A few of my regional favorites:
Virginia:
-- George Washington Parkway is always an easy crowd pleaser, especially going north (the road in that direction is smooth blacktop versus concrete heading to Mount Vernon).
Plenty of nice roads branch off of the Parkway: Old Dominion Drive, Georgetown Pike, the Clara Barton Parkway / Canal Road / MacArthur Blvd in DC/MD. Can't go wrong with any of those (just be mindful of the time you're on the roads-- early morning is best, later in the day you get increasing traffic of course).
-- Pretty much anything around Middleburg VA. Be aware it's Harley country on the weekends, but all the roads out that way are fun and scenic. Personal favorites of mine are Rectortown Road / Rokeby Road / Atoka Road out near Marshall, Virginia (easily accessible via I-66). I can (and have) spent hours just bombing up and down those roads.
-- Crest Hill Road (also near Marshall, only you head southwest off of I-66 instead of northeast).
-- VA 211 over Skyline Drive down into Luray. Very short but VERY twisty :yes:. Be aware that this place can get to be squid city on the weekends with the sportbikers-- and the police show up, too. That said, riding 211 during the weekdays, especially early in the morning, you may have the road all to yourself (just beware of fog!).
Maryland
-- Personal favorite is head just over the Potomac on the Beltway to River Road, take River Road west all the way until Edwards Ferry Road, head up that way following Edwards Ferry / Wasche Road / Martinsburg Road / MD 28 all the way until you reach Point of Rocks and cross back over to Virginia via VA 15. Go extra early on a weekend morning to avoid all the bicyclists on River Road-- also beware of deer once it gets rural. But it's a nice 3 hour circuit.
DC
-- The aforementioned MacArthur Road / Canal Road trip is fun-- be aware that once in the city MacArthur Road goes down to 25 mph (boooo) but there's some nice twisties on the Maryland side near Glen Echo Park and points west.
-- Beach Drive through Rock Creek Park is a fun "2nd gear" road. Just be mindful of the bicyclists and your sightlines-- they're short!
West Virginia
-- The holy grail, the grand prize, *the* reward for living here. EVERY ROAD IS AWESOME. And thankfully, if you leave early enough, it's close enough to have fun. I'll leave around 7 or 8 am on a weekend and have plenty of fun and still be back for a late lunch / early dinner.
Personal favorites: US 50 and US 55 are scenic. US 55 to Wardensville, then take Trout Run Road through the George Washington National Forest. US 33 west of Harrisonburg all the way to Elkins is awesome-- be sure to stop for pizza and the view at Seneca Rocks! Plenty of great roads out there, too (Smoke Hole Road is worth the detour). If you keep going west of Elkins, you just won't run out of great roads (just make sure you have a GPS, and always keep your gas tank full-- it's *West Virginia*, you can end up in some REALLY remote places out there).
Safe riding, and have fun!
