8-mile gorge lined by
red spruce, hickory and
hemlock trees. There are
loads of hiking options;
look for the Pendleton
Point Overlook, which
perches over the deepest,
widest point of the
Canaan Valley.
The Drive » From Thomas,
you’ll be taking the Appalachian
Hwy south. The numerical and
name designation of the road will
switch a few times, from US 33
to WV-28 and back. After about
50 miles turn right onto US
220 and follow it for 31 miles to
Warm Springs. This entire drive
is particularly beautiful, all green
mountains and small towns, so
take your time and enjoy.
6 Warm Springs
There’s barely a gas
station in sight out
here, let alone a mall.
You’ve crossed back into
Virginia, and are now
in the middle of the
1.8- million-acre George
Washington & Jefferson
National Forests (%540-
839-2521; http://www.fs.usda.gov/
gwj; 422 Forestry Road, Hot
Springs; campsites around
$12, primitive camping
free). We have provided
details for the Warm
Springs Ranger District,
one of eight districts
managing this enormous
protected area, which
stretches from Virginia
to Kentucky.
There are far too many
trails in this area alone
to list here. Note that
most trails in the region
are not actually in the
town of Warm Springs;
there is a ranger office
here, and staff can direct
you to the best places to
explore. Some favorites
include the 1-mile Brushy
Ridge Trail, which wends
past abundant blueberry
and huckleberry bushes,
and the 2.3-mile Gilliam
Run Trail, which ascends
to the top of Beard
Mountain.7 Fayetteville
You’ve crossed state lines
yet again, and are back
in West Virginia. Little
Fayetteville serves as
the gateway to the New
River Gorge, a canyon
cut by a river that is,
rather ironically, one of
the oldest rivers in North
America. Some 70,000
acres of the gorge is
gazetted as national park
land.
Canyon Rim Visitor
Center (%304-574-2115;
http://www.nps.gov/neri; 162 Visitor
Center Road Lansing, WV;
h9am-5pm), just north
of the impressive gorge
bridge, is the only one
of five National Park
Service visitor centers
along the river that’s
open year-round. It
provides information on
river outfitters, gorge
climbing, hiking andTRIP HIGHLIGHTMYSTERY HOLE!
Oh man. We like roadside kitsch. And as such, we want to marry the Mystery
Hole (%304-658-9101; http://www.mysteryhole.com; 16724 Midland Trail, Ansted; adult/child $6/5;
h10:30am-6pm) and have its Mysterious Hole-y kitschy babies.
So just what is the Mystery Hole? Well, we feel like giving away the secret sort of
ruins the nature of this attraction, located about 10 miles northwest of Fayetteville,
but on the other hand, we know you can’t bear the suspense.
So here’s the skinny: the Mystery Hole is a house where everything tilts at an
angle! And there’s a great gift shop. And the laws of gravity are defied because
everything tilts at an angle!
OK: there’s not actually a whole (pun intended) lot at the Hole. And that’s fine.
It’s still a hell of a lot of fun, if you come without taking things too seriously. What
ultimately makes the Mystery Hole successful kitsch is not the Hole itself, but its
promise of weirdness, as tantalizingly suggested by the billboards that proceed it
and the fantastically bad art that surrounds it.VIRGINIA.TRIPS.22
.ACROSS THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL