While planning an upcoming slab-fest from Charlotte to Cleveland I had to spend a night between the cities to work. Having to work until late morning and needing to be in Cleveland by 5:00PM, left for little time off the interstates and hitting whatever good road I could find in central Ohio. Scrolling around google maps I looked for a road that would keep me off the slab I happened to spot Ohio SR 555. Some google-fu found that this road was known to most as the Triple Nickel – and I needed to ride it.
The triple nickel as I took it, from south to north, runs 62 miles from Little Hocking Ohio to Zanesville Ohio. The number of towns crossed is only known to the people most intimate with Ohio’s geography and census data. It’s hard to tell where one town boundary stops and another begins since each grouping of houses and tired looking businesses is so small, old, and generally dilapidated.
The south end of the road starts with slow sleepy corners that get progressively more intense. Pavement is smooth and well banked at the southernmost end which lulls you into a sense of safety and security. Relaxing in the early miles is problematic because you’ll soon find yourself in a tight corner with little room to escape. Rolling hills give way to quick elevation changes combined with hard corners, the occasional tar snake, and occasional gravel corner. Quick up-and-down “whoops” swallow up your vision making you guess what is coming next. I found myself stretching my neck and sitting up straighter as I approached the top of these roller coaster-like bumps in a futile attempt to grab a glimpse of which way the road may be heading.
I had a few shaky hill-cresting-losing-the-road moments initially, but I settled in and started to think technically about the road and enjoyed the hell out of it. Reading the environments visual cues (which way are the trees splitting, look for signs of banking in the road, and when in doubt slow the hell down) I found a groove on this amazing road. When you learn that a “Turn ahead – 25mph” sign may mean 35 to you -stick with that. Thankfully the Ohio DOT is consistent which gives you a chance to find a pace and read the upcoming turns a ride a solid pace.
The Good
- Beautiful scenery
- Ugly scenery – May fall into beautiful if, like me, you appreciate old, abandoned, and run down buildings.
- Technically challenging – pretty hard road that requires constant concentration
- Interchanges are all well marked making it easy to stay on the route
- Corner speeds, and severity are extremely well marked throughout
- Very low on traffic – at least it was on a Friday at noon
Warnings
I did run into a few things that need to be said as a warning.
- Farm equipment may be lurking around every corner so be careful.
- There is a fair amount of gravel in some of the turns. You can use visual cues (is there a large runoff area with grave – or very little berm)as you approach each corner though to identify the ones that may be problems
- Tar snakes sneak up on you
- The whoop-like hills are extremely fun but there is usually a sharp turn immediately following them
- This road would be tough in the fall with the threat of wet / damp leaves on every turn
The biggest misconception I had coming into this road is that it is like Deals Gap and the famous tail of the dragon that spans the North Carolina and Tennessee border. Other reviews refer to SR555 being “Ohios version of tail of the dragon.” Those reviews are wrong. The amount of technical skill and concentration required to successfully challenge yourself and ride this road aggressively easilly surpasses the famous ride and continues for many more than eleven miles. Beyond the technical aspects of this road is the few places you get to take your eyes off the road and take in the beautiful Ohio countryside. After researching the road a more I found out there are some amazing offroad places for the adventure riders. People need to let each road take on it’s own persona and excel in its own way. You should only compare Ohio State route 555 few others.
I would recommend this road to anyone traveling in this part of Ohio that is look for a challenge. If you are at all interested in a .gpx file of the route you can find it here.
| Title: | Ohio State Route 555 |