This table is a summary of state highways in western PA. Most of these roads are meandering country highways with some sections of nice sweepers. Not much for serious twisties in PA. Pavement quality varies wildly from fresh asphalt to beat-up and bumpy, sometimes on the same road. PA is known for poor road surfaces, but PennDOT seems to be getting better. PA is fond of using "chip seal" aka "tar and chip" to "fix" roads. The old school version was to lay down a layer of tar, then dump loose gravel on it. Nasty surface for bikes until all the loose gravel cleaned off. The new emulsion process appears to mix them and doesn't have nearly as much loose gravel, although it will still be dangerous for a few weeks.

Maps were created using Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 software. Clicking on the JPG link will display a map of the entire road as a 1600x1200 screenshot. Zoom level varies between maps, but it's zoomed in as much as Streets and Trips will allow and still show the whole route. The EST link will download a Streets and Trips data file of the road.

Route Rating Length Description
Map
S&T
18
3
202.2
 Parallels I-79 from jct 20 at Lake Erie all the way south to the PA/WV border via New Castle, Burgettstown, Washington and Waynesburg. Turns into route 69 in WV which ends at jct 250 in Hundred. The section from Hundred to Waynesburg is nice. Washington to Waynesburg is pleasant, but mellow. Washington to Burgettstown is a mixed bag with some traffic. North of Burgettstown to New Castle can have some bumpy pavement. Have never ridden north of New Castle on it, but suspect its mellow country highway in the boonies.
19
1/3
189.4
 Parallels I-79 from jct 20 at Lake Erie all the way south to the PA/WV border via Pittsburgh, Washington and Waynesburg. Mostly very mellow/straght north of Cranberry (jct PA turnpike). Best avoided between Cranberry and Washington. The 35 mile section south of Washington thru Waynesburg to the WV border is nice. NOTE: The "Map" link only shows the section south of Washington.
21
2/3
50.7
 Runs west from Uniontown to the PA/WV border via Waynesburg. Busy four lane highway between Waynesburg and Uniontown. The 23 mile section west of Waynesburg is a nice ride on mostly good pavement (some brand new). Turns into route 891 in WV (and gets even better) which takes you to the most excellent route 250 just north of Cameron. A useful connector to get from the bottom of the WV panhandle back into PA.
28
1/3
97.6
 Runs north from Pittsburgh to jct 219 in Brockway via Kittanning (jct 422) and Brookville (jct 80). The first 42 miles to Kittanning are all traffic-clogged four lane highway. 28 becomes a nice country highway north of Kittanning with some nice sections of sweepers here and there. Gets a fair amount of traffic though.
31
3
75.0
 Runs east from West Newton (jct 136) thru the Laurel Highland to Somerset and then on to Bedford. Mostly scenic mellow country highway with the Somerset to Bedford section having some nice sweepers. Popular tourist route in the summer, expect traffic west of Somerset.
36
TBD
151.4
 Runs southeast from Tidioute to just north of Bedford/Everett via Punxsutawny. Haven't ridden the whole thing, but the northern bit above I-80 is pretty straight, the section south of Punxy is nice to at least 219 if not farther.
40
2/3
81.1
 Believe it or not, US-40 runs from Atlantic City to St Louis. US-40 slices across the southwest corner of PA via Washington and Uniontown. This road isn't much to write about since it tends to be very straight, but the scenery east of Uniontown is nice. Lots of tourist traffic though.
50
3
32.8
 Starts in Pittsburgh and heads thru Carnegie to Bridgeville (jct I-79) then heads west via Hickory and Avella to (almost) the PA/WV border at jct 844 in Independence. The part east of Bridgeville is city/suburb traffic. Once west of Bridgeville 50 is mostly OK, hampered by a long 35 MPH speed zone in Cecil. Things open up near Hickory and are pleasant from there to Avella. The last bit from Avella to Independence is actually pretty twisty.
56
2/3
108.5
 Heads east out of New Kensington to Indiana via Apollo, then cuts southeast to Bedford. Follows 422 and 119 (major highways) near Indiana, but is a nice two lane highway between there and Johnstown. A bit of four lane thru J-town and it returns to a two-lane highway to Bedford. The nice bits are worthy of a "3", but the slab parts are a two at best.
66
3
139.7
 Runs north from Greensburg to Kane via Apollo, New Bethlehem, Clarion and the Allegheny National Forest. The first section from Greensburg to Apollo isn't much fun, but it's pretty nice from Apollo to New Bethlehem, and then it straightens out a lot as it heads north. Some nice scenery north of I-80 in the ANF though.
119
2
134.8
 Starts at the PA/WV border between Morgantown and Point Marion, then heads north past Uniontown, Connellsville, Greensburg, Indiana, and Punxsutawny, finally ending at jct 219 in Dubois. All those cities along the way make for traffic and much of the road is four-lane. The southern bit around Point Marion is nice as is the section north of Punxy. Both can have traffic issues, but are good fun when traffic is light. Not a horrible road to get somewhere but not worth riding on its own aside from the sections mentioned.
120
3
103.2
 Heads east from 219 at Ridgeway and follows the Susquehanna River past Renovo to Lock Haven. Very nice from Emporium to Renovo, then mellows but still scenic to Lock Haven (jct 220). Fast, flowing sweepers along the river. Very nice.
136
3
43.5
 Runs east/west from Washington to Greensburg. Pavement quality varies from brand new to beat-up, but overall it's OK. Traffic can be a PITA at times, but it's usually not bad. Provides a nice enough way to get to the east suburbs while avoiding Pittsburgh.
144
3/4
108.8
 Runs north/south starting at Galeton (jct 6) at the north end and running south thru Renovo and Bellefonte to its end at jct 322 near State College. The Galeton to Renovo section offers nice sweepers for 30-some remote miles. The section just southh of Renovo is nicely twisty as it climbs up to Sproul State Forest, then mellows a bit as you motor through the forest. Civilization returns once you reach jct 879, but there are still some nice turns to be had on the way to jct Alt 220 in Milesburg. No real point on going further, the fun is over. Highly recommended.
156
3
16.4
 Runs from 422 at Sherlocta (near Indiana) to jct 981 at Avonmore. Route 56 shares the same road for about half of the length. Nice sweepers in the country.
166
3
24.0
 Runs north/south from jct 40 near Brownsville to jct 119 in Point Marion near the PA/WV border (just north of Morgantown). 166 is a nice ride with some twisty remote sections and a few small towns along the way. Usually little traffic on the weekends.
201
2/3
25.4
 Wanders vaguely south from jct 136 just outside West Newton to its end at Connellsville (jct 119). The extreme northern bit from 136 to jct 51 is OK and the southmost section from jct 51 to Connellsville is nice too. The C-shaped section west of 51 runs through lots of towns and isn't worth doing, just take 51 instead (four lane).
210
3
29.8
 Runs south from jct 119 just south of Punxsutawny to end at jct 156 south of 422. A mellow ride with long straights but it passes Keystone Lake which can be quite scenic. A nice alternate with 156 for getting back toward the 'burgh from Punxy.
217
3/4
21.5
 Runs north/south from jct 286 in Jacksonville, thru Blairsvilles and Derry to its end at jct 30. The 9 mile section between Jacksonville (jct 286) and Blairsville (jct 22) is very nice and is conveniently located at the end of a nice section of 286 (Clarksburg to Jacksonville). South of route 22 has a fair amount of traffic and is not as nice as north of 22.
218
3
13.5
 Runs north/south, connecting Waynesburg to Blacksville (jct WV 7) on the PA/WV border. Mostly mellow country highway, but has a few sections with nice sweepers. Makes a useful connector to get to/from Hundred, WV (via WV 7).
219
2/3
213.6
 Runs north/south across the whole state from the NY border passing through Dubois and Johnstown on its way to the MD border. Some sections get lots of traffic. Some sections are four lane. And some are worth doing. The section south of Dubois is nice as is the section south of Johnstown. 219 follows I-68 west for a bit before heading south in to WV.
221
2/3
31.0
 Runs southeast from jct 231 (south of Avella) thru Taylorstown, across route 18 at Prosperity, across 79 at Ruff Creek, to its end at jct 188 east of Waynesburg. The section north of Taylorstown is twisty and dirty as it runs through the state game lands. The section south of Taylorstown to Prosperity is nice. South of Prosperity is decent country road.
231
4
26.8
Narrow, twisty country road that runs north/south from Avella (north) to jct 18 near Nineveh (south). The 14 miles north of Claysville/40 is a very nice country road with some great scenery. The 13 miles south of Claysville/40 isn't quite as nice, but still worth doing.
281
3
46.0
 Runs southwest from Stoystown (jct 30) thru Somerset to New Lexington, then heads south to the PA/WV border via Confluence. Mostly mellow country highway with decent pavement. Nice scenery from New Lexington to Confluence,then it gets twisty from Confluence to jct 40. Mellow country highway south of 40 to the WV border where it turns into 26 (to jct I-68 in Bruceton Mills). The section from jct 653 in New Lexington to the WV border is the usual route to WV from the Laurel Highlands.
286
3
68.7
 Runs east/west from jct 22 in Monroeville (west) to jct 219 near Glen Campbell (east). A mostly pleasant ride in the country with some nice sweepers along the way. Traffic can be a PITA, or it can be light. The section between Clarksburg and Jacksonville is nice as is the section east of Clymer. TIP: Use the "286 Truck Route" to bypass downtown Indiana (422 east to 119 north).
331
TBD
12.5
 More of a country road than highway, 331 winds its way from the WV border near Bethany to Buffalo on route 844. NOTE: As of late 2006 there are at least two bridges out forcing detours on 331.
381
3/4
49.5
 Runs north/south from jct 30 near Ligonier to the WV border south of Farmington. The section from 30 to jct 31 is mostly country road past horse farms and state game lands. The section from 31 to Normalville sees lots of tourist traffic and isn't particularly interesting. The road gets nice south of Normalville to route 40, running past Fallingwater and Ohiopyle State Park. South of 40 to the WV border used to be a beat-up country road, but was tar/chipped in 2006 (smoother, but watch for loose gravel).
403
TBD
63.8
 Runs south from jct 119 thru Clymer (jct 286) to Johnstown (jct 56, 219) and on to end at jct 30 in Stoystown. Yet another meandering country highway.
453
3
43.8
 Runs south from Curwensville (jct 879) to jct 22, just past Tyrone. Sees lots of coal truck traffic, but has some nice sections. Pavement can be bumpy due to the coal trucks.
519
3
18.8
 Runs northwest from jct 40 thru Eighty Four and Houston to its end in Hickory (jct 50). The section from Houston to Hickory is especially nice.
536
4
16.6
 Runs west from jct 36 just north of Punxy to jct 28 a bit north of New Bethlehem. A very nice bit of sweepers with little traffic in farmland. Recommended.
555
4
26.3
 Very nice ride through elk country. Starts in Weedville (jct 255) and ends in Driftwood (jct 120). Lots of great sweepers in the forest.
653
3/4
26.4
 Runs east from Normalville, up the mountain past Laurel Ridge State Park to jct 281 in New Lexington. 653 continues on for another 13 miles to jct 219 in Garrett. The western half is good fun, the eastern half is mellow.
666
2
31.2
 The only thing scary about the "Devils Highway" is the nasty surface. Starts at jct 62 north of Tionesta and runs east to its end at jct 948. Beat-up asphalt followed by concrete with heaves between the slabs. Stay away until they re-pave it, then it will be a nice road in the boonies. Worth doing once, maybe, for the namesake.
711
3
54.7
 Runs southwest from Seward (jct 56) thru Ligonier to its end in Connellsville (jct 119). Mostly mellow sweepers in the Laurel Highlands with some traffic near the towns. Scenic mellow riding.
819
3
46.8
 Runs south from Apollo (jct 66) thru Greensburg and Mt Pleasant to its end at jct 210 in Vanderbilt. The section north of Greensburg is nice, but was tar/chipped in early 2006. Mellow country highway with some traffic Greensburg and Scottdale.
844
3
15.0
 Runs from just west of Washington to the WV border. Some nice sweepers as you head farther west, but a mellow road overall. A nice ride to the WV panhandle.
879
3
43.4
 Heads east from jct 219 in Grampian thru Clearfield and Karthous to end at jct 144 near Snowshoe. A nice mix of scenery along the river, long remote straights and even some twisties after Karthous.
948
TBD
40.9
 Starts to the north in Sheffield (jct 6) and runs south thru Ridgeway (jct 219) and then ends at jct 255 south of St Marys. Nice country highway, but nothing special. Provides somewhere to go after riding 666.
949
3
32.0
 Starts in Ridgeway (jct 219) and heads southwest to end at jct 39, just north of Brookville. Yet another nice country road, but nothing special.
954
3
35.3
 A nice country road with good pavement. Starts at jct 210, heads west to the Amish town of Smicksburg, then south to Plumsville and continues south thru Indiana to end at jct 56. A nice ride in the country aside from downtown Indiana.
981
3/4
50.4
 Runs mostly north/south aside from an east/west section at the south end (Smithton to Mt Pleasant). Starting from the south end at jct 51 near Smithton, 981 is more of a country road that runs east to jct 31 in Mt Pleasant. Road surface can be beat-up but there are signs work being done. North of Mt Pleasant to jct 22 north of Latrobe is nothing special. A mix of towns and mellow riding. The 8 mile section north of 22 in New Alexandria to Saltsburg is nice and has some good twisty bits (recommended). 981 mellows again north of Salsburg to its end at jct 819 a bit south of Apollo.
982
3/4
33.7
 Runs north/south from jct 22 north of Derry (north end) to jct 119 north of Connellsville (south end). The first 6 miles from jct 22 to Derry are rather nice. Then you have to work your way past Latrobe (jct 30). The last bit south of 30 is nice enough meandering country highway, but nothing special.