State: | WV |
Type: | US |
Route: | 33 |
Map Custom: | yes |
Map Notes: | US 33 highlighted in red |
Length Mi: | 248 |
Established: | 1926 |
Direction A: | West |
Terminus A: | at the Ohio state line |
Junction: | from Ravenswood to Ripley from Spencer to Buckhannon in Weston from Weston to Elkins in Elkins in Franklin |
Direction B: | East |
Terminus B: | at the Virginia state line |
Previous Type: | WV |
Previous Route: | 32 |
Next Type: | WV |
Next Route: | 34 |
Counties: | Jackson, Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, Randolph, Pendleton |
U.S. Route 33 (US 33) in the U.S. state of West Virginia extends 248miles from the Ohio River at Ravenswood to the Virginia state line atop Shenandoah Mountain west of Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Shortly after entering West Virginia and crossing the Ohio River, US 33 turns south, then east in Ravenswood. It then joins SR 2's freeway, turning northeast, then east again to Silverton. The two routes then split, and US 33 joins Interstate 77 to Ripley. The route then turns east from I-77, joining US 119 at Spencer, then passing through extremely rural areas of Roane, Calhoun, Gilmer, and Lewis counties.
US 33 Intersects Interstate 79 at Weston, West Virginia. From Interstate 79 east, US 33 is a four-lane highway, part of Corridor H of the Appalachian Development Highway System. The four-lane segment continues on through rural areas of Upshur, and Randolph counties, to just a couple miles past Elkins.
At Harding, US 250 joins US 33 for several miles after Elkins, where US 33 joins SR 55 and returns to a two-lane road, except for a seven-mile (11 km) section of four-lane across Kelly Mountain between Canfield and Bowden. Passing through the Monongahela National Forest, US 33 crosses the Eastern Continental Divide between Harman and Onego at about 3240feet elevation, entering Pendleton County, then descends the Allegheny Front along Seneca Creek, skirting the north end of Spruce Mountain, at 4861feet the highest point of the Allegheny Mountains.
US 33 then joins SR 28 at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, and continues south in the Potomac River headwaters through scenic forest and farmland landscapes. Turning eastward from SR 28 at Judy Gap, US 33 crosses North Fork Mountain at about 3600feet, with a turnout on the western slope offering a scenic view of the Germany Valley below and the more distant Allegheny Front from Spruce Knob to Dolly Sods. US 220 joins US 33 for about half a mile in Franklin. After Franklin, US 33 continues eastward through rural areas, then climbs steeply to cross Shenandoah Mountain at Dry River Gap at about 3450feet into Rockingham County, Virginia.