gr8ful1 Loc: upstate SC

I am thinking about a trip in late April to Canaan Valley, a place I have never been. Any suggestions? Is that a good time for spring wildflowers?

lightchime Loc: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Although I have never been there, I have heard many times how nice it is - for photography. The state parks in WV are immaculate and the modern cabins I have stayed in are superb.

The place I visit in West Virginia is Babcock State Park. If you have the time, you might want to give it a try also. It has a nice reconstruction of a grist mill. If you are interested, let me know and I will post an image.

gr8ful1 Loc: upstate SC

Yes, I would love that. Thank you!

lightchime Loc: Somewhere Over The Rainbow

My apologies for the lack of variety. I had two computer problems last week and lost 1/2 my images.

Although the fall was impressive, I missed the height of the foliage by a week.

I will be returning at the end of May. It is supposed to be the season for pink rhododendrons. The white climax several weeks later. Just seeing the amount of shrubs and their huge sizes is very impressive.

Babcock Water Wheel


Babcock Mill


Babcock Mill 2

dthomas Loc: Frostburg Maryland

The area that you are planning to go to is great. I go there often. In that area is Blackwater Falls SP and be sure to go to both sides of the falls. Near there is Dolly Sods and primitive area that has great vistas. Make sure you get a state park map (free) for Canaan and Blackwater SP's. There is also a nature center in Canaan.

Blackwater Falls Jan, 2011

gr8ful1 Loc: upstate SC

Thank you so much for the responses. The photos and information is making W Va a definite vacation destination.

Georgia Peddler Loc: Brunswick, GA

Love #2 Mill - Great Capture

silverhawk Loc: Born a West Virginian, Living in Virginia

Here's a "catchall" link to West Virginia's State Parks, etc...
if you're planning a visit to WV, you may want to peruse the info.......:thumbup:


West Virginia State Parks and Forests
http://www.wvstateparks.com/

West Virginia State Parks

Virtual Tours
http://www.wvstateparks.com/tours/index.html

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES – RECREATION
http://www.wvstateparks.com/recreation/recindex.htm

FIND A PARK BY MAP
http://www.wvstateparks.com/map.html

Parks Interactive Map
http://www.wvdnr.gov/map.asp

STATE PARKS AND FORESTS
TRAIL MAPS
http://www.wvstateparks.com/parkmaps.html

ONLINE RESERVATIONS
http://www.wvstateparks.com/reservations.htm

West Virginia State Parks and Forests
Getaways, Retreats, Outdoor Adventure
http://www.wvstateparks.com/packages/packageindex.htm


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WEST VIRGINIA 'Wild and Wonderful'
http://www.wvtourism.com/default.aspx

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Gitzo Loc: Indiana

There's so much to see in West Virginia that it's hard to know where to start; having been to every county in the state many times, if I had to pick a favorite, it would have to New River Gorge, and the awesome NRG Bridge.

silverhawk Loc: Born a West Virginian, Living in Virginia

This is my home area in Greenbrier County and a video you might enjoy....:thumbup:
Welcome to the Greenbrier Valley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7zX8kxjfhQ

Gitzo Loc: Indiana

gr8ful1; First......West Virginia definitely has the crookedest bunch of roads in the whole U.S.; it's a VERY easy place to get lost in, and unlike many other places, everyone tends to go to bed before 9:00 PM, so for a successful and enjoyable visit to W.Va., it is extremely important to have the best maps you can possibly find! And where ever you plan to sight-see in the state, it's a very good idea to be as "self-sufficient" as possible, and carrying with you at least enough food and water for a day or two. Public places to eat and sleep are very few and far between in much of the state.

During much of the late 70's, 80's and 90's, I made hundreds of trips to W.Va. to deliver new P/U trucks; (almost everyone in W.Va. drives a P/U truck, rather than a car.)

Driving W. Virginia's "twisty" roads in a 75 ft truck is quite a "challenge", but was also a lot of fun! So much fun in fact, that after driving W.Va's twisty roads all week in a big truck, I frequently returned to W.Va. on my motorcycle, and in my car with my family.

For me, the two places in W.Va. that I would recommend everyone to visit at least once, are New River Gorge, (just an hour or so east of Charleston), and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is in the tiny little village of Green Bank, which is about 5 miles west of the Virginia, W.Va. border. The main "attraction" at N.R.A.O. of course, is the gigantic "Robert Byrd Radio Telescope", the largest equatorially mounted, steerable dish in the world. The free museum is a "must see" as well. Also, even for those not terribly "interested" in radio astronomy, I doubt that anyone visiting the N.R.A.O. site is disappointed, because "just getting there" takes you through areas of such scenic beauty and interest, that just seeing the world's largest radio telescope becomes "icing on the cake", so to speak.

Looking at any road atlas, starting at Charleston, then following the W.Va. Turnpike south to Interstate 64, then following I-64 east almost to the Virginia border, you'll see U.S. Route 219 going north-east in W.Va. and U.S. Route 220 roughly parallel in Virginia; the N.R.A.O. is roughly mid-way between these two routes, maybe 45 miles North of I-64.

There are too many different ways to get there, to be able to suggest a "best route", without knowing more about a person's "interests". I will say this; a VERY "unique" place I used to pass frequently, (and stopped at a few times), is the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, which is on Rt.55, just west of U.S. Route 219 at Mill Point. For anyone seriously interested in photography of "unique botanicals", I would suggest a google search of Cranberry Glades.

Anyone contemplating a "sight-seeing" trip to W.Va. and in need of more detailed or specific route information, feel free to send me an IM and I'll be glad to offer any help I can.

With the possible exception of New River Gorge, to most people, W.Va. isn't a state that is "high" in most people's minds as being a big "vacation destination", at least the way states like Florida, Arizona, and California are; Even the two biggest destinations that I have mentioned don't have very many facilities for huge numbers of tourists at any one time. The New River Gorge Bridge is probably the most "world famous" point of interest world wide, to the most people, but much of it's "fame" is due to the press coverage it receives every year on "Bridge Day", when the state closes one half of the roadway to vehicle traffic, and people flock from all over the world to "base jump" off of it with parachutes, and dozens more "bungee jump" from it; For anyone having a serious interest in "engineering marvels", IMHO, there is no better place to see one, than at the New River Gorge Bridge! I have already made at least 100 trips, just to look at and photograph this great bridge, and I doubt if I'll ever quit going, at least a time or two a year to see it.

Many years before anyone ever dreamed of spanning the New River Gorge with a bridge, the "old" Rt.19 Highway decended almost 1,000 feet into the gorge, crossed over a steel truss bridge, then wound it's way back up the other side to the top. The "old" road is STILL there, and so is the big steel truss bridge over the river; it was closed to all but foot traffic for quite a few years, but it has now been "re-floored", up-graded, and you can now drive down to the river, (passing UNDER the huge steel arch TWICE on the way down to the river, and two more times going back up the other side.) This of course, makes it not only "possible", but vey easy to photograph the great arch bridge from every conceivable "angle" and "perspective" that one could think of. Because of the road still being there, I'm sure that the New River Gorge Bridge is one of the "most frequently photographed" bridges in the entire world.

Crossing the bridge on it's smooth, four lane lane highway, you have absolutely NO conception that you are in fact, just shy of 900 feet above the New River.