West Virginia Summer Fun

Cass Scenic Railroad
Durbin Rocket
Cheat Mountain Salamander
New Tygert Valley Flyer
The Potomac Eagle
Are all good trips & worth the price.
When I was working & needed to get away, I chose Cass Scenic because of the Green Bank Observatory has a 90 mile bubble around it that will not allow cell phones or pagers to work. Talk about getting away from it all!!!

Trout fishing is available in some areas. The state is beautiful but be well advised anytime you get off Interstates your life driving will become miserable. Under no circumstances do you want to drive on 60 it is up down cut back round and round. Where are you going to be? Lots of history including glass factory in Wheeling. They made/make some glass my wife gets dizzy over. There is a Hari Kristna Palace near Wheeling. And WV has the federal prison where Martha Stewart baked cookies. lol

WrightOn wrote:
After doing multiple searches for ideas in the state of West Virginia, I came up empty. So, regardless of what happens, your replies will help me and many others in the future who seek to spend a week or so in the Mountaineer state.

We are looking to spend a bit of time relaxing as well as do some outdoor adventure (hiking, rafting - more novice). We prefer to stay on the western two-thirds of the state as we are from Illinois.

I've come up with the following:

New River Gorge - bridge and rafting
Cass Scenic Railroad - worth the cost? Better train trips out there?
Burnsville Lake - rent a speed boat for the day? Better options out there?
Seneca Rock - hiking around looking at the scenery

Thoughts on these or other suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Brian

Beckley Coal Mine Tour!!

We have stayed at both Burnsville and Seneca Rocks.Seneca Rocks has almost nothing to do other than some hiking.Very remote area.Campground is decent.Burnsville has swimming,boating,fishing,hiking and some historic stuff.Campground is decent with some sites right along the lake.I would also recommend Pipestem State Park.They have everything.Nice campground,indoor and outdoor swimming,golf and mini golf,nature programs,fishing,horseback riding,archery,2 restaurants,one which you take a cable car ride to get to.I'm sure there are some things I forgot but there's alot to do.

These are great suggestions. Looks as if I have some computer time in my future deciding on which part of the state to visit. I appreciate the help. I just hope I don't run into those Ginseng'ers!

I grew up in the Northern panhandle and I currently live in the Eastern panhandle. I know you want to stay closer to the western side of Wv. But Blackwater Falls state park is beautiful. Harper's Ferry is actually located in the eastern panhandle... Lots of beauty and history there. And if you ever have the time, it's a must see location to visit. Plus it's a rock skip and jump to D.C. and Gettysburg.

Canaan Valley is nice, with a great golf course as well. You can use that as a base camp to visit Dolly Sods (great hiking there), and Blackwater Falls isn't too far away.
Another place you might want to consider is Pipestem SP, on the southeast border near Princeton/Blufield.

you are on the right track for some great things to do.
I have never hiked Seneca Rocks, but the sight-seeing alone is worth the winding roads. Canaan was mentioned and not too far from Seneca Rocks. It is a beautiful valley with nice cool weather. Check out Dolly Sods not too far from there.

The New River Gorge is incredible. My husband and I are fond of taking the one lane road that goes under the bridge and seeing the views from the bottom. Summersville Lake is my all time favorite and near the Gorge. Battle Run is a great campground but weekends are hard to book. I love the people at the Burnsville Marina, but the lake isn't much to see. Summersville will be much better and you can rent a pontoon as well as paddle boards, etc at the marina. The water is crystal clear and the rock formations pretty cool. Carnifex Ferry battlefield is nearby. We have never spent alot of time in the Northern Panhandle but it is a very historic region with thing like Harper's Ferry.
Pocahontas county is just beautiful country. You can check out the cute little town of Lewisburg in the eastern part of the state near the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulpher Springs. Not alot to do there that I know of. Maybe some tubing down rivers and just kicking back. There are hiking trails all over the state. Maybe search the Rails to Trails program. Try searching Greenbrier River.

Regarding trains...my husband is an excursion train nut. Cass is ok, but nothing special. There are several excursion trains that leave out of the Elkins area. (that is also up towards Canaan and Seneca Rocks.)

This state gets a bad rap but is filled with natural beauty. I have lived here all my life, but still find new things to explore on our Sunday drives. Lots of history here too. Search Mary Engles or read the book "Follow the River". Most of her journey took her through WV.

Enjoy!!!

New River raft trips- there are several guide companies to chose from, and experience levels from slow lazy family trips, to class 3-4 white water trips.

We stayed at Battle Run Campground on Summersville Lake off US19. Water and electric on lake with dump station. 20 miles north of New River Gorge.
www.recreation.gov
We liked the Cass Scenic RR although it was foggy the day we went and the views from the top weren't that great. We still enjoyed it.
Another park that gets good reviews for things to do is Canaan Valley Resort State Park. I don't think the campground gets excellent reviews but all the things they offer there keep you busy.
West Virginia is a beautiful state! We also thought Harpers Ferry was interesting but that's too far from where you want to stay.