Less of a hike and more of a wander, but it was well-worth the drive (despite our forgetting on the way home that the GPS is trying to kill us, and taking a road that was just barely passable for cars (the people on 4-wheelers and jeeps kinda gave us a funny look as we passed in our Corolla).

This area belongs to the Nature Conservancy, and is open year-round, during day-light hours. The brochure recommended wearing boots, but it hasn’t rained in awhile, so we kept our feet dry. But we still wore gaiters, because: ticks.

The flora is similar to Cranberry Glades, for similar reasons.

Location: Cranesville Swamp
Trails: Blue, Orange, Yellow, White
Distance: 1.8 miles
Elevation: 2358-2678 feet

And lots of berries, including some out-of-season ones.

Cranberries:

Winterberries:

Perhaps Viburnum:

Wintergreen:

I HAVE NO IDEA AND IT BUGS ME:

I found a handful of blueberries and a single ripe blackberry. They were delicious.

Spiranthes cernua (Nodding ladies’ tresses orchid) (?)

The view of the swamp from the edge of the woods:

We had a visitor!

So since it fit into other things we wanted to do, we took her to New River Gorge and hiked out to Longpoint for the view!

Location: New River Gorge
Trail: Longpoint Trail
Distance: 3.0 miles
Elevation: 1776-2049 feet

This is a nice hike because it’s not long, it’s not especially steep, and it has a gorgeous view for minimal effort.

Panther State Forest / WMA is kind of in the middle of nowhere (though not quite the middle of nowhere as Cabwaylingo which had multiple one-lane bridges on the route in and out), and the drive was all on windy rural roads (which made for a pleasant drive), but there were a surprising number of people there–mostly family reunion groups, but there were some teenagers playing in the creek.

Location: Panther State Forest / Wildlife Management Area
Trail: Buzzards Roost Overlook Trail
Distance: 1.9 miles
Elevation: 1227-1631 feet

Yes, we did hike three “overlook” trails this weekend. And none of the three overlooks were very impressive, but that’s okay. (I had to climb up on a cement piling that was the remainder of a wooden overlook for this picture.)

Like most parks, there were lots of playgrounds, but I can’t remember seeing swings like this in recent memory.

And the creek running through the park.

It was a lovely place to visit, despite the ridiculous heat. I think I’d like to visit again.

Beech Fork State Park is for boaters and fishermen, which is one of the reasons we weren’t in a rush to visit. It’s primarily a lake (like Bluestone and Moncove Lake) so there was little hiking, which is perfectly fine, because our state park system should be for all West Virginians–hunters, fishermen, kayakers, and hikers alike.

But it wasn’t any place I’m eager to revisit, since there wasn’t much hiking.

Location: Beech Fork State Park
Trail: Overlook Trail
Distance: 2.5 miles
Elevation: 601-920 feet

Here’s the view from the Overlook Trail.

It’s easy to overlook. (HA!)

There is a cemetery within Beech Fork, so as is my wont, we wandered around, considering the impermanence of life and memory.

There were a lot of WWI vets buried there–more WWI than WWII from a cursory wander. At some point, I’ll put all these cemetery photos up on Flickr.

Here’s the lake itself.

This weekend we finished up visiting all the major state parks, forests, and wildlife management areas in WV! HOORAH!

Location: Kanawha State Forest
Trail: Overlook Rock Trail
Distance: 1.7 miles
Elevation: 800-1360 feet

The view from overlook rock.

If you don’t want to zoom in, the view is power lines on the far mountain ridge.

We were meant to be hiking Saturday, and had planned on either Stonewall Lake State Park or Holly River State Park.

Once we were driving south, we remembered that this is the weekend of the Jackson’s Mill Jubilee, so we thought we’d do a hike a Stonewall Lake and then head back towards Jackson’s Mill. However, there was an entrance fee at Stonewall Lake, so we decided to pass, and take a drive instead.

We finally visited Burnsville Dam and Recreation Area, which was… fine.

But we discovered a small park, Mill Falls, which was beautiful.

No hiking, but we had a gorgeous wander.

We went with my aunt and uncle on a “hike” to view Pendleton Run Falls.

I use the term hike very loosely, because as the book I have on waterfalls puts it “cuss, fall, root grab, and butt slide your way down to the creek” and they are totally serious. The park actually removed the warning sign from the top of the trail, perhaps realizing that its existence pointed out this “path” to people who were badly prepared for the risks.

Here’s the path of 0.45 mile hike we took with three kids 6 and under, so there was a fair amount of wandering back and forth.

Here is the path going down to Pendelton Run Falls #4

I’m pretty sure the GPS lost signal more than once.

The average grade was 23% and there were a couple places that were very exciting. On the way back up I folded up my hiking stick, stuck it in my bag, and scrambled grabbing rocks and roots since that felt a whole lot more secure.

Seriously, don’t attempt this unless you are in good shape and unafraid of doing foolish things.

Location: Blackwater Falls
Trail: Pendleton Run Falls #4
Distance: 0.8 miles (down and back up)
Elevation: 2763-3132 feet

Here’s what you get for all that work.

Pretty, but to be honest, Elakala Falls is prettier with less danger.

Since we spent so much time with small people, we ended up driving out Canaan Loop Road to hike Table Rock Trail (we’d looked into hiking it from Lindy Point, but didn’t have enough time for a long hike).

Table Rock is very muddy, but the view is gorgeous.

Location: Canaan Mountain Backcountry
Trail: Table Rock Trail
Distance: 2.3 miles (out and back)
Elevation: 3391-3497 feet

Note, it hadn’t rained in awhile; when it’s been wet, these are generally giant muddy puddles.

Here’s a panorama for you!

And a look at one part of the view.

We hiked three places in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge: The Freeland Boardwalk, The Beall Trail South, and what I think was the Camp 70 loop

The Freeland Boardwalk is highly recommend for kids–there is a brochure that tells you about different areas on the boardwalk. A pretty good diversity of habitats, including and attempt to regrow Balsam Fir.

Location: Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Trails: Freeland Boardwalk, Beall Trail South, Camp 70 Trail (?)
Distance: 0.45, 2.2, ?
Elevation: 3243-3262, 3217-3421, ?

Freeland Boardwalk

Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge

So this year’s birthday gifts to the small people in my life were hiking backpacks.

So what do you need for a hiking backpack?

First a foremost, a good backpack: 4-6, 7-9 (Smaller is better, since it will keep them from making it too heavy to carry comfortably.)
At least one water bottle
Naturalist notebook with pencil and a sharpie (use a sharpie to mark a ruler on the inside cover so Things Can Be Measured)
Emergency whistle
Lip balm
Flashlight
Magnifying glass (simple, more complex)
Compass (simpler, nicer)
A bandana or a pack towel
Trail mix or dried fruit (and chocolate milk and a pepperoni roll for a longer hike)
A first aid kit
Used ziploc bags for your trash (or trash you find on the trail)
Perhaps a pair of binoculars, or a pocket knife or matches, or a shovel, or a thermometer
Maps of your trails (Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley)

And of course, nature books:
Trees, Leaves & Bark
Wildflowers, Blooms & Blossoms
Berries, Nuts, And Seeds
Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies
Birds, Nests & Eggs
Tracks, Scats and Signs

Then you go have adventures!

I just got back from a lovely vacation with extended family–and as many as 14 kids under 9. Which was AWESOME. Because none of those kids belong to me!

I encouraged the kids of hike, and we had two lovely hikes at Canaan Valley SP. These trails were chosen specifically because they were friendly for younger kids–the youngest hiker was 4 1/2, but an under 3 walked a good deal of these trails as well.

Location: Canaan Valley SP
Trails: Blackwater Trail, Deer & Abe Run Trails
Distance: 0.8, 1.7 miles
Elevation: 3265-3307, 3260-3363 feet

I didn’t take a lot of pictures, since I was enjoying hiking with the kids.

In addition to seeing how high the lake was, we took the opportunity to do some hiking in the Summersville Lake WMA. I don’t have a link to a trail map, because I can’t find one. The only reason I knew about it at all is because one of my hiking books mentioned trails there, and had directions how to get there.

It’s a relatively easy hike, and the the view at the end is gorgeous.

Location: Summersville Lake WMA
Trail: Long Point Trail
Distance: 4.0 miles
Elevation: 1797-1991 feet

To get there, head towards Summersville Airport. The Long Point trailhead is just past the airport.

Here is the gpx map of the Long Point trail hike at Summersville Lake WMA.

We had lunch at Fran’s Family Restaurant and Cafe, which was as delicious as it was inexpensive. (607 Main St, Summersville, WV 26651)

Every time we go to Cranberry Glades, I say, “we really need to come back here and hike more” so Saturday we finally did.

It was a gorgeous hike, and we ARE going to go back and hike more. We actually had a hike where we didn’t see anyone else the whole hike (although there were other people in the area, mostly visiting the Nature Center and driving along the Highland Scenic Highway).

Location: Cranberry Wilderness
Trail: Forks of Cranberry Trail
Distance: 6.1 miles
Elevation: 4190-4684 feet (0.2% grade)

Looking out over the Cranberry Wilderness.

A section of the Forks of the Cranberry Trail.

Elephant Rocks

If you’re looking for some solitude that you can’t always find at other state and national parks/forests, I highly recommend visiting the Cranberry Wilderness.

—-

I’m going to start adding another bit here, which is where we stopped to eat (if we enjoyed our meal). This is both for anyone visiting the area looking for a place to eat, AND for us, so we stop having the discussion, “What was that place we stopped to eat around here? I really liked it.”

Dinner:
Mumsey’s Iron Skillet
761 Richwood Rd
Richwood, WV 26261
8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

I had the Southern Fried Chicken and it was very delicious.

To escape the cicadas, we headed south to the New River Gorge area, which is free of this brood. It was hot, but it was good to be outdoors, and to not be bombarded by cicadas.

We chose the southern terminus for our hike which we shan’t do again, as we had trouble getting out, since the road was steep and narrow, with loose gravel in the steepest parts. (We’ll head to the north terminus next time.)

The hike itself was very easy, as it is an abandoned railroad bed, and beautiful, since it is along Glade Creek.

Location: New River Gorge
Trails: Glade Creek, Kates Falls Trails
Distance: 5.3 miles (partial)
Elevation: 1853 – 2145 feet (1% grade)

Here is the I64 bridge that goes over Glade Creek near the start of the trail.