The Piedmont Loop is a great 179-mile ride through the verdant Virginia and Maryland countryside and contains some of my favorite roads. The route stresses winding backroads, many dating to the early 1700's. You will pass through beautiful and historic Waterford (the whole town is a National Historic Landmark!), through Middleburg (home to the Quandt family, the billionare owners of BMW), through the top-secret Mount Weather EAC, and by historic Harper's Ferry. You will also pass by some of Virginia's finest Wineries (just remember to save the tasting for back at the Rally site :)

Directions
NOTE - There are a lot of turns on this route and many of the roads are simple two-laners - it is best to take it slow and enjoy the countryside. Also note, I've broken up the maps into several tiles to more easily get an idea of the smaller roads, and referenced them in certain areas.

See Map Overview 1

• Leave the Rally site and head north on Brown's Road to a left onto Rt. 77.
• At the bottom of the biiiig hill, after about 3.3 miles, turn left onto Rt. 17 South.
• Follow Rt. 17 (Wolfsville Rd.) south for a winding 31 miles to a right turn on Rt. 17/79 into Brunswick. As 17/79 crosses the Potomac river it turns into Rt. 287.
• Follow Rt. 287 for a few miles to Historic Lovettesville, where you will turn left onto E. Broad Way (there is Gas and a 7-11 at the corner.)

See Map Overview 2 & Map Close-up A

• Follow E. Broad Way for a few hundred yards to Rt. 672, Lovettesville Rd.
• Lovettesville Road winds along for about 5.5 miles to a hard right turn onto Rt. 665, Furnace Mt. Road
• After two or so miles you will make a right turn onto Rt. 663. Taylorstown Road. In Taylorstown you will make a left turn back onto Rt. 665 (the name changes to Loyalty Road.)
• Follow Rt. 665, Loyalty Road for 5.5 miles to Waterford - stop and look around, it is a neat town.
• Turn left onto Rt. High Street (also Rt. 665) and follow south for just a few hundred yards to a right turn onto Hamilton Station Road.
• Follow Hamilton Station Road for 2.1 miles a right turn onto to Rt. 9.

See Map Close-up B

• Follow Rt. 9 for a bit over 5.5 miles to a left turn onto Rt. 690, Purceville Road, just as you enter Historic Hillboro.
• In Purceville, make a right turn onto Rt. 7 west (this is the Business spur of Rt. 7.)
• Follow Rt. 7 west (business or express, your choice) for several miles to a left turn onto Snickersville Turnpike. This one is easy to miss, it is on the left across the divided 4-lanes as Rt. 7 starts to rise up a ridgeline, almost exactly 7 miles from the turn from Purceville Road to Rt. 7.
• Snickersville Turnpike starts off of Rt. 7 with a fairly sharp downhill turn so go slow, but then winds along through the pastoral countryside. It is such a great road ist has its own website :)
• Snickersville Tpk. winds along for about 15 miles to a right turn onto Rt. 50 west. This stretch of Rt. 50 plays host to several wineries as well as expansive estates and passes directly through tony Middleburg. If you like ice cream there is a fantastic shop in the middle of town that has some of the best hand-dipped cones around (and antique stores with pieces selling for more than my house!)
• Follow Rt. 50 west for 17 miles to a right turn onto Rt. 601, Mount Weather Road. This is also a tricky turn as it is a bit hard to see (for good reason...) It is just before the crest of the hill, if you miss it there is another entrence just over the top.
• Follow Rt. 601, Mt. Weather Road north for 11 miles - this is also a beautiful road riding along a mountain crest with several great vistas. You will pass by the Mt. Weather EAC "Emergency White House",  (but around the EAC - evidenced by high fences, lots of old buildings and numerous antennae - you might not want to stop and take pictures lest you be visited by a few of our Nation's finest :)
• Mt. Weather road ends at Rt. 7, within sight of your earlier Snickersville turn off. Turn left and follow for about 6 miles, over and down the hill, across the Potomac river to a right turn onto Rt. 608, Wickliffe Road (just shy of Berryville.)
• Follow Rt. 608, Wickliffe Rd. north for about 6 miles to a "T", where you will turn right onto Rt. 25, Kabletown Road. Kabletown Road passes along and through orchards and farm fields (past the wonderful Smithfield B&B) and dead-ends at Rt. 9.
• Make a right turn onto Rt. 9 - you will pass over the Potomac again and rise up the mountain (several great vista pull-offs) for about 6.6 miles to a left turn onto Rt. 687, Sagle Road. Follow Rt. 687, Sagle Road for a too-brief 2.5 miles to the end, and a left turn onto Rt. 671, Harper's Ferry Road.
• Rt. 671, Harper's Ferry road winds along for 4.7 miles to a dead-end at Rt. 340. There is a gas & convenience store here. Our route takes you to a right turn onto 340, but if you turn left and go over the bridge you can visit Historic downtown Harper's Ferry (well worth the stop if you have time.)
• Follow 340 into Maryland for a brief 1.5 miles to a left turn onto Rt. 67, Rohreasville Rd. Follow Rt. 67 north for 12 miles to a left turn onto historic Rt. 40 through Boonsboro for a brief 1.3 miles.
• Once you pass through Boonsboro make a right onto Rt. 66 north for 10 miles.
• You will make a right turn onto Rt. 64 for a brief 1.3 miles, and then another right onto Rt. 77 east for 3.3 miles to a right onto Brown's road and the Rally site.

[MAPS: Overviews 1 & 2 | Close A | Close B]