The USDA Forest Service website is really confusing for this recreational area, which apparently…read moreconsists of several unlinked areas across southeastern Ohio. The address for this listing is for the Marietta Unit, which was the closest official address I could find. I'm still not totally sure where the trailhead was (obviously, I was not the one who drove up), but the trail we took was the "Scenic River Trail." There wasn't much of a view due to all of the trees still being leafy, but it was a good challenging hike. We actually did not make it to the end of the trail, and I'm not really sure how far we went since the trail did not seem to have mile markers. There were the yellow diamond trail markers and some posts in the ground, but neither were labeled. It would be lovely to take the trail again when the leaves start to change, and again when the leaves are down and you can actually see the "Scenic River."

This beautiful red bridge was completed in 1887 and it originally spanned the Tug Fork of Big Mill…read moreCreek. It was named after Enoch Staats, whose water-powered mill and store anchored the surrounding community. The Staats family were early settlers, arriving around 1780. Enoch's father, Isaac Staats, built the first mill on the site. H.T. Hartley built it using the Long Truss system, patented by Stephen Long in 1830, featuring distinctive "X"-braced diagonals across 11 panels. In 1971, the bridge was modified with steel girders inside the original trusses to support modern loads and in 1983, it was relocated about three miles to here and converted to pedestrian only use. The park can get quite busy on beautiful summer days so be prepared to be challenged finding a parking space. [Review 571 of 2025 - 156 in West Virginia - 24132 overall]

This lovely piece of history has been a constant in my life growing up. We have many outings at…read moreCedar Lakes Park in Ripley, and this lovely red wooden historical covered bridge has been in the scenery backdrop all those many years. The bridge is well built since 1887. Built in 1887, the Staats Mill Covered Bridge originally crossed the Tug Fork of Big Mill Creek and was named for Enoch Staats' water-powered mill.. The Staats family were early settlers to the area, arriving around 1780. The bridge is a 97-foot-long "long truss" built by Henry Hartley This location is not the original location it was moved here for safe keeping and easy public access. My people use this lovely old bridge as a back drop in photo ops for weddings, prom, graduation, birthday pics, various different ideas. This is a lovely bridge and FREE to enjoy

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

This is a very cool park! My children tend to gravitate toward parks and playgrounds where there…read moreare open-ended and tactile features available, and this park has that. There are boulders to climb, outdoor musical instruments to play, a treehouse to play pretend in (and is wheelchair accessible!), a merry-go-round, swings, a traditional playground structure with slides, and lots more. The playground area is lined with wood chips. There is also lots of space to run around, and lots of trees. Like the name of the park suggests, this is a very sensory-friendly park, and there are nature stations set up all around where you can use your senses to explore. There is also a short, paved trail that goes around the park, which is wide and smooth enough for strollers and wheelchairs. The trail goes by a creek, which is nice. As of right now, this is the only sensory-friendly park in the state of Ohio! It's definitely worth a visit.

This is a really neat and wonderfully inclusive park. This features a short, paved path that is…read morewheelchair and walker accessible. Along the path are a variety of interactive stations that are also designed to be accessible. If you start near the entry sign, you'll find a Little Free Library, which, on our recent visit, was loaded with a lot of great kids options. Just ahead is a variety of benches and a little music garden, featuring musical instruments that can be played, and you can also interact with the Rough Bark Tactile Display to learn more about different tree barks. A little further down are the cutest animal looking instruments that can also be used. As you continue down the path, you find a swingset with a variety of swings that include both traditional and accessible options. There's a nice little shaded bench area with information about the creek, Fetter's Run, that can be seen from the location. As you proceed along, a very exciting find is the Treehouse, which is built within the forest trees as opposed to up in one, which allows a wheelchair ramp to make it accessible. This overlooks the creek and has things to explore, like neat nature art and a second floor (not accessible) with a fire pole. At the end of the path is a shelter house with picnic tables and nearby grills. Most, if not all, of the signage included Braille translations, as well. There is a large parking lot here, but I do note that this is located behind a school, so I'm not sure how that would affect parking for a visit during a school day.

I am a big fan of history. I like reading about it. I like to view videos and also listen to…read morepeople talk about it. So when I knew I was going to vein this area. I decided to find a place to visit. And Fort Boreman popped up. So I came here. It was awesome to visit. But I wish I didn't visit in winter. Because the view from the top of the hill was slightly obstructed by the snow and fog. But I still enjoyed myself. And read all the signs. I was happy to take the small trail around the fort. I do wish when the civil war ended that they didn't tear everything dow. But that's ok. I was able to use my mind and pretend. And it was awesome.

Fun find; glad I found this on a list of local areas to visit. The park isn't huge, but what it…read morelacks in size it makes up for in vistas! Fort Boreman is the site of a Civil War fort and overlooks an area formed by the confluence of the Ohio river and the Little Kanawha river in nearby Parkersburg.

The Muskingum River system of locks and dams is the oldest of its kind in the USA. No wonder. At…read morethe business end of the river is the town of Marietta, the oldest settlement in the Northwest Territory. But during the 1800s and early 1900s, the river flooded terribly in the spring and dried up in the summer. Starting in 1836, Ohio built 11 hand-operated locks and dams that made the Muskingum navigable from Marietta to the Ohio and Erie Canal. But the locks and dams deteriorated to useless until about 1960 when the state took ownership again. Today it's managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Thankfully! Today the 11 locks are: #11 Ellis, #10 Zanesville, #9 Duncan Falls/Philo, #8 Eagleport, #7 McConnelsville, #6. Stockport, #5 Luke Chute, #4. Beverly, #3. Lowell, #2. Devol's, and #1 Marietta. You can see the engineering of #2 in this video of the Valley Gem in lock #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F764XLNZaI I have been on the Valley Gem in the lock. The engineering is stunning in its simplicity in controlling the better part of a million gallons of water. On my visit to #2 way back in the fall of 2018, I got to meet the manager of the lock, who showed us around. Free tour. It's one those places where you can sense the awesome power even when it's quiet.

Very peaceful!!! It's always very clean and well maintained. Never a bunch of people. Plenty of…read morehiking trails

It's not far at all from town but once you're there you would never know that. It's so peaceful and…read moreusually shady with lots of trails and little streams nearby. Yes, your animals are required to be on leash. There was hardly anyone there that day and no one was near the spot we were at. And my dogs wouldn't run off.

Very nice, well kept park! The largest park in Belpre, it has picnic shelters, walking trails,…read morebaseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, a swimming pool, and river boat access. During the holidays, they feature a drive thru Christmas display that can put many Christmas displays to shame! Absolutely beautiful Christmas display, and hard to believe, that it's accessible by donation only! Always a stop when we're in the area, whether during the spring, summer, fall or winter!

Marietta is a charming river town. So why go to a cemetery? Best I can say is it's like a piece of…read morehistory really. And in Marietta, the entire town is rich with history from the Indians and America during the pre- and post-Revolutionary War. You can't throw a stick without hitting a street named after one of Washington's generals, and many soldiers settled here with free land in lieu of pay from General Washington's army. The mound is a big hill built by the Indians. After driving down bumpy cobblestone roads lined with homes that look like Martha Washington might come out onto the porch at any minute, you come upon the Mound Cemetery, nestled among the homes looking quite like it belongs there is the Mound Cemetery, bordered with an ancient looking wrought iron gate that at once says both KEEP OUT and "welcome." Odd that. Climbing the stairs to summit the Mound is part of your initiation to the Marietta culture. The stairs are steep, which adds to the allure. Once atop, the scene is one of history, art, tranquility, and ... Marietta. Other than lounging in the Gun Room at The Lafayette downtown, it doesn't get much more Marietta than this.

I had read something about this but didn't think we'd have time to go; then we ended up parking…read moreright beside it for a basketball game at the college. After the game, just at sunset, we walked back and decided to go in. I've always had a thing for mounds, perhaps starting from visiting Mound City and Serpent Mound as a kid. I wish it had been a bit more light so we could read the tombstones, but there are clearly some pretty old ones here. The cemetery surrounds the mound, and sits in a residential neighborhood with a low fence. You can only enter at two points, which made for a bit of a walk in the cold. We climbed to the top of the mound where there are a few benches and a nice view. It's cool that this (presumably funerary) mound is preserved, and surrounded by, well, an appropriate companion. A nice little cap to our Marietta visit. We'll have to get back sometime.