WEST VIRGINIA, MOUNTAIN MAMA, TAKE ME HOME COUNTRY ROADS.
Day 84 – Last night was the first time we’d ever spent the night in our RV in West Virginia. Therefore, we could put another sticker on our map of states where we’d camped overnight. We were up around 7 a.m.; it was raining and had been half the night. This was a great campground & we’d stay longer if we weren’t needing to get home. We departed Chief Logan State Park at 10:10 a.m., taking a few pictures on the way out. It was 54 degrees with just a drizzle of rain.
160 miles, (4:45), 37070−37230
Added WV
Historic log cabin, Chief Logan State Park, Logan, WV
Chief Logan State Park, Logan, WV
Chief Logan State Park, Logan, WV
We took country roads & small, mountain roads most of the way to our next stop. We did get on Interstate 64 for about ½ hour. Everything else was backroads. We passed by several mining operations, some currently active & others closed down. The weather for the first half of the trip until reaching I-64 was overcast. It was a shame because with sunlight filtering thru the trees, the pictures would’ve been amazing. On I-64 it started raining a bit more and there was some fog. This made the latter part of the drive even harder. The Forsythia were blooming along the terraced rocks by the road. So pretty.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
Once we got off I-64, hungry for lunch & needing a bathroom break, we traveled on another narrow, winding road and could not find even one place to safely pullover for a break. It wasn’t as hilly at this point and the farms with cows & sheep dotting the rolling, green hills were lovely. But when you are hanging on to your seat on the curving road, you can’t take pictures, too. LOL. This was an interesting drive. Not something we’d want to do everyday. The scenery was unbeatable, that’s for sure. But narrow, winding roads (at times, one-lane roads) through mountainous passes, up & down the hills in a 30-foot RV towing a Honda CRV – what? Were we nuts! This is how you learn. It was so beautiful, that was worth it. But it was also harrowing & a bit scary. The girls hated it. Now we wonder, what would the Rockies be like?
We arrived at our campground, again without reservations, and found campsites available. We picked our favorite site, #24, overlooking a decent-sized river which was rolling rapidly by. It was 2:10 p.m. and 52 degrees with light rain. We immediately took our belated break, let the girls out, breathed a sigh of relief, and then paid for our campsite and set up. We are nestled in a beautiful forest by a river with hardly anyone around us. We decided that this campground wasn’t crowded because it’s off-season, but mostly because it’s so darned hard to get here with an RV. We are in the Watoga State Park in the Monongahela National Forest, the Beaver Lick Mountain Range by the Greenbriar River, at the Riverside Campground. Site #24, electric hook-up only, $29.70 with senior discount. And it is awesome here. Too bad we can only stay one night.
We have no internet connection & no cell coverage here. We don’t know what the weather will be. Who know what tomorrow will bring. A lack of advance planning, and no internet connection, causes us to sometimes get on unexpected terrain. We may need to travel these winding roads tomorrow just to get out of here. Hee hee. The high today was 58 degrees with rain on & off most of the day.
Watoga State Park Riverside Campground: 4800 Watoga Park Road, Marlinton, WV 24954; (304) 799-4087; https://wvstateparks.com/park/watoga-state-park/. Located in the mountains of Pocahontas County in West Virginia, just 14 miles south of Marlinton, Watoga State Park is WV’s largest state park. With 10,100 acres of land, Watoga is filled with many recreational activities; there’s hiking, swimming, camping, fishing, boating & vacation cabins, open year-round and Watoga Lake is known for its excellent fishing opportunities. Watoga State Park has two campgrounds: the 38-unit Beaver Creek Campground & the 50-site Riverside Campground. Beaver Creek has 12 sites with electric hook-ups, and Riverside offers 38 sites with electric hook-ups. There is a central bathhouse with coin-operated laundry facilities. West Virginia State Park campground reservations are available from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year. Campgrounds are open on a first-come, first-serve basis after Labor Day. The Riverside Campground is located by the unincorporated town of Seeburt, a really cute little town where some supplies could be purchased. To get to the State Park, which is quite large, you have to take Route 219 & it is a winding drive on a narrow road through steep hills. The scenery is amazing though. We really liked this campground. We had site #24 on the Greenbriar River with no campsites close by. Other decently-private campsites along the River include #7, #27, and #34 – #24 was the best (on the River) – there were good campsites not on the River, in the woods. Our site had electrical hook-ups. Water is available at sites in the campground & there is a dump station. We paid $29.70 for one night with the senior discount. We loved this campsite and would definitely come back again with this campsite reserved, but only if we were prepared for the long, winding, narrow, hill-climbing drive. We didn’t have a chance to check out the other campground or drive the roads within the State Park. We would love to do so. Beautiful country!