Day 1
Travel day to
Davis, West Virginia where the outdoor terrain translates into a backdrop for easy-going touring, hard-core recreation or just plain loafing. West Virginia’s highest mountains are blooming year round with a full array of suburb outdoor sports facilities, relaxing resorts, interesting inns and restaurants and nature at its breathtaking best.
Day 2
Today’s first stop is
Blackwater Falls State Park, a photographer’s dream. These fifty-foot plus falls are breathtaking at anytime of the year. Just a few miles south is
Canaan Valley Resort State Park, named by an early settler who, upon crossing the surrounding mountains, proclaimed, “Behold the land of Canaan.” Take a ride on the ski lift either to ski one of Canaan’s great alpine trails or to leisurely hike down the mountainside looking at the blooming flowers. Enjoy lunch while observing the deer at play.
Seneca Rocks is a majestic stone formation that stands in stark relief against the lush mountain foliage. After a scenic drive to
Elkins, dinner will be provided at
Halliehurst Mansion, on the campus of
Davis and Elkins College followed by a performance at the
American Mountain Theater.
Day 3
This morning we head south to the
National Radio Astronomy Observatory at
Green Bank to listen to the stars. Jutting prominently from the landscape, the huge radio telescopes of the observatory appear strangely out of place in the quiet countryside as they listen for signs of life in outer space. At
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, a steam-powered Shay locomotive pulls passengers up an old logging line to the top of Bald Knob, the second highest point in West Virginia. Explore the scenic wonders of West Virginia during a drive along the
Highland Scenic Highway to
Cranberry Glades in the heart of the
Monongahela National Forest. Encompassing over 901,000 acres of prime woodland in rugged mountains, the forest offers some of West Virginia’s finest hunting, fishing and hiking. At Cranberry, plant and animal life native to the Canadian northlands exist far south of their normal range. Dinner and overnight will be at
Snowshoe Mountain Resort.
Day 4
Depart for home along the “Country Roads” of West Virginia after a stop at
The Stulting House in
Hillsboro. This is the birthplace of Pearl S. Buck, the only American woman to win both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes for literature. Last stop will be
Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. On November 6, 1863, the largest Civil War engagement of West Virginia’s history occurred on this high, mountain plateau overlooking the vast Greenbrier Valley.