Welcome to the first edition of a new series and something I’m very passionate about: traveling and helping people find new and interesting things to do.

As someone who enjoys and partakes in traveling as much as possible, I naturally pay more attention to media devoted to that. One thing I’ve noticed over the years, specifically in West Virginia, is that a lot of resources promoting the state tend to always drift toward the same general hubs or areas.

They are the obvious ones you’ve heard – New River Gorge, Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks, the Greenbrier, the state’s urban areas – and you’ve probably visited most of them if you’re from the Mountain State. One thing I almost always say to myself when I see these lists, articles, etc. is “they didn’t even mention [fill in the blank].”

My goal with this series is to shine a light on some of my favorite, interesting destinations in the state that I feel go generally unnoticed. I can’t promise that I’m going to bring you 12 places you’ve never heard of before, but maybe you’ve never been and what I write will spur a trip. 

With that said, the first place off the beaten path is Beartown State Park.

Don’t let the name fool you. You’re unlikely to find any bears in this park. What you will find, however, is about a half-mile boardwalk embedded in an otherworldly rock formation. 

While the park consists of 110 acres, the main attraction is the giant moss-covered rock formations, massive crevices and boulders that make up the boardwalk area. The towering sandstone formations are believed to have formed about 300 million years ago. Besides the boardwalk, it is a completely natural area that does not feel like West Virginia.

One of the best parts of going to Beartown, in my opinion, is getting there. It is certainly in a remote area – about halfway between Lewisburg and Marlinton on U.S. 219 – but there are other options to fill a day trip itinerary and make it worth the drive.

As fellow Mountaineer Media blogger Jessica Riggins covered in 2021, Droop Mountain Battlefield is right down the road, as are Cranberry Glades, Falls of Hills Creek and more.

Before/after a stop at Beartown, I would suggest:

• Make a quick stop at Droop Mountain Battlefield. If you time this trip right, you can catch the reenactment at the park in October, which is only held in even-numbered years. Droop Mountain was home to one of the last large battles in southern West Virginia and now recognized as part of The Civil War Discovery Trail, which links more than 300 sites in 16 states. The park offers a photogenic lookout tower and a handful of hiking trails.

• Spend an hour or more at Cranberry Glades. The botanical area, which resembles a landscape more common in the northern United States and Canada,  is one of the largest and most botanically significant bogs in the Appalachian Mountains. It is home to rare plants, birds and mammals that all be observed from a half-mile boardwalk or a longer six-mile trail off the boardwalk that explores more of the glades

• Hike down to the Falls of Hills Creek. A roughly 0.75 mile hike will take you past a series of waterfalls that keep growing in size. The first starts at a drop of about 25 feet, followed by 45 feet at the second and an incredible 65 foot drop at the third. In total, the creek drops 220 feet from start to finish, which means you’ll also be going down as well, so be prepared for plenty of stairs coming 0.75 miles back up.

• Stay overnight at Watoga. Jessica beautifully described her memories of childhood visits to Watoga and I can echo all the sentiments mentioned in her blog. It’s worth at least a night’s stay, but if you can go for a weekend, do it… and don’t forget to relax!