Area Attractions
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Harpers Ferry
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The small town of Harpers Ferry is also one of West Virginia’s most historic towns and possibly most haunted. Playing an important role in the Civil War, Harpers Ferry has its fair share of hauntings and ghost sightings. The town was home to an abolitionist uprising during the Civil War, a fiery death at the hands of an oncoming train, and a local church that played the role of a hospital during the Civil War. Join Ghost Tours of Harpers Ferry on a journey into the past and the supernatural with lantern-lit tours on select days. Contact (304) 725-8019 for more information. Harpers Ferry map link
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White Water Rafting
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It's no secret that West Virginia is one of the best places to go white water rafting. Several rivers offer world-class rapids for experts, and others are well-suited to less experienced and learning rafters. Harpers Ferry White Water Rafting - Find a thrill. Make a memory. Get back to what matters.
Spring rafting trips offer an exciting, heart pounding experience. Summer and Fall white water trips provide a more mild, family friendly adventure, typically due to lower water levels. The Shenandoah and/or Potomac River is always a great option for beginner to intermediate paddlers. This popular trip will guide you through the splashing white water of the Shenandoah and/or Potomac Rivers near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and is located where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia come together. This 5-7 mile river excursion provides a wonderful experience for beginner to intermediate paddlers looking to enjoy class I-III (I-II+ in lower water) white water rapids and breathtaking scenery.
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Ski & Play at Snowshoe
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This year-round resort is best known for its skiing, with three separate areas to choose from, all with 100 percent snow making. With an 800-foot vertical drop, Snowshoe Basin's 38 trails cover all experience levels, served by seven lifts, including a high-speed detachable quad. Of Silver Creek's 18 trails, 12 are open for night skiing.
The Western Territory Area's steep, rugged terrain has 1,500 feet of vertical drop, the most advanced terrain in the region. Steeps on Cupp Run, designed by legendary Olympian Jean-Claude Killy, and Shay's Revenge reach 52 percent pitch. In other seasons, activities include mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, geocaching, horseback riding, Segway tours, zip lining, trampolining, climbing, pedal boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, hiking, fishing, and golf at the Raven Golf Club. Not far away, in Greenbank, is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
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Horse Back Riding
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At Yokum's Seneca Rocks Stables, families can experience of a lifetime! Whether you're a seasoned horseback rider or it's your very first time, there is a horse for you! Experienced trail guides will take you & your family for a horseback ride to the very top of Seneca Rocks to enjoy the breathtaking view - nearly 1,000 ft. high!
https://www.yokums-stables.biz/
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Blackwater Falls State Park
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Named for the dark waters of the Blackwater River, colored by tannic acid from fallen hemlock and red spruce needles, Blackwater Falls drops 60 feet over sandstone ledges before the river continues to rush through an eight-mile-long gorge. Steps and viewing platforms make the falls accessible year-round.
Also popular places to visit in the park are Elakala Falls, which cascade down the wall of the canyon and can be reached by a short trail, and Pendleton Falls, easily seen from a roadside pull-off.
The view into the Blackwater Canyon from Lindy Point, one of the most beautiful places in West Virginia, is another park highlight, as is Pendleton Point Overlook, at the canyon's deepest point. The park has a boating lake, as well as swimming, fishing, and camping.
Address: 1584 Blackwater Lodge Road, Davis, West Virginia
Official site: http://www.blackwaterfalls.com/
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Monongahela National Forest and Seneca Rocks
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With elevations ranging from around 1,000 feet to 4,863 feet above sea level, the Monongahela National Forest offers beautiful views, wildlife, and the highest point in the state. The variety of terrain and rainfall across its more than 900,000 acres gives it one of the most diverse forest ecosystems in the country, supporting more than 225 bird species; 75 species of trees; and 70 fish species, both game and non-game.
About 100,000 acres of the park are designated as the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, offering some of the best traditional multi-pitch technical climbing on the east coast. Seneca Rocks is a distinctive 250-foot-deep formation of white and gray quartzite that stands almost 900 feet above the North Fork River. Some routes are moderate, but experts are challenged by the exposed summit pinnacle.
You don’t need to be a climber to enjoy the park. Non-climbers can visit the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, stay in the campgrounds at Seneca Shadows and Big Bend, go fishing, or hike and spot birds in the park’s thousands of acres of wildlands.
Address: 200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, West Virginia
Official site: http://www.fs.usda.gov/mnf
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The Greenbrier
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The Greenbrier has earned its designation as a National Historic Landmark several times over. Located at White Sulphur Springs, which have been in use as a natural spa since the 1700s, the grand hotel has hosted 26 presidents, foreign dignitaries, and royalty, including Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
But however grand and luxurious it is as a resort, it has played other historic roles, too. Early in World War II, it was used as a detention center for German and Japanese diplomats who were in the United States when war was declared. Later in the war, it was commandeered by the U.S. Army to use as a hospital, where nearly 25,000 patients were treated.
During the Cold War, an underground shelter was built to house the entire U.S. Congress in case of nuclear attack. This shelter, given the code name "Project Greek Island," was decommissioned in 1992 and is open to the public for tours, as is the Presidents' Cottage Museum, with exhibits about presidential visits and the history of the resort.
More than 50 different activities are available in the resort and in the 5,100-acre Greenbrier State Forest. Along with horseback riding, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, adventure courses, and a 40,000-square-foot spa, the resort has multiple golf courses (even an indoor one for winter) and a distinguished golf history as the venue for numerous championships.
Greenbrier State Forest offers cabins and campsites, swimming, fishing, bike trails and hiking - the 78-mile-long Greenbrier River Trail is a multi-purpose rail trail that is also used for cross-country skiing in the winter. A getaway in one of the centuries-old Legacy Cottages is one of the most romantic things to do in West Virginia.
Address: 300 W. Main Street, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
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Berkeley Springs
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The bathhouse at Berkeley Springs State Park, in the center of Berkeley Springs, first opened in 1930, but long before that bathing in the warm and effervescent mineral waters was popular. George Washington was a regular visitor and even earlier, the springs' restorative and therapeutic properties brought Native Americans here from as far away as southern Canada.
Baths and treatments take advantage of the five main springs and several smaller ones, flowing at a rate of 2,000 gallons of clear, sparkling water per minute at a constant 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Located in the center of the small town of Berkeley Springs, the state park facilities include the old-fashioned private bathing tubs, saunas, and massages at the Old Roman Bath Building and Main Bath House; elsewhere in town are more luxurious private spas with a range of health and beauty options.
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New River Gorge National River
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Contrary to its name, New River is actually one of the oldest rivers on the continent. As it flows into West Virginia, it cuts through the Appalachian Plateau, forming the New River Gorge and plenty of white water for tubing, rafting, and canoeing. Other recreational opportunities are all around it: hiking, ziplining, hunting, fishing, bird-watching, camping, biking, and rock climbing.
One of the state's most photographed sights is the soaring New River Bridge, the longest steel span in the hemisphere and the nation's third highest, 876 feet above the canyon floor. The National Park Service maintains 70,000 acres of park lands along the river, and at Hawk's Nest State Park, you can ride an aerial tramway into the bottom of the New River Gorge, a prime spot for white water rafting.
South of New River Gorge National River at Bluestone State Park there is hiking, fishing, camping, and boating on the large lake behind the Bluestone Dam.
Official site: http://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
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Cathedral Falls
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Cane Brook joins New River a short distance east of Gauley Bridge, but before it does, the stream drops more than 100 feet from the mountains above. The lower 60 feet of its plunge are visible from a roadside stop on Route 60. The water cascades down a canyon it has cut through the forested mountainside, dropping in a long series, splashing into a veil of foam at each successive level as it falls over the sandstone ledges. The waterfall, with its setting amid overhanging foliage, is a favorite for photographers, especially in the fall when the hardwoods are in their autumn colors. Along with being one of the most beautiful waterfalls in West Virginia, Cathedral Falls is also the most accessible, with a roadside viewing area.
Location: Route 60, Gauley Bridge, West Virginia
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