West Virginia - The Rest

(All hikes in WV excluding The Great North Mountain and Monongahela National Forest )

 

Maps:

Books:

Note: Tuscarora Trail is always blazed Blue!

           Some maps and guide books may have newer editions.

 

 

Hike 1.  Lost River State Park

 

 

Club: My scouting; my leading for MWROP; my scouting

Date: 04/10/2004; 07/24/2004; 03/12/2006

Parking: on the side of the road.  A few cars can fit.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: LostRiverSP_GPS20040410.tpo; LostRiverSP_GPS20040724.tpo; LostRiverSP_GPS20060312.tpo

Description File: LostRiverSP_GPS20040410.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: LostRiverSP_GPS20040410.gtm; LostRiverSP_GPS20040724.gtm

Photo Album: LostRiverSP_GPS20040410; LostRiverSP_GPS20040724; LostRiverSP_GPS20060312

Notes: One of the most scenic parks out there.  One of my most favorite hikes

Warnings: Got attacked by hornets climbing the tower in the summer

 

Hike 2.  Harper's Ferry - Bolivar Heights

 

 

Club: my scouting

Date: 11/26/2004

Parking: good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: HarpersFerry_BolivarHeights_GPS20041126.tpo

GPS TrackMaker Trace: HarpersFerry_BolivarHeights_GPS20041126.gtm

Photo Album: HarpersFerry_BolivarHeights_GPS20041126

Notes:  In Harper's Ferry, the waypoint signifies the spectacular stone fence (see photos). There is also a noncommercial cave (Stonewall Cave) on the Potomac River further north of the H. F.  Don't miss the ATC Headquarters in western H. F. and the throughhikers shop in the eastern H.F. There is a cave near Bolivar Heights which used to be commercial long time ago.

 

Hike 3.  Ice Mountain, Cacapon State Park

 

 

Club: my scouting

Date: 04/10/2005

Parking: good in both places.  Cacapon closes its top-of-the-ridge-overlook parking in the winter

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: IceMtn_CacaponSP_GPS20050410.tpo

GPS TrackMaker Trace: IceMtn_CacaponSP_GPS20050410.gtm

Photo Album: IceMtn_CacaponSP_GPS20050410

Notes: We had a very friendly guide - not only did he give us the tour of the mountain (free), but also lent us his boat to go down the North River!

            In the Cacapon State Park we only drove to the peak with the overlook, so it wasn't a real hike there.

Warnings: Need permission and guide to see the Ice Mtn.  Arrange it with the West Virginia Nature Conservancy (that owns the mountain) - see this link.

 

Hike 4.  Cacapon State Park

 

 

Club: my scouting then leading for MWROP

Date: 07/24/2005; 10/29/2005

Parking: good.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: CacaponSP_GPS20050724.tpo; CacaponSP_GPS20051029.tpo

Description File: CacaponSP_GPS20050724.doc; CacaponSP_GPS20051029.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: CacaponSP_GPS20050724.gtm; CacaponSP_GPS20051029.gtm

Photo Album: CacaponSP_GPS20050724

Notes: Great little park.  Check out the swimming pool, the nature center, the overlook on the ridge.  Huge number of blueberry bushes!  Lots of orchids.

Warnings: There is no parking or exit at the northern terminus of the park without trespassing.  What a shame!

    Trails to the ridge are very steep!

 

Hike 5.  Tuscarora Trail: Sleepy Creek WMA South

 

 

Club: AMC-DC - Paul Fofanoff leading.

Date: 01/21/2006

Parking: bad (curb of the road) at the start, good at the end (though hard to find)

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMASouth_GPS20060121.tpo

Description File: uscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMASouth_GPS20060121.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMASouth_GPS20060121.gtm

Notes: not crowded at all

Warnings: hunting

 

Hike 6.  Tuscarora Trail: Sleepy Creek WMA Central

 

 

Club: my scouting

Date: 02/24/2007

Parking: small spot right off the road.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMACentral_GPS20070224.tpo

Description File: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMACentral_GPS20070224.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMACentral_GPS20070224.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMACentral_GPS20070224.gdb

Google Earth Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMACentral_GPS20070224.kmz

Photo Album: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMACentral_GPS20070224

Notes: I liked the trail - very diverse flora.

Warnings: hunting

 

Hike 7.  Tuscarora Trail: Sleepy Creek WMA North-Central

 

 

Club: my scouting

Date: 09/30/2007

Parking: good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMANorthCentral_GPS20070930.tpo

GPS TrackMaker Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMANorthCentral_GPS20070930.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMANorthCentral_GPS20070930.gdb

Google Earth Trace: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMANorthCentral_GPS20070930.kmz

Universal GPS Format: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMANorthCentral_GPS20070930.gpx

Photo Album: TuscaroraTr_SleepyCreekWMANorthCentral_GPS20070930

Notes: in addition to a nice hike, driving from I-81 is very pretty.

Warnings: hunting

 

Hike 8.  Allegheny Trail South

 

 

Club: Eric, Charity and myself scouting

Date: 05/27-28/2006

Parking: good everywhere.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: AlleghenyTrSouth_GPS20060527_28.tpo

Garmin MapSource Trace: AlleghenyTrSouth_GPS20060527_28.gdb

Photo Album: AlleghenyTrSouth_GPS20060527_28

Notes: Two separate day hikes with car camping and car shuttles, one to I-64, the other - to the end of the ALT where it merges w. AT and ends at a farm on the border with VA.  Pretty views, lots of flowers.

Warnings: I did not like the car-camping part a single bit.  First night off I-64 we camped at a place popular among local youth.  Second night parking was near a construction site which worked till 1:00am. I would recommend backpacking and spending the nights in the woods.

    Trail is very poorly blazed (and sometimes not blazed at all) and very hard to follow.  We lost it a few times and found it with the GPS.  I wouldn't hike this without a good GPS with preloaded waypoints and a 7.5' map.

    Trail is broken by a section that is on private property where the owner does not like hikers.

 


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Page Created: 02/13/2008
Last Update: 02/15/2008
Author and Webmaster: Dimitri Tundra