State Route 42 (SR 42) is a primary
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintained by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. Running parallel to and west of
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...
, SR 42 consists of three sections, with gaps filled by secondary routes in between. Some of SR 42 lies along the old
Fincastle Turnpike
The Fincastle Turnpike, also known as the "Fincastle and Blue Ridge Turnpike Company", was approved in 1834 by the Virginia General Assembly to maintain a toll turnpike that followed part of the Wilderness Road from Fincastle, Virginia, to the Cumb ...
. Another major piece, from near
Clifton Forge to
Buffalo Gap, parallels the old
Virginia Central Railroad
The Virginia Central Railroad was an early railroad in the U.S. state of Virginia that operated between 1850 and 1868 from Richmond westward for to Covington. Chartered in 1836 as the Louisa Railroad by the Virginia General Assembly, the railr ...
.
Route description
Smyth County
SR 42 begins at
State Route 91 at
Broadford, where SR 91 turns north to cross
Brushy Mountain. SR 42 continues the east-northeasterly path of SR 91 through the valleys formed by the
North Fork Holston River
The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennesse ...
, crossing
State Route 16 at
Black Hill.
Bland County
SR 42 continues past
Groseclose Store and
Ceres, meeting
State Route 623 at
Sharon Springs, the source of the North Fork Holston River. A low crossing of the
Tennessee Valley Divide
The Tennessee Valley Divide is the boundary of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and its tributaries.
The Tennessee River drainage basin begins with its tributaries in southwestern Virginia and flows generally west to the confluence of t ...
at about takes SR 42 into the valleys formed by
Walker Creek. After passing
Effna, SR 42 joins
U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...
as that route comes down from its
Big Walker Mountain
Big Walker Mountain is a mountain ridge in the Appalachian Mountains of the western part of the U.S. state of Virginia. Walker's Creek flows along the northern foot of the mountain. The mountain is named after explorer Thomas Walker who passed t ...
crossing. SR 42 crosses
Interstate 77
Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...
as it approaches
Bland, and, in Bland, it meets
State Route 98 and parts ways with US 52, still heading east-northeast near Walker Creek. SR 42 passes
Point Pleasant and
Crandon, and meets
State Route 738 at
Mechanicsburg, before crossing
Kimberling Creek, a tributary of Walker Creek, and then entering Giles County.
Giles County

SR 42 continues to follow
Walker Creek through Giles County, passing
White Gate before ending at
State Route 100 at
Poplar Hill.
SR 42 formerly turned north on SR 100, following Walker Creek northeast to
Staffordsville. There it turned east on current
State Route 730 (now connected to SR 100 via SR 750, an old alignment of SR 100), following some smaller brooks and passing over a summit on its way to
Eggleston, where it crossed the
New River. SR 730 continues through a rather hilly area from Eggleston to its end at
U.S. Route 460, from which US 460 follows
Sinking Creek past
Maybrook to the next piece of SR 42 near
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
* Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...
.
SR 42 begins again at
U.S. Route 460 near
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
* Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...
. It crosses old US 460 in Newport and begins following Sinking Creek in a general east-northeasterly direction.
Craig County
After entering Craig County, SR 42 passes the communities of
Huffman,
Simmonsville, and
Sinking Creek, the creek with that name ending soon after. SR 42 then crosses a summit at and begins to parallel
Meadow Creek past
Looney
Looney or loonie may refer to:
People
* Looney (surname)
* Looney or lunatic, antiquated term for mentally ill person
* LoOney (born 1980), Serbian singer-songwriter, actor, director and comic artist
* Looney, nickname of William Hinde (1900� ...
to
Meadow Creek Falls, where it reaches its first twisty section. It descends through a gap between
Sinking Creek Mountain and
Johns Creek Mountain and down the slopes of Johns Creek Mountain into the town of
New Castle, where it ends again at
State Route 311. This descent takes it from at Looney down to in New Castle.
SR 42 once continued northeast on
State Route 615, part of the way to
U.S. Route 220
U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways, which run east-west. US 220 extends for ...
near
Eagle Rock
Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
. (The gap was never completely filled, and part of SR 615 was
State Route 43.) This route generally parallels
Craig Creek
Craig Creek (also known as Craig's Creek or Craigs Creek) is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia. ...
, which takes the waters of Meadow Creek from New Castle into the
James River
The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...
at Eagle Rock. From Eagle Rock, which is in
Botetourt County
Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains.
Botetourt Co ...
,
U.S. Route 220
U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways, which run east-west. US 220 extends for ...
heads north, mostly along the James River, to
Cliftondale Park (east of
Clifton Forge) in Alleghany County. There, US 220 joins
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
/
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as General Booth Bouleva ...
to the west, but the old SR 42 heads east on old US 60 (State Route 670 and
State Route 632) over a summit at about to
State Route 269.
Alleghany County
The third—and longest—piece of SR 42 begins where old
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as General Booth Bouleva ...
becomes
State Route 269. SR 42 begins by heading north, along with SR 269, to exit 29 of
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
/US 60. There SR 269 ends, while SR 42 heads north-northeasterly, generally following the
Cowpasture River
The Cowpasture River is a chief tributary of the James River in western Virginia in the United States. It is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011
Cou ...
past
Nicelytown and into Bath County.
Bath County
SR 42 continues near the Cowpasture River past
Nimrod Hall to
State Route 39 at
Millboro Springs. It turns east with SR 39, rising from about at Millboro Springs to about near
Hotchkiss. There the ground levels out, and the combined SR 39 and SR 42 continue east, paralleling
Mill Creek into Rockbridge County at
Panther Gap.
Rockbridge County
SR 39 and SR 42 continue to parallel Mill Creek from Panther Gap into
Goshen, where SR 39 splits to the southwest and SR 42 turns northeast, crossing the
Calfpasture River
The Calfpasture River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It flows about from its source, Gordons Peak in the Allegheny Mountains, to its confluence with the Little Calfpasture River, forming the Maury River. Via the Maury, the Calfpasture ...
. It runs alongside some small creeks on its way to
Bells Valley, and continues to follow small creeks into Augusta County.
Augusta County
SR 42 passes through
Craigsville, Following the
Little Calfpasture River from there past
Augusta Springs and
Mount Elliott Springs to
Chapin. It crosses a summit of at
North Mountain and then follows
Buffalo Branch through
Buffalo Gap to the west end of
State Route 254.
Once SR 42 passes through Buffalo Gap, the land is flatter, and the road heads cross-country, still in a north-northeasterly direction, past
Churchville (where it crosses
U.S. Route 250
U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia, to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohi ...
),
Stover
Stover are the leaves and stalks of field crops, such as corn (maize), sorghum or soybean that are commonly left in a field after harvesting the grain. It is similar to straw, the residue left after any cereal grain or grass has been harvested ...
,
Parnassus
Mount Parnassus (; , ''Parnassós'') is a mountain range of central Greece that is, and historically has been, especially valuable to the Greek nation and the earlier Greek city-states for many reasons. In peace, it offers scenic views of the c ...
,
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
,
Mount Solon, and
Mossy Creek.
Rockingham County
SR 42 continues through
Bridgewater, where
State Route 257 joins it from the east, to
Dayton
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
.
State Route 42 Business follows the old road through Dayton, and SR 257 leaves to the west, while
State Route 290 crosses there. Then SR 42 enters the city of
Harrisonburg on High Street. It passes straight through Harrisonburg from High Street across
U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north– ...
(Market Street) onto Virginia Avenue, leaving the city to the north.
SR 42 continues in its north-northeasterly direction from Harrisonburg, passing
Edom
Edom (; Edomite language, Edomite: ; , lit.: "red"; Akkadian language, Akkadian: , ; Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian: ) was an ancient kingdom that stretched across areas in the south of present-day Jordan and Israel. Edom and the Edomi ...
,
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
(where it crosses
State Route 259), and
Timberville (where it weets the west end of
State Route 211 and crosses the
North Fork Shenandoah River
The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 in ...
, which also passes through Broadway).
Shenandoah County
At
Forestville, SR 42 turns to the northwest until
Getz Corner, where it again turns north-northeasterly. It passes
Hudson Crossroads,
Conicville,
Davey Hill, and
Columbia Furnace, where it meets
State Route 675, formerly part of
State Route 59 west into
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. At Columbia Furnace, SR 42 curves to the east, using the old SR 59 past
Harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...
and
Calvary
Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified.
Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...
and across
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...
to its end at
U.S. Route 11
U.S. Route 11 or U.S. Highway 11 (US 11) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway extending across the eastern U.S. The southern terminus of the route is at US 90 in Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refu ...
and State Route 670 in southern
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
.
Major intersections
SR 42 Business
State Route 42 Business is a former segment of SR 42 that was converted into a business route that runs through
downtown Dayton
Downtown Dayton is the central business district of Dayton, Ohio, United States. Major reinvestment in the downtown area began heavily in the mid-1990s, and continues today with $2 billion in residential, commercial, health, and transportation de ...
. It begins westbound at the northern terminus of the SR 42/
257
__NOTOC__
Year 257 (Roman numerals, CCLVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 1010 ''Ab urbe condita'') ...
overlap
Overlap may refer to:
* In set theory, an overlap of elements shared between sets is called an intersection, as in a Venn diagram.
* In music theory, overlap is a synonym for reinterpretation of a chord at the boundary of two musical phrases
* Ove ...
, and turns north onto Main Street less than a block later. One block north of there, the road is briefly joined by SR 701 at Huffman Drive, then carries that concurrency for three more blocks, only for that road to branch off to the north onto College Street (
SR 290). The route continues to run along the northwest side of SR 42 until it finally terminates at a poultry farm just north of town.
References
External links
Virginia Highways Project: VA 42
{{s-end
042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
State Route 042
Virginia Byways