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 is absolutely gorgeous lake and great place to fish, hike and kayak. There is plenty of…read moreparking areas along the lake edge and lot areas. The area is FREE to use. The lake is stocked by WV DNR. A Fishing license is required. There is plenty of parking near the Mill Creek where you can slso fish and put in your kayaks to go along the Mill Creek Water Trail No camping is allowed There are also marked hiking trails. No grills available and no picnic tables. There is a dock. You can put in row boats and kayak in lake but nothing with a motor.

There's good spots for sightseeing at both the top and bottom of the dam. We stopped here on a road…read moretrip to stretch our legs and this was a good spot to get some fresh air. There are bathrooms and water fountains, but they were off for the winter. :( There's also a playground, picnic tables, and a pavilion that you can rent to reserve.

Sutton, WV was first settled in 1792 in what was then Bath County, Virginia. It served as a…read morecrucial spot in the Civil War for the Union. In the mid 1800's Confederates burned most of the town to the ground. We rebuilt. This review comes from my memoirs. Wait, I haven't written them, but, if I did, I would give at least one chapter to my teenage years spent partying and hanging out at Sutton Lake. I went to high school in Sutton, and, we often skipped school and headed for the lake for a day of fun filled drankin' and smokin' and, well, you know. The early 80's were for socializing and partying with my gang of peeps. It's amazing I graduated. That any of us did, for that matter. Everytime I go home, I always visit the lake. When I was going there in my teens, it was simply a beautiful lake enveloped by the beautiful Appalachian Mtns, with picnic areas. Sometimes it felt as if those mountains were hugging you. Today, there is much more recreation to be had, but, this review is about my memories. All through high school, this was the spot. I had a music (Jazz Chorus) teacher who knew what was going on, so he would sometimes show up and stay with us. I didn't realize what he was doing until I became a mature adult. He was our protector, not, enabler. In the 80's, where I was from, kids would be kids. No matter what ma' and pa' said. I lived 40 miles from the school. If I missed the bus, which I often did, I had to hoof it home on my thumb. Many a time I would arrive home at 2100 or later, drunk, high, sober, hungover and famished and tired, only to be met at the door with my very angry grandmother (God love her, she raised me) and a fist full of brier switches! Let me tell you, that is the best time to take a beating because you are so numb you feel nothing. It's like, "Hey! You missed a spot!" I miss those years. I like to refer to them as my "rebel without a clue years", and, I have not one regret! Thanks for letting me share my personal story!

Amazing spot to swim, fish, and explore. With the new trail biking is now better than before and…read morewould recommend on a good weather day!

Love this place! Long trails with lots to see. The bike path is spacious and has amazing views.read more

An amazing set of Falls. See the Lower falls if you can…read more This is one of the best sights along the entire drive. There are 3 different sights to see at this stop. There are upper, middle and lower falls. Let's start at the beginning. There is a parking lot for about 30 cars directly off the road. There is a set of restrooms in the parking lot across from the trailhead. The trailhead has a solid pathway of switchbacks that leads to an observation point to the upper falls viewpoint. For people that want to shortcut the windy path, there is a straighter trail that goes directly down the hill to the first viewpoint. From there, there is a boardwalk with lots of steps that leads down the a bridge that crosses the river. Then more boardwalk and a steel set of stair to two platforms to view the middle falls. More boardwalk along the river and a large wooden stair platform leads to the lower falls. If you get a chance, you should see all three as each is unique and all are beautiful as much as the walk is enjoyable. Just remember, walking down is easy and you have to walk back up to return to the parking lot. Well worth the walk. Enjoy.

This was an unexpected find on my trip to WV. The trail was nice, if a little strenuous for this…read morefatman, and the water falls (plural) were lovely. It is a well developed trail with lots of stairs, including an actual stairwell to get you to the bottom of the falls. If you are mobile and in the area you should visit, just give yourself some time on the hike back if your a big person like myself.

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.

I've been to so many parts of this forest that it's mind boggling. It's beautiful in ways that…read morewords could never describe. There is so much to see and so many cool places to explore. One of my favorite parts is Bickle Knob because the views from the fire tower are beyond spectacular. Bowden Cave is also a great place to explore as well. There is a ton of great places to camp, mountain bike, and hike. If you are ever able to stop in any part of the Monongahela National Forest please do yourself a favor and do it. Have fun and be safe!

Driving through WV, Monongahela National Forest is a must do. It's absolutely beautiful with tons…read moreof hiking trails. Many of the trails have adequate parking spots and restrooms. We went through the Cranberry Glades and also found a random trail that led to waterfalls. This forest is GIANT. We want to come back again and find a camping ground because this national forest is truly stunning.

Excellent hiking. Hiked on father's day 2025 with my wide…read more The main attraction being the cave and the waterfall, you have to exit the "loop trail" in order to access the cave and waterfall. Once you hike back up, youd imagine when continuing to walk the East trail to finish the loop, you'd exit near the entrance. Thats not the case. The east trail past the cave/waterfall trail does not loop back around. Theres no trespassing signs and the trail dead ends. I recommend after hiking back up from the cave/waterfall to go straight back the way you came instead of waisting your time. Happy hiking!​

Piatt Park contains a stunning gorge with a cave and waterfalls. When you first enter the park, you…read morefind a small campground (10 sites) with amenities - a shelterhouse with picnic tables, both pit toilets and a shower/toilet combo with running water and electric, and a very nice playground in the center. There is a small pull off near the shelterhouse for parking if you don't have a campsite reserved. There are a couple of trailheads that lead down to the trail that heads into the woods and down to the gorge. The scenery itself is beautiful and very interesting, but the hike is complicated by being a little bit confusing. The trails aren't always very clear and the map is a little basic - previous hikers tried to help by adding notes and markers to the maps that are available along the trail. So I'm going to dish the dirt on the trail, because there were some serious surprises we encountered. There are multiple ways down from the campgrounds, and you come to an area by a bench that's at the top of a hill. Once you head down the hill, which is a bit steep, you come to a split that offers East or West Rim Trail. This can be used as a loop trail, since it does connect, or you can do out and back. We started out to the west and came around to a section that overlooked the gorge. It was a lovely view, but be aware that it's a pretty sheer drop and the chain "fencing" was gone in some sections. We then reached a section where we could choose to turn back or head down into the gorge. It was, again, a sheer drop but there were some stairs with railings available to help. This let us access the large cave area and then head further down to view the main waterfall. Because of how dry it was, the main waterfall is the only one we saw and it was a bit of a trickle, but it was still an enjoyable view. At this point, we may have chosen to turn around and head back out the way we came, had we realized what the rest of the loop entailed, but we did not and we forged on. This section is much more difficult and if you have small kids or pets with you, or you yourself have a fear of heights, this is significantly trickier. Unless your pet is a mountain goat, than perhaps it would be helpful as it could show you the best places to step. There's really no railings for the majority of this sheer climb up, and in one section, you actually pull yourself up hill via chains attached to trees. There are a couple of spots with tiny steps to help you get up too. When you reach the top, you'll soon find yourself back at the beginning of the loop and can head back up the first hill. The scenery is beautiful, though it would be nice to have a better idea of what to expect when hiking, thus I share with you my novel on getting in and out of the gorge!

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.

The Ash Cave Waterfall is a large natural rock overhang in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio. It is…read moreone of the premier Park destinations in the state, and the home of historic native populations in North America for millennia. A remnant of ancient pre-glacial North America, some of the flora species located here are unique to the continent. Other caves are also located nearby, and coupled with a visit to Ash Cave can make a truly unique and memorable visit to Southeast Ohio. Ash Cave is easily accessible from a large nearby parking lot and the trail is handicapped friendly. It is sometimes the location for special events, such as an annual concert by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. This is a magnificent event and well worth attending, but tickets go fast so if you're interested really be on the lookout for them, so don't delay when they become available.

This was absolutely beautiful and such an amazing place for kids to play! The waterfall was…read morebeautiful and even with all the people tourist-ing it was relaxing. I love how accessible this hike was - we took the stroller most of the way and turned around and walked back instead of finishing the loop. The natural beauty was out of this world!