At Coopers Rock State Forest in northern West Virginia, the Cheat River carves a deep, sandstone canyon through thick forest, making the area one of the most popular outdoors destinations in the Morgantown area. While most flock to the overlook near the main parking area at Coopers Rock, the nearby Raven Rock Trail offers an …
Continue reading Raven Rock Trail (Coopers Rock State Forest, WV)
The 252-mile Tuscarora Trail—the shorter cousin to the much-vaunted, nearby Appalachian Trail—weaves through tree-studded mountain ranges and rolling farmlands spanning four different Mid-Atlantic states: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. While completing the full length of the trail takes several weeks, day hikers can cover short sections along the trail. There are few better jaunts …
Continue reading Tuscarora Trail to Eagle Rock (George Washington National Forest, VA/WV)
Dwarfed in size by nearby New River Gorge National River, Babcock State Park is often overlooked by visitors to southern West Virginia. Yet the park, most famous for its photogenic grist mill, offers several excellent hiking options. While the best lie elsewhere in the park, the short Island in the Sky Trail is easily accessible …
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Southern West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River includes dozens of waterfalls, some easier to reach than others. Among the relatively simple is Butcher Branch Falls, which, despite being less than a half-mile from the Kaymoor Top Trailhead, is rarely crowded. The moderately difficult hike drops 150 feet from the western rim of New River …
Continue reading Butcher Branch Falls (New River Gorge National River, WV)
Before the New River Gorge Bridge—the longest arch bridge in the western hemisphere—was constructed in 1977, travelers across New River Gorge in southern West Virginia were forced to descend and ascend more than 800 feet in elevation on the slow and winding Fayette Station Road. The road also serviced a pair of small mining towns, …
Continue reading Fayette Station Road (New River Gorge National River, WV)
2017 is nearly in the books, and it’s been a banner year for Live and Let Hike. Viewership reached new heights (roughly 85,000 visitors and 167,000 page views in 2017), and I added 76 new posts this year that covered hikes, scenic byways, and other destinations in 11 different states: California, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, …
Tibbet Knob (2,920’) is the slightly lower, less crowded cousin of nearby Big Schloss, situated along the Virginia-West Virginia border in George Washington National Forest. The summit offers sweeping views of Trout Run Valley in the heart of the Great North Mountain range, while a lower viewpoint ½ mile from the trailhead looks out across …
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At 2,964 feet, Big Schloss is not the highest peak on Great North Mountain—which stretches for 50 miles along the Virginia-West Virginia border—but it is arguably the grandest. Named for the German word for palace or castle, Big Schloss offers panoramic views of some of the most beautiful terrain in the mid-Atlantic: rugged hillsides, majestic …
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Situated on a high plateau in the heart of West Virginia’s Appalachian country, Dolly Sods Wilderness in Monongahela National Forest offers alpine-like meadows and sweeping vistas that are virtually unparalleled in the mid-Atlantic. Once one of the state’s best kept secrets, Dolly Sods is now a popular backpacking destination and boasts a maze of interlocking …
Continue reading Blackbird Knob Loop (Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV)
Straddling a windswept section of the Allegheny Front, West Virginia’s Dolly Sods Wilderness offers what is heralded by some as the best hiking on the eastern seaboard. The Dolly Sods North hike is arguably the best of the best: a stunning, 10.6-mile stem-and-loop through blissful meadows and spruce forests with terrific views of the Canaan …
Continue reading Dolly Sods North Loop (Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV)
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