July 11

** For photos and shorter text of the WV parks, please see the Daily Trip Report section, under the “Day Trips” segment. I have moved it to just after the Upper Midwest (Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakotas) section.**

Due to a family issue I had to drive to North Carolina over the weekend. On the way back I decided to stop at the three West Virginia parks; the Bluestone River, the New River Gorge NP and NPres, and the Gauley River. There are only a couple of ways to access the Bluestone National Scenic River. One is to hike down a steep 1,000 feet trail from Pipestem State Park. Another is to put in upstream, outside the park, and float/paddle downstream. Or you can paddle upstream from Bluestone State Park. The last option is the only vehicle access, that via Ellison Ridge Road, coming out at the Lilly parking lot and hiking trailhead. The backroads in WV can be very narrow, with plenty of swerves. That is the case around this park. Thankfully, all was paved, until the last 1.5 miles on Bluestone River Road (which branches off Ellison). I hiked a bit on the Bluestone Turnpike Trail, the only available ‘semi-path’ for hikers. Someone on June 6 had written a message at the trailhead saying if one was to go more than a mile south on the trail, they had better bring a machete, a chainsaw, or a weed-whacker. The NPS does not maintain much past the Lilly parking lot. But this is supposed to be wilderness, right? There did not seem to be enough water level to even permit a canoe to float by without hitting bottom. I did not have a canoe to confirm the observation, so headed to New River Gorge NP and NPres.

GPS had me to the town of Hinton in short order. Then a short drive northward on route WV 20 had me in the park. Two overlooks allow folks to pull off the road and look down onto the river, and Sandstone Falls. It is possible to get close and personal with the falls, by taking county road 26 back in Hinton to get to the west side of the river (then a short drive downstream). This time of year there are really only three colors to view: the blue of the river and sky, the white of clouds, and the mass of green on the hillsides and mountains. A canopy of green stayed with me to the Sandstone VC, one of the four VCs in the park (Canyon Rim, Thurmond, Grandview). It is just 100 yards off I-64 if you are traveling on this interstate. This VC has the Passport Cancellation Stamp for the Bluestone River (and the New River Gorge) which was the reason for stopping. In keeping with the theme of experiencing something new in each park, I headed to the Thurmond Historic District. This is reached via route 25, off highway US 19 going north out of Beckley. Thurmond is now a ghost town. A few buildings still stand, reminders of this area’s heyday over 140 years ago. Coal was the driving force. The train depot is now a VC, with a museum. The railroad is still active, so a ranger reminded me to pay attention while walking along the rails.

Back on US 19, I went north to the famous New River Gorge Bridge. This is where once a year (third Saturday of October) people are allowed to jump off the bridge. Yes, you have to have a parachute of some sort. US 19 (aka vehicle traffic on the bridge) is closed from 7 AM to 5 PM. Folks are shuttled down to the river so they can watch the spectacle from below. I intend to attend at least once in the future. Back to today. A visitor can stop at the VC and walk out to a viewing platform for the bridge. Before that, in the VC I met a family of four from Ohio. The son was getting his first Passport Cancellation. He noticed I was stamping my book and asked for input on what to do. We discussed the different stamps he saw on the table. A park with multiple VCs and points of interest will have multiple stamps, one for each specific location. This park is also subpart of the National Coal Heritage Area, so there was a stamp for that. I mentioned the family could drive down to the river via route 82, just outside the VC parking lot. That is where I headed next. More twists and turns, and one-way flow. The big bridge looked so small, standing 876 feet above me (one can walk out on the Tunney Hunsaker Bridge to get a good photo with the river in the center of the image). Its 1700 feet of length in its single arch makes it the longest in the Western Hemisphere. China now has four such bridges which are longer. 82 is the only road down to the river, though trains can cruise by, paralleling the river (think of the line which goes through Thurmond).

Further north on US 19 is the town of Summersville. This is where one takes a turn to the west on route 129 to get to the “headwaters” of the Gauley River NRA. The Summersville Dam was finished in 1966, putting a crimp in the free-flowing river. This dam, creating the largest lake in WV, now controls how much water heads through the park’s 25 miles (the river’s entire length is 105 miles). It is the second largest rock-fill dam in the eastern US. A large parking area was built to accommodate all the river rafting companies who bring enthusiasts to try some of the toughest whitewater in the east. But today the lot was empty. The river looked very calm. The dam’s outlet tunnel was shut off. I have been here before when that tunnel was open, and let me tell you, you do not want to be standing at the opening. Those are the days when the rapids get real exciting.

Tomorrow, I head to San Francisco to begin the ten days of touring that area, including the Sierra Nevada region. Devils Postpile NMon is still not open, due to the 300% snowpack the Mammoth Lakes area received this past winter (still have nine ski lifts running). The NPS says they have no estimate as to when the road to the monument will be open this year. I have to figure out how to get to that park.