Chasing After Memories and Fall Colors

My 3-day weekend trip to southern West Virginia.

Earlier this fall, during peak leaf-peeping season in the Northern Hemisphere, I took advantage of visiting a friend in Blacksburg, VA and convinced her to join me on a road trip to southern West Virginia.

The area is quite familiar to me as it’s the first place I called home when I arrived in the United States as an international student many moons ago. In a way, West Virginia will always be my home away from home, which says a lot, considering I move all the time.

People often ask me, “How did you end up in West Virginia?” All I can say is, I’m so thankful I did because the small town, the rural landscape, the forests and mountains made me feel so at home away from home that the culture shock was a bit more manageable.

As my friend and I drove through the winding roads of Mercer County, in awe of the scenery greeting us, we chatted about how lucky we’d been to call this place home for four years.

We started our visit in the small town of Athens, WV — home to Concord University, its campus looking lovely in its fall attire.

The university may be located in a small town (with fewer than a thousand residents!), but it’s a prime spot for easy access to many state and national parks and sites.

Because it looked like the weather would be perfect for the weekend, we decided to camp at Pipestem Resort State Park, and we could not have come at a better time to have us a full fall immersion.

Is there anything better than waking up in a campsite surrounded by tall trees, all showing off in their fall glory? Not for me, that’s for sure!

Crisp air, sunshine, and a thick covering of multicolor leaves are all I need to feel happy, to reset, to remember what matters most.

I could have stayed at the campsite all day, just letting my mind wander — and I have certainly done that on other trips — but since I only had one full day at Pipestem, I ventured out, determined to hike for as long as my legs would let me, maybe even push a bit beyond that.

I started with the Lake View trail, and though the view of the lake wasn’t what I expected, the views along the trail were well worth it. I mean, in nature, the hike is always worth it, regardless of the destination.

At that point in my hiking adventure, I felt a sudden need for a treat, so I took the Lake Shore trail to Pipestem’s McKeever Lodge for my beverage of choice at this time of year: hot chocolate.

It did not hurt that the drink came with a gorgeous view!

Chocolate craving satisfied, I finished the day with a much longer hike down to the Bluestone River, where I sat on a rock, watching the rays of sunshine dance on the surface of the water. No one else was around, which is a common occurrence when I go for hikes in West Virginia.

Not going to lie: I like the absence of crowds when spending time in nature.

Our third day in the area was reserved for a visit to the New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, the newest national park in the United States. I’ve been to New River Gorge many times — hiking, rock climbing, and even white water rafting once, but this was my first visit after it was officially designated a national park.

The New River is, in fact, one of the oldest river systems in the world, and it’s a popular destination for white water rafting. I’m not a big fan of water activities, and except for the one time in college when I decided to join friends for white water rafting, I mostly enjoy the park through hiking and rock climbing.

The park has several visitor centers, and the Canyon Rim one includes an overlook of the New River Gorge Bridge, where every 3rd Saturday in October, thousands of visitors get to see BASE jumpers leap from the bridge. The event is known as Bridge Day and you can even get tickets to walk on the bridge and watch the jumpers from there.

Though you get to see the bridge, there aren’t any hikes at the Canyon Rim visitor center, so after consulting with a park ranger (always a great idea, by the way!), we drove to the Grandview area for a longer hike with views of the river.

By the time we arrived, the rain did, too. Always ready with a rain jacket, I was not to be prevented from enjoying a hike. While my friend took a nap in the van, I hiked and then climbed a bunch of steps to an overlook with views like this:

Not too shabby, right?

West Virginia’s state slogan is “Wild and Wonderful” for a reason. If you are fond of nature, mountains, and gorgeous views, do yourself a favor and add this state to your list of places to visit if traveling around the United States.