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.

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

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!

This stop was our two-day "play and reset" window between Acadia NP and New River Gorge NP -- a…read morequiet breather in the beautiful WV mountains. We stayed at the lodge and had breakfast there both mornings, mostly because options nearby are... well, nonexistent. Luckily the buffet was generous, the food was decent enough to fuel the day, and the views helped everything go down a little easier. Service, however, could definitely benefit from a hospitality tune-up -- a smile and a bit of warmth go a long way before coffee! That said, the park itself is lovely. We enjoyed peaceful trails surrounded by lush forest, and the falls are truly worth the trip -- dramatic and grounding. I got in a few good hikes, while my husband happily took in the waterfall views from the accessible paths, which are thoughtfully laid out and easy to navigate. In short: Beautiful park Scenic lodge views Buffet that gets the job done Service that could caffeinate their cheerfulness Perfect little nature pause before hitting our next national park.

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!).

Tony and I stopped at Cooper's Rock near Bruceton Mills to enjoy the beautiful weather and to enjoy…read morethe Almost Heaven Swing located there Its free to enjoy with tons of trails for hiking

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.

7/5/23. Have been coming here pretty much my whole life! My grandparent took my Mother/aunts when…read morethey were dating what became their husbands. I did the same now grandkids come!

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.

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.

It's hard for me to convey why visiting this landmark was so significant for me. I was a lad of 12…read morewhen I saw pictures of this house in a coffee table book about Frank Lloyd Wright in a mall bookstore. I remember because I was so drawn to the aesthetic of the building. It initiated my attraction to open living spaces, mid-century modern design, and organic architecture. All these decades later, I made it, and the sight of the house actually made me tingle. I said tingle, not tinkle. That happened in the surprisingly spacious restroom at the visitor center before the tour. Built in 1935 for Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann and his family as a vacation home, the unprecedented cantilevered construction is a 4 bed / 4 bath that would've been pooh-poohed by the more obnoxious wannabe buyers on "House Hunters". The main house is 9,200 square feet of which 4,400 are outdoor terraces. Outdoors is where Edgar's worldly wife Liliane threw parties for their friends. However, the key draw of the multilevel terraces was the sound and sights of the Bear Run stream underneath. Except for the Kaufmann's impressive art collection, there is nothing ornate about the two-tone house of light ochre and Cherokee red. The innovative design elements speak for themselves like the glass-enclosed staircase down to the stream. Given my longstanding desire to come here, I went for the $89 In-Depth Guided Tour which ran well over ninety minutes and gave us full access to the house interior and the surrounding grounds including the guesthouse and the gardener's cottage (now used as staff offices). Our guide Larry did a fine job sharing the history behind all the architectural details of Wright's idiosyncratic design and uncompromising commitment to organic compatibility. Be aware that the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy started a major $7 million preservation project in 2023 and it's not due to be complete until next year (fingers crossed). The advanced age of the structure had caused leaks, cracks, and corrosion, so repairs are still underway. However, some of the house was still covered with scaffolding with terrace access a bit limited. It didn't bug me though because we're talking about checking off a major bucket list item for me. RELATED - Exploring Pittsburgh? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qN_tq21lnL

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.

What a great place to visit!! A little over an hour from…read morePittsburgh and well worth the drive. I was surprised to learn there were several Buttermilk Falls in the area. Parking lot was spacious and there were restrooms too. There is a pathway down to the falls and also a long walkway around (Mister Rogers Pathway). We chose the long way around which was nice. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be during the fall months. When you arrive to the falls there is an overlook view which is really amazing. You then cross a little bridge and walk down a set of stairs to the waterfall. The stairs were fairly new and manageable- going down and back up. There is an area that you walk and stand under and behind the falls.. I loved that!!! It was so neat. We look forward to returning.

LRSP directions in Apple Maps has been fixed and should now work properly. DO NOT take Strawderman…read moreToad to Turnaround Road. Take 259 to Jenkins Hollow Road in Mathias to the Park.

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.