The Hawks Nest Dam on the New River at Hawks Nest State Park .
A colorful sunset at Cooper ’ s Rock State Forest Overlook .
We took a day trip to Twin Falls Resort State Park located in Wyoming County to view both the waterfalls : Foley and Black Fork . We also explored the pioneer homestead located in the park . We rented a canoe to paddle around the lake at Little Beaver State Park just outside of Beckley . Nearby , Grandview , a former state park now under the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve , gives a gorgeous view of the iconic rapids below . Great views of the rivers continue at Hawks Nest and Carnifex Ferry Battlefield . Babcock ’ s working mill and Pinnacle Rock are also all drivable day trips from the Charleston area .
In North Central West Virginia , just off I-79 , we made stops at Watter Smith Memorial , Prickett ’ s Fort and Tygart Lake state parks . Watters Smith features a homestead restoration of a log cabin and museum , Prickett ’ s Fort houses a rustic log recreation of the original fort , and Tygart Lake offers a dedicated beach swimming area .
Our final stop on this trip was Coopers Rock State Park . Living in Morgantown for several years , my husband and I had been to Cooper ’ s Rock Overlook numerous times but never adventured any further . This time we stayed in one of the park ’ s non-electric campsites in the Rhododendron Campground . The sites were lush , shaded and private . We trekked to Raven ’ s Rock and through Rock City . While this was not our first time visiting Cooper ’ s Rock , it was fun to more deeply explore a familiar park .
We ended up visiting more parks during 2020 than we originally planned . Everything else was canceled and getting out to enjoy our state ’ s natural beauty was a safe and needed getaway . We have one more park to check off to complete the 45 state parks goal : Panther State Forest . We plan to return to some of our favorite parks and do some of the activities we didn ’ t get to do on the first visits , like riding the train at Cass or camping at Holly River . We have enjoyed seeing different parts of the state we had never explored and recommend West Virginia adventures to our friends and family every chance we get . •
Mash Fork Falls at Camp Creek State Park .
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