There are a few places in Virginia (maybe elsewhere)
Where I-81 is overlaid on US 11 - so you are forced onto the interstate -
(Which is generally illegal in the East)
Virginia has lots of 600 roads that run in parallel valleys.
Why ride next to the interstate or within earshot -
When you can have a perfect mountain valley?
US 11 runs from New Orleans to Upstate New York
I-81 is "just" from Knoxville to Upstate New York
So there's a lot of real estate in between.
There are a few places in Virginia (maybe elsewhere)
Where I-81 is overlaid on US 11 - so you are forced onto the interstate -
(Which is generally illegal in the East)
Virginia has lots of 600 roads that run in parallel valleys.
Why ride next to the interstate or within earshot -
When you can have a perfect mountain valley?
#3
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I've only been on parts of it in the Shenandoah Valley, and it's not bad. Some is 4-lane, some is 2. The parts I were on had decent shoulders. More likely to run into pick up trucks and SUV's than 18-wheelers.
Might try scoping it out with Google Maps Street View. Here's a random section near Raphine:
https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=middleton,+va&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.176833,79.453125&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Middleton,+Henrico,+Virginia&ll=37.945202,-79.184614&spn=0.001506,0.002425&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.945498,-79.184867&panoid=mttofMAngIAPtzRq2A9CBQ&cbp=12,190.88,,0,5
Might try scoping it out with Google Maps Street View. Here's a random section near Raphine:
https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=middleton,+va&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.176833,79.453125&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Middleton,+Henrico,+Virginia&ll=37.945202,-79.184614&spn=0.001506,0.002425&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.945498,-79.184867&panoid=mttofMAngIAPtzRq2A9CBQ&cbp=12,190.88,,0,5
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I've ridden it through Penn. and NY. It's very nice. Very rural through parts of Penn., and nice through NY. Perfectly safe for bikes, most of the trucks stay on 81.
#5
Senior Member
Rather general question.
US 11 runs from New Orleans to Upstate New York
I-81 is "just" from Knoxville to Upstate New York
So there's a lot of real estate in between.
There are a few places in Virginia (maybe elsewhere)
Where I-81 is overlaid on US 11 - so you are forced onto the interstate -
(Which is generally illegal in the East)
Virginia has lots of 600 roads that run in parallel valleys.
Why ride next to the interstate or within earshot -
When you can have a perfect mountain valley?
US 11 runs from New Orleans to Upstate New York
I-81 is "just" from Knoxville to Upstate New York
So there's a lot of real estate in between.
There are a few places in Virginia (maybe elsewhere)
Where I-81 is overlaid on US 11 - so you are forced onto the interstate -
(Which is generally illegal in the East)
Virginia has lots of 600 roads that run in parallel valleys.
Why ride next to the interstate or within earshot -
When you can have a perfect mountain valley?
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600 series and 700 series roads in VA are the smaller back roads. Not all are rideable though with a road bike (unless you like riding up and over mountain tops on unpaved gravel.)