Week 4: Coopers Rock Loop (52 Hikes in 52 Weeks)

Happy Friday everyone! 5/52 hikes are officially completed.

Hike number five on this adventure took me ~3 hours away from Huntington to Coopers Rock State Forest, a favorite of Morgantown locals and West Virginians all over. I had checked out the iconic overlook before in passing, and knew that I wanted to circle back to check out some of the trails that the area had to offer. 

Hike Details:

1.     Coopers Rock State Forest

2.     Coopers Rock Loop

3.     39.65560736325926, -79.78594904262454

4.     7.9 miles

5.     4 hours

This hike is a combination of three trails: the roadside trail, advanced ski trail, and rhododendron trail. These trails combined with a little bit of road walking rounded out to a ~7.9 mile trek through snowy forests. I would describe this hike as being on the easier end of moderate, based on the length and a couple of moderately graded inclines.

This All Trails link will get you to the trailhead!

I’d say this trail was 30% hiker 70% cross-country skier. It was awesome watching these guys glide along the trails. At some points along the trail I wished I was skiing myself (or at least had brought snowshoes) due to some pretty deep snow for about a mile of the trek along the Rhododendron Trail. It was stunning though and definitely worth the tredge. 

The awesome thing about this trail network is that you can basically hike at any intensity level and distance that suits you. We could have made the hike even longer by tacking on the Ridge Trail, which will take you to the Coopers Rock Overlook! The views of the canyon from Coopers Rock are iconic and deserve a visit even if you aren’t a hiker.

When things warm up, and likely depending on COVID restrictions, there are camping options at Coopers Rock for those of us that enjoy a night under the stars and/or multiple days of hiking.