Tony and I went for a nice hike today at Valley Falls State Park in Fairmont WV…read more The Park is lovely and the Park is free to enjoy with plenty of picnic tables, restrooms, grills, playground, and the gorgeous waterfalls

Valley Falls State Park. Fairmont, WV. My husband and I visited this scenic West Virginia State…read morePark in Sept, 2025. Its highlight is a series of four cascading WATERFALLS on the Tygart Valley River that are easily accessible by a short path from the parking lot. There are large flat rocks right next to the falls, allowing for scenic photographs but no swimming. (Fishing with license and whitewater kayaking are allowed). Fun Fact: this is one of the sites for West Virginia's "Almost Heaven" swings, installed by the state's Department of Tourism across the state for photo opps. This particular swing has the falls in the background. (As of late 2025, there are 51 swings in the state). We had a unique experience at the park in that we were approached by a park volunteer in an ATV offering us a ride down to the falls, and then continuing along some park paths with his commentary about the history of the site as a 19th-century mill town, and pointing out some gristmills. Both park admission and the ATV ride were free although we did give the volunteer a tip. There are 18 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, ranging from easy to difficult. We didn't do any hiking on this visit, but did eat our picnic lunch at one of the conveniently located picnic table. There is a gift shop on-site, as well as clean restrooms. It's also a site on WV's Waterfalls Trail, wherein you can earn prizes for checking it at specific WV waterfalls. Note that this is a day-use park, so no camping is allowed. Wi-Fi connectivity is low to non-existent. We approached the park from the south, near Pruntytown, WV, and while the distance was short (about 12 miles), it took us about 25 minutes to reach because of curvy roads. On our return, we went to Tygart Lake State Park, via Grafton, where we camped for the night.

Just visited Blackwater Falls for the first time with my husband. We are both senior citizens but…read morewas still able to do many of the hikes available in the park. The views were wonderful everywhere we went. We stayed at the lodge where the accommodations were clean and comfortable. The staff were friendly and helpful with a special shout out to Jared running the front desk in the evening. A lot of sightseeing can be done from the car also for those physically challenged. We ate dinner in the lodge restaurant with its spectacular view and the food was very good. This park was free and not commercialized unlike some we have visited in other states. Within driving distance don't forget to visit Seneca Rocks and Dolly Sods. I would highly recommend to visit this park and its surrounding areas.

I really enjoyed walking the boardwalk and seeing the beautiful sites at this State Park especially…read morethe Falls. I also love all the information you can read about the history of the park and all it entails along the way. Want to get Out and About? Check It Out!

We had a wonderful few days camping at Coopers Rock! The…read moresites are a good size and decently spaced apart so we have a good amount of privacy. The campsite bathroom was clean, well stocked and regularly maintained. All of the employees at the trading post were friendly as well! Park rangers drove around regularly (4-5 time through the campsite a day I'd say). My only wish would be adding closure information onto the website so people know ahead of time. During our visit the main overlook was under construction/maintenance so there was no access to it. Which was a little disappointing since it looks beautiful online! But it was a short 5 minute walk out to the overlook so it was easy to get back to a different trail. (It is clear the individuals who work and manage the park take great pride in it, and take care of the facilities wonderfully!).

My husband and I just went on a camping trip to Coopers Rock and loved our time there! The views…read morewere beautiful, the trails were well cleared, and the bathroom at the main overlook site was one of the cleanest bathrooms we've ever been in. The Ravens Rock trail has a beautiful outlook with cool, large rock structures. And the rock city trail was super fun too! The free maps of all the trails are very helpful. Some blazes could've been marked a bit clearer and some signs for trail heads could be adjusted as well. There is limited parking at trail heads so be sure to get there early to beat the crowds. The trading post was a fun addition with Coopers Rock merch, stickers (our personal fav), some local goods, firewood, some camping supplies, and even some ice cream treats! Overall we had a really nice stay!

Nice paths, old-growth trees, waterfalls, slow waters, wild birds, dragonflies!…read more Swallow Falls State Park near Deep Creek Lake, MD, is a nice park with well-marked paths and plenty of parking. We hiked half-a-day (Jun 2026) from the parking lot to scenic waterfalls in forests where Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone camped-in 1921. We saw some of the 37-acres of 360-year-old eastern hemlock and white pine trees, the largest of the few areas in Maryland that have never been logged, bypassed during the eastern-US logging boom of the the late 1800s and early 1900s. They tended to look a little scraggly around the base, i suppose from living an un-trimmed life in the un-tamed weather and climate. We were thrilled to read that, on June 16, 2026, the removal of old-growth forests that were threatened by bridge construction on Swallow Falls Road was blocked by the courts. Thank-you to the folks of Garrett County and the Chesapeake Legal Alliance!!! We love these old trees :-) We heard twittering birds, possibly blackburnian warblers, chickadees, nuthatches, and kinglets. We followed a rising rumbling sound, and found ourselves at a tall waterfall that roars and mists. We were careful to avoid rushing waters, and found that wading and crossing were pleasantly refreshing and not too slippery. We saw kayakers, and one paused to explain they liked these calmer waters for beginners and for staying in condition in less challenging settings. We loved the gold and black "black-shouldered spinylegs" dragonflies, we and may have glimpsed a rare all-black "sable clubtail" dragonfly, who flitted about but didnt wait for a photo or an entomology app. Let's say we saw one :-). It was a lovely cooler half-day deep in nature in a not-too-challenging environment in rare-these-days old-growth forests.

What a wonderful afternoon out in nature! The falls were beautiful and the hike was pretty easy. We…read morewere visiting some friends up in deep creek and we decided to take it outside and enjoy this beautiful day. So glad we did, it was one of the first "nice" days of spring when we attended. It was pretty crowded, but we still had no issues parking and even enjoyed the scenic drive to the park.

We were driving the back road of Rt 50 on our way into Maryland for our adventure and just before…read morewe were to reach Cathedral State Park in Aurora WV area we happened upon this Yard Sale at the Aurora Area Historical Society building...oh wow, two birds with one stone Yard Sale shopping and seeing historical artifacts but that was not the case. The ladies at the Yard Sale were busy putting things out. It was about 8am. They first told us that they were not ready for us to look around but if we needed to go for it. Then when I started into the building (both doors open wide) they stopped me..the museum was closed. So I guess nothing good about this stop. Didn't buy anything, didn't get to see anything in the museum so we went on down the road..after my hubby Tony used the port a potty on site. Oh well, saved me time and money!!

Yesterday after Joshua and I had a great lunch, we decided to check out the Edith B. Barill…read moreRiverfront Park & Trail in Star City area of Morgantown. The park is free to enjoy. There is plenty of parking. Some decking style docks along river to stroll, a gazebo, a few shelters & picnic tables (no grills) there is a very nice bathroom facility near the oversized Children's fabulous playground with swings. Plenty of signage depicting the history with photos along with name plaques for the trees. Some beautiful wildflowers and wildlife including plenty of ducks with babies. Definitely a great little place to enjoy some fresh air. There is also a shaved ice truck and you can rent paddle bikes for the river. Several nice memorials including one of President JFK

Dilapidated and dangerous playground facilities. This playground needs to be torn down. The…read morebathrooms along the rail trail are nice.

Frank Lloyd Wright nerd here. Traveled from Minneapolis purely to visit Fallingwater. Paid a little…read moreextra for the upgraded tour and would recommend doing so for anyone contemplating a visit. The tour guide was amazing and had detailed information about not only the property, but the original owners (the Kaufmanns) and FLW himself. It was everything I had hoped for - bucket list item

I've been wanting to visit this place since I was a kid. I finally got there. They are doing a lot…read moreof work on the building so unfortunately, a lot of the building was covered with scaffolding which was unfortunate and they were offering refunds, but this was only time to get there so I went. I did the guided house tour which was great. The lady who did the tour was very knowledgeable. I appreciate that they give you ear pieces so you can hear and don't need to feel like you need to be so close to the guide to hear. Unfortunately, there was a medical emergency (ambulances and all) so we could not get to the 3rd floor, but they did let us see the staff quarters instead which I do not believe was part of our tour initially. They had a really nice gift shop as well. They also had a café but I did not look into there so I do not know exactly what was being offered. I would love to visit again once the scaffolding and tarps are gone. Regardless, this place is very peaceful and just beautiful inside and out.

We had a wonderful time at the falls and there wasn't a lot of people there nature was absolutely…read moregorgeous

We went in the midst of a 90 degree plus heat wave, the falls were more of a trickle…read more Reaching the falls requires a nice little walk through the woods on a paved path.

Lost River state park has so much to offer:…read more Cranny Crow Overlook is 4 mile hike with the great views and worth the effort. Riding stables are great place to have a beginner get a first horseback riding experience. ($26/hour). Sulphuric spring is an interesting historic and wonder list place. The water spout is wonderful color due to water content. Cabins seems a great base for nearby fishing spots. Worth visiting for the reasons above.

Definitely a hidden gem!! Everyone here was so friendly and the cabin i rented was so nice…read more everything i could need (countless cooking utensils, plenty of towels, guides, and ice already in the trays) was provided. i cant tell you enough about the trails. my above all favorite is the white oak trail to cranny crow. cant beat the price, experience, or service. i'm returning in october.