Tag Archives: west virginia

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Three Reasons to Visit Coopers Rock SF!

On Sunday morning, after an hour of decision paralysis, which I am adding to the hours on Saturday of the same, I settled on Coopers Rock State Forest.

“Where to hike this weekend?” is such a good problem to have. All those hours were SO productive that I have lined up a great hike for next weekend, as well! 👏👏👏

Back to Coopers Rock…do you like Hobbit-like rock canyons, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) handiwork, and big views? Yes? Me too! And this hike had all that and more. Throw in some cool bits of history and traversing lovely forest scape … *sigh*… it is a hike well done!

First the canyon! I stood for more than a few minutes at this location wondering if I was suppose to go around on the trail seen to the left. Finally, decided and went down the hole! Thrust immediately into a Hobbit world of immense stone walls, I may have audibly squealed in delight. 🤩 I was in a magical moss covered tunnel between soaring stone canyon walls. I felt the temperature drop as I descended. A wonderful feeling mid-summer!

Down into the Hobbit Hole

Second, the CCC structures! The Pumphouse is my favorite! It looks like a little forest witch’s house and I want that in my backyard. 😄 After I got back home, I poked the Internet beast and found a whole tour of the CCC buildings at Coopers Rock. I will be going back with this information in hand!

The Pumphouse or Forest Witch’s Magical Hut…you decide 🍄

Third, big, big views of the Cheat River and Canyon! The CCC also built the bridges and safety barriers on the rocks. The workmanship, wow! It is beautiful…thankful for those who put their blood, sweat, and tears into making this overlook accessible for many folks!

Vertigo is not your friend here! This is just a small snip of the whole overlook area.

And … Bonus points for the extra tidbits on the history on the community built up around the Henry Clay Iron Furnace! ✨ I started my hike in the parking lot just inside the entrance to the park and hike the “advanced ski” trail to the furnace. It is a thickly forested area. Hard to imagine this community now…even the first sight of the furnace was a surprise, as it was sitting in the middle of the woods and nature is definitely trying to take back its own! There is a really cool picture of hikers from the 1890s at the furnace on the WVU Library webpage!

I completed approximately 7-miles and 800 feet of elevation on this hike. A shorter, easier route exists to approach the furnace from another parking area, if you were wondering!

(🥾🥾 https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/west-virginia/coopers-rock-day-hike )

I can’t wait to go back and explore the other trails at Coopers Rock…absolutely worth a visit!

Hike on!

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Cacapon State Park – Ziler Loop Trail

Quick summary – A good workout and wear long pants!

We have had some delicious weather here on the east coast courtesy of the the wildfires out west. The morning I set out to meet friends at Cacapon State Park it was cool and unexpectedly pleasant for July. We met up at the Batt picnic area for an easy access to the trail. We were in luck with a port-a-potty nearby, as well! 😀

A ranger pulled up as we were organizing our packs and stopped to chat with us about the trail. He also gave us a fresh trail map (appreciated) and let us know that Cacapon now offers “glamping” up on the ridge. Good to know!

We set off in the glorious early morning fresh air! Oh, it was nice to be in the woods in the early morning! Birds greeting the day, chipmunks scrambling through dry leaves, and my feet heading uphill. Uphill for a mile and a half! It was a steep climb, with a few opportunities to stop and chat. I noticed a nice rocky area one could stop and take a sit down break…we didn’t partake, but I was thinking ahead to a possible Trail Dame hike. That rest area would come in handy for the Dames!

A good place for a break!
Finally a view!

On we go, up, up, up! Once on the ridge the walking was easy, but the trail is incredibly overgrown with grass and ferns. The grass is thin enough to see the trail for a few feet before it disappears into wild growth. We took it slow and lucky me, hiking in the front, got to scope out the brush for any lurking snakes and catch those wispy cobwebs that seem to appear out of thin air! I carried out my task and we escaped any snakes that may have been hiding out. 😀

Junction with Ziler Trail

At the junction of the Ziler trail and the Ziler Loop trail, we saw a handmade sign for a view…so we explored it. And nothing. We went left, then right, and backtracked. No view in sight. Maybe a winter view? Or maybe the trail was overgrown and we didn’t see it? I don’t know, but the blazes were not in sight, so I was done! Back on the trail!

There is a shelter along the ridge which surprised us all. It was time for second breakfast, so we all decided that this was a blessed intervention in our hike through the jungle. 😀 😀 😀 The shelter sits along what looks like a fire road. I am now curious to find out where it goes. That would be easy hiking for some of the newbie hikers in Trail Dames!

Snack time over and back on the trail we plodded through more high grass. Eventually the high grass gave way to rocks and dirt. The trail now wound steeply down the mountain. It was rocky, with an abundance of those pesky loose pebbles, making the descent a bit tricky. The trail signs were hilariously spot on. 😀

Once down the mountain, the terrain calmed down. Thank goodness…I stretched my neck and rolled my shoulders…ahhh that felt good! Along the last stretch of the loop, we passed the cabin area, saw some pretty impressive rock features, and got to walk on some “Wobbly Bridges” (seriously, they were called Wobbly Bridge #1, #2, etc 😀 ). As we neared the parking area, one of my hiking pals said, “yep, it’s time to get my trail legs back!” Amen to that! 😀 Hike On!

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Breaking out of the February Funk…a work in progress

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Alright.  How many of you are just done with this winter? Yeah. me too!  I write this as yet another impending snowstorm looms… I have started to turn the corner on my winter funk though…thank god!  Last weekend I had an absolutely terrific day hiking on the C&O canal between the Monocacy Aqueduct and Point […]