Pros: Hidden gem with breathtaking views and tranquil surroundings. Nearby Osceola Island Loop is a…read more1.50 mile gravel trail recommended for a leisurely nature walk. Cons: Unclear signage.

Very Beautiful! The lake looks so inviting, maybe next time. Clean relaxing and serene. We rode…read morethrough on the Motorcycle a this Gorgeous Day

The falls are closed as of late April 2026. Road is blocked about 2 miles out from town.read more

Elk River Falls is an open recreation area. As such it is not developed and the path is not…read moremaintained. Nevertheless the road into the parking lot is safe and easily passable by typical cars SUVs cans or trucks with either two or four wheel drive. There are no rest rooms or food so you must bring your own food and water. The path is firm and slopes upward gently becoming rocky with prominent tree roots. The 65 foot high big falls is spectacular. It is not a straight fall down. Many deaths have occurred as visitors attempt to dive from the top of the falls. Elk falls ranks in the top 3 waterfall related deaths. The rocks surrounding the first pool are beautiful but have a slippery surface. This park recently reopened after extensive restoration following Hurricane Helene. On the first day it opened there was a fatality of a falls jumper. Despite these challenges this park is a great example of the outdoors in nearly natural and breathtaking state.

Surprised to find such a nice Trail around a lake right around the corner from McDonalds. Worth a…read morevisit to take a walk. There is a bathroom building and free parking. Woods on the far side. The was some trash here and there. The only downside to my walk. If you are in town stop by.

Nice quiet place to be with nature and nice place for a hike or walk around the pond or down by the…read moreriver. You can even feed the ducks, fish or even have a picnic. You can even float or canoe down the river side.

This location was listed in the Paranormal Trail for West Virginia. Like many others, we tried to…read moreschedule a tour but had no luck. We did end up driving by to try and check it out but you can't really see anything but overgrowth. There is a locked chain length fence with a sign and what looks like a dilipadated trailer home, but after seeing the location for myself I'm glad no one responded because there is no way a tour here could possibly be worth what they are asking.

My local West Virginia friend started out the day by driving north from Princeton to Beckley. Along…read morethe way, I mentioned the abandoned theme park attraction and we made a pitstop. I saw that this was a theme park in a West Virginia tourism video on YouTube, but the property fell into disrepair over the years and itself became a tourist attraction in its own right. Some say it's haunted as well. Entrance into the property is by appointment only. When we arrived at the property, we saw the gate locked up with an aged sign posted with a phone number. We assumed that it would be open for tourists, but ended up disappointed. We wandered around the property for a bit and peeked inside the fencing and saw a lot of stuff were in disrepair and felt like it was a bit more than unusual. Too bad they don't fix it up to be a reputable theme park for the local West Virginians who want to come to visit again. With that said, we spent 10 minutes touring around outside the fencing until we decided to call the number on the signage. We did not receive anything. It kept ringing for a minute or so and then we just hung up. After that, we just got back in the car and made our way northward to Beckley. The drive to get us here was exciting as it could be but as it turned out, it was anything but. The disappointment factor was off the charts that day but we assumed it was going to be open and not chained up. We should have called ahead but we didn't. Lesson learned to call ahead to make arrangements. The overall experience here at the abandoned theme park at Lake Shawnee was very interesting and quite off to be in path for sure. It is not something that you would want to see in everyday travels, whether you're visiting or are on business. Since I did not have any history on the theme, park itself, I resorted to finding any information online and it was quite a learning experience to hear that the theme park was in need of desperate face left. But nobody seemed to care over the years and decades, so it just sat there like this and it tends to be a tourist attraction all by itself, willingly or unwillingly. For the most part though, the abandoned theme park at Lake Shawnee is pretty much haunted. As far as I was concerned at least. Even the signature Ferris wheel looked like it seen better days for sure, even though it was relatively brand new in the 1980's. And so, if you decide to venture into the abandoned amusement park in southern West Virginia, consider making arrangements first to get access to the grounds ahead of your arrival. Maybe 10-14 days beforehand so you get full confirmation prior to arrival. Don't be a bonehead like i was. Well, maybe. And so, if you enjoy this kind of thing, consider making a road trip and come out to the abandoned theme park. While there is a lot of dark history surrounding the theme park and definitely is haunted, the park is generally okay during the day like many places out there. Just don't venture at night unless you don't want to get spooked easily. Unless you enjoy that kind of thing like ghost hunters do. The abandoned theme park at Lake Shawnee is located in the outskirts of Princeton, West Virginia. I learned about the cost of admission when I was writing this review and it was sizable. There is an official website where you can book tours online. There's a day time tour and a ghostly overnight tour too. Do so at your own risk with either that you do. I assume major credit cards are accepted if you pay online. They probably accept cash in person too. As far as parking goes, I'm sure there's parking options available when you get to the site itself. As long as they know you are confirmed and are coming, there's plenty of parking here for your benefit. I doubt that there is any viable public transportation that would be readily available for anybody and everybody to come from Princeton or anywhere in between. You would have to have your own personal vehicle or rent one for the most convenient experience. Then there's always Uber or Lyft at your disposal, but best believe that it could be a very expensive ride because of the remote location that you're trying to reach. With that said, if you're really into ghost stories and theme parks that have seen better days, you're more than welcome to enjoy this place. Too bad it's not in-use anymore. Otherwise, it would have been something to look forward to share memories with family or friends. 3.0 stars for the overall experience. Too bad I didn't get a chance to check out the tour. On the flip side, I don't want to scare myself to sleep either. Support local! C

We enjoyed a visit to the campground this week. Many activities to enjoy. Campground facilities…read morewere well maintained. Camp Host Patrick and Amy could not have been more helpful and friendly. They definitely made everyone feel at home. Hope to visit this park again

Hungry Mother State Park is more than a 5 star review for me. It's beautiful. It's also my 30th VA…read moreState Park Visit! Hidden away in the mountains of southern VA, is a great lake with water that looked crystal clear! You can paddleboat, kayak, canoe and swim! The swim spot is more than twice the size of Lake Anna State Park. And surrounded by the beautiful mountains. I hiked the 6 miles around the lake with the stop off ay Molly's Knob. It's gorgeous! I had preplanned this trip to see these parks down here many months ago. While, I camped in a tent at Claytor Lake, I rented a Yurt for two nights here at Hungary Mother. I've never stayed in a Yurt before and I loved it! It was hot though, don't get me wrong. That Yurt was like a volcano tube all day and 1/2 the night. Luckily I was gone during the daytime and due to location, around 3am to 6am it wasn't very hot at all. LoL. Mountains make the difference! The Yurt was spacious and lovely. I'll rent again in the future. Employees were nice. Gift shop was amazing. Unlike most other state parks, this one had long trails. Like I said, one was 6 miles..usually, at other parks, they have .5 and .9 mile trails that you peice together to make a 6 mile trail. Those who've been, know what I mean. My favorite VA State Park is Sky Meadows. Perfect for me and only 25 min from my house. Hungry Mother is second place winner for me!! Love it!

called ahead day of and Mike said he would take us. made reservation for 1:30. showed up at 1:30…read moreand Mike told us they were closing and couldn't take us. drove over an hour to get there with no warning. waste of time

Good outfit! We rented kayaks, and they drove us to the launch point and picked us up without…read moreissue. Pretty stretch of river. Made for a pleasant day.

Favorite place in Virginia to fish and as of last weekend camp too!! Everyone is super friendly and…read morefishing is always great. Little shout out to Josh behind the counter. He was checking a guy in, answering all my fishing questions all while helping someone book a site over the phone. Pro!! Can't wait to head back that way for a fun relaxing quiet day!!

A very good place for family and friends. It is well maintained. Swings. Slides. Picnic tables and…read moregrills. Paddle boats. Fishing. Camping. Lots of space to enjoy. Great views.

At the center of a sort of suburban sprawl that characterizes this confluence of states, this park…read moreoffers trails, frisbee golf, golf golf, and a variety of other activities. The lake has one very hilly, woodsy side, and one quite flat side, so you can choose your adventure or do both. The parking area was kind of confusing and had gates which just opened automatically so I don't know why they needed to be there at all. The overlook on the more rugged part of the trail didn't have a clear view, though what one could make out through the brush looked nice. It certainly isn't like being out in the abundant nearby wilderness, but as far as urban park land goes it has plenty to offer.

Love this park, so glad they put in a Splash Pad for the kids...my kids love it. Only cost $2.00 to…read moreget in. They have a nice (air conditioned) nature center and we love going out on the water in the paddle boats. Kids love riding the little train. They have several shelters that can be rented for parties. The playgrounds are really nice and well maintained. Nice place to take your bikes and ride around the lake.