Overall Route Rating
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3.75 out of 5 Rider Rating 3.75
4 Reviews

Sterling - Front Royal - Charles Town Loop

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By MCR Contributor (1039 McR Points) on May 18, 2011

Rider Reviews

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Guest
July 23, 2012
55-340-9 loop is a great stretch of road, scenic…
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Chieko's Master
September 14, 2014
Too the loop today. I wouldn't recommend taking…
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Written Directions

Starting at the Sterling Park Shopping Center, head south on Sterling Blvd. Cross over Rt. 28 and turn left on Pacific Blvd. Turn right on 606 and take that all the way to Rt. 50. Head west (turn right) on 50 until you get to Rt. 15. Turn south on 15. In Haymarket, head west on 55 to Front Royal. Take 340 north to Charles Town where you pick up Rt. 9. Head east on 9 to Rt. 7. Go east on 7, turn right on Sycolin Rd. Sycolin changes names several times (Sycolin, Ashburn Farm Pkwy, Farmwell Rd, Waxpool Rd and Church Rd). Turn right off of Church onto Holly to get back to Sterling Blvd.

Scenery

This route has a little bit of everything... Starting in Sterling, VA, a suburb of Washington DC, it takes you west to the foot of Skyline Drive in Front Royal then heads north to Charles Town, WV before heading back to Sterling. Along the way you'll ride along some flat open country roads, some gentle curves and climb some mountains. The one thing you won't see is a lot of traffic.

Drive Enjoyment

Roads are in good shape. Nice cruising conditions. Route 9 out of Charles Town runs up the mountains with some curves but everything else is relatively flat with nice gentle, rolling curves.

Tourism Opportunities

You run through a few small towns with locally owned restaurants and shops but for the most part you're enjoying the scenery.
 

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Guest
July 23, 2012
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Other
55-340-9 loop is a great stretch of road, scenic and smooth. A great way to avoid the stress of DC and see the mountains!
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Chieko's Master
September 14, 2014
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
Too the loop today. I wouldn't recommend taking 267 as it's a toll and you'll end up paying over $7 for nothing. I advise to either look for an alternative route to to bypass it all together and take Rt-7. The ride is nice and you go through some scenic towns like Middleberg and smaller enclaves. There are actually a bunch of nice easy-going roads once you reach the WV border. Just have a GPS with you if you decide to go off-grid so to speak. I enjoyed it but to reiterate, you will be going 35-40mph other than when on the interstates. Rt50 is a blast for a while, too. 3/5 for me, but solid. I'd ride it again
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Bigfrankie
August 18, 2014
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
I had to modify the route due to my starting point in Haymarket. First half of the ride was great. Tree lined roads, nice sweepers. I'm not looking to scrape the running boards. However, once I got to Rt 7 it became a 4 lane highway that wasn't as enjoyable. I then wanted to got to Rt 15 but missed the turn. Ended up taking Battlefield Parkway east to Evergreen Mills Rd south (which was nice)to Rt 50 W for a couple blocks to Gum Spring Rd S to Sudley and then home in Gainesville. A nice stop on the way was The Apple House Rest on John Marshall Highway in Linden. Very good pulled Pork sandwich and breakfast all day long. Worth the stop. Pictures to follow Approximately 134 miles
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