Winter is winding down and spring is almost here. So it might be the perfect time to get out and have a great adventure. There are plenty of places in the Mountain State to go for that. Here are 11 of them:
Summersville Lake
Steven Sloan/Flickr Summersville Lake, the state’s largest lake, has 2,700 acres of water and more than 60 miles of shoreline. It’s a great place to swim as well as boat, fish, rock climb, snorkel or even scuba dive. The water is a maximum of 327 feet.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trails
The Hatfield-McCoy Trails/Facebook Looking for a great place to ride four-wheelers? The Hatfield-McCoy Trail System covers more than 700 miles through the mountains of Southern West Virginia. It’s one of the one of the largest off-highway vehicle trail systems in the world. The trail system is open year-round to ATVs, dirt bikes, and utility vehicles. Check out trailsheaven.com for more information.
Snowshoe Mountain’s Bike Park
Snowshoe Mountain/Facebook Winter will soon be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy one of West Virginia’s ski resorts. Snowshoe Mountain’s Bike Park is nationally recognized and nearly 40 trails and 1,500 vertical feet of descent. It also has the largest bike rental fleet in the region, according to its website.
The New River
laserbub/Flickr The New River has a great white water rafting, even for the beginner rafter. There are several rafting companies in the Fayetteville area to choose from.
Helvetia
Jamie R./Tripadvisor Got an itch to travel? Maybe the place to start is a Swiss Village in your own backyard. Helvetia in Randolph County is a community that was settled by the Swiss beginning in 1869 and it’s known for maintaining Swiss traditions, food, and folkways.
The Greenbrier River Trail
bunchajustines/Tripadvisor If bikes and hiking are more your speed, check out the Greenbrier River Trail, which has trailheads in Seebert, North Caldwell, Marlinton and Cass. The trail, a former railroad, used to be a railroad and is currently used for hiking, bicycling, ski-touring, horseback-riding and wheelchair use. The trail goes through several towns and crosses 35 bridges and two tunnels.
The Palace of Gold near Moundsville
Ed D./Tripavisor Take a tour of what CNN has called one of the 8 religious wonders to see in the United States. The palace looks like an Indian kingdom with an award-winning rose garden and lots of water fountains.
Dolly Sods
Random Michelle/Flickr Dolly Sods in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia is a great place to hike and explore. It’s a rocky plateau and it has climate in which cool and wet weather is common throughout the year. There are 47 miles of hiking trails in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.
Seneca Caverns
A TripAdvisor Member/Tripadvisor Seneca Cavern is a cave in the Germany Valley of Pendleton County The cave was formed 4.5 million years ago. The cave opens for the season in April and closes for the season after October.
Harpers Ferry
Jon Dawson/Flickr Explore some of West Virginia’s Civil War history at Harpers Ferry in the Eastern Panhandle. It has a lot of original historic buildings and was the site of John Brown’s raid on an armory. It is also one of the only towns that the Appalachian Trail passes directly through.
Seneca Rocks
Mr.schultz Like to mountain climb? Check out this large crag in Pendleton County. Seneca Rocks rises 900 feet above stream level and is the only “true peak” (accessible only by technical rock climbing techniques) on the East Coast.
Where is your favorite place for West Virginia adventures?
Steven Sloan/Flickr
Summersville Lake, the state’s largest lake, has 2,700 acres of water and more than 60 miles of shoreline. It’s a great place to swim as well as boat, fish, rock climb, snorkel or even scuba dive. The water is a maximum of 327 feet.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trails/Facebook
Looking for a great place to ride four-wheelers? The Hatfield-McCoy Trail System covers more than 700 miles through the mountains of Southern West Virginia. It’s one of the one of the largest off-highway vehicle trail systems in the world. The trail system is open year-round to ATVs, dirt bikes, and utility vehicles. Check out trailsheaven.com for more information.
Snowshoe Mountain/Facebook
Winter will soon be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy one of West Virginia’s ski resorts. Snowshoe Mountain’s Bike Park is nationally recognized and nearly 40 trails and 1,500 vertical feet of descent. It also has the largest bike rental fleet in the region, according to its website.
laserbub/Flickr
The New River has a great white water rafting, even for the beginner rafter. There are several rafting companies in the Fayetteville area to choose from.
Jamie R./Tripadvisor
Got an itch to travel? Maybe the place to start is a Swiss Village in your own backyard. Helvetia in Randolph County is a community that was settled by the Swiss beginning in 1869 and it’s known for maintaining Swiss traditions, food, and folkways.
bunchajustines/Tripadvisor
If bikes and hiking are more your speed, check out the Greenbrier River Trail, which has trailheads in Seebert, North Caldwell, Marlinton and Cass. The trail, a former railroad, used to be a railroad and is currently used for hiking, bicycling, ski-touring, horseback-riding and wheelchair use. The trail goes through several towns and crosses 35 bridges and two tunnels.
Ed D./Tripavisor
Take a tour of what CNN has called one of the 8 religious wonders to see in the United States. The palace looks like an Indian kingdom with an award-winning rose garden and lots of water fountains.
Random Michelle/Flickr
Dolly Sods in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia is a great place to hike and explore. It’s a rocky plateau and it has climate in which cool and wet weather is common throughout the year. There are 47 miles of hiking trails in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.
A TripAdvisor Member/Tripadvisor
Seneca Cavern is a cave in the Germany Valley of Pendleton County The cave was formed 4.5 million years ago. The cave opens for the season in April and closes for the season after October.
Jon Dawson/Flickr
Explore some of West Virginia’s Civil War history at Harpers Ferry in the Eastern Panhandle. It has a lot of original historic buildings and was the site of John Brown’s raid on an armory. It is also one of the only towns that the Appalachian Trail passes directly through.
Mr.schultz
Like to mountain climb? Check out this large crag in Pendleton County. Seneca Rocks rises 900 feet above stream level and is the only “true peak” (accessible only by technical rock climbing techniques) on the East Coast.
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