Off the mountain

Historic Shay locomotive train rides from three depots (Elkins, Durbin, Cass), a 2-hour round trip or a 5-hour trip to Bald Knob summit.

Twenty-five minutes from the Village, and our most recommended day trip. Book the Bald Knob run in October. Trains start in late spring, so it is a summer and fall thing.

Hours

Mon-Wed 8am-6pm, Thu-Sun 8am-8pm (park); trains run Apr-Dec

Price

Cass to Spruce: Adult (12-64) $85, Senior (65+) $83, Child (4-11) $65, Military/Veteran $81 (includes a cold-cut lunch). This is a rare special excursion, not a regular run, only a handful of dates each season (4 in 2026). The regular, more frequent trip is Whittaker Station, starting at $65.

Address

12363 Cass Rd, Cass, WV 24927

(304) 636-9477wvstateparks.com ↗

The largest fully-steerable radio telescope on the planet, 17 million pounds, standing 485 feet tall, with a reflecting surface measuring about 2.3 acres. Home of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which has 11 telescopes on display and sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone, making the night sky here some of the darkest on the East Coast. Guided site tours run about an hour.

The reason your phone has no signal out here. The science center is free, the guided bus tour is worth the small fee, and the night sky on the drive home is the darkest you will see on the East Coast.

Hours

Thu-Mon 9:30am-5:30pm, closed Tue & Wed

Address

155 Observatory Rd, Green Bank, WV 24944

(304) 456-2150greenbankobservatory.org ↗

Vintage 1920s coaches pulled by a rare geared Heisler locomotive, on a 2-hour, 10.5-mile round trip along the Greenbrier River from the Durbin Depot.

Runs earlier in spring and later in fall than Cass, which makes it our pick for shoulder-season guests.

Hours

Runs April through December; Thu-Sun departures (10am/2:30pm) through summer, daily departures in October, a stronger October pick than Cass since it runs later into fall.

Price

Book on the railroad's live calendar; fares vary by date and seating. Kids under 4 ride free with advance online tickets. A two-hour, 10.5-mile ride along the Greenbrier River in 1920s coaches and cabooses, April through December.

Address

Durbin Depot, Durbin, WV 26264

Our tip

Runs from the Durbin depot, about 35 minutes from Snowshoe. Steam power depends on the date, so check the calendar if the locomotive matters to you. Cass trains start later in spring, so this is the train for April guests.

304-636-9477mountainrailwv.com ↗

43-mile National Scenic Byway through Monongahela National Forest along the crest of the Alleghenies (up to 4,545 ft), famous for fall foliage and ridge-top views. Notable stops: Big Spruce, Red Lick, Little Laurel, and Williams River overlooks, plus Cranberry Glades and Falls of Hills Creek along the corridor.

Our fall-color drive. Pack a lunch, stop at every overlook, and loop back through Marlinton. Confirm the gate is open before mid-May or after mid-October.

Our tip

The 23-mile parkway section is not plowed and closes from late fall until spring. Check that the gate is open before an early-spring or late-fall drive. October is peak color.

An iconic 900-foot quartzite formation and one of the major East Coast rock-climbing destinations. The Discovery Center has a small indoor climbing wall and trail info.

Worth the drive for the view alone, and the short trail to the observation platform is doable with kids.

Hours

Discovery Center: May 19-Sept 1 daily 9:30am-5pm

Address

13 Roy Gap Rd, Seneca Rocks, WV 26884

(304) 567-2827

The highest point in West Virginia (4,863 ft) with a stone observation tower on the half-mile Whispering Spruce Trail loop.

The top of West Virginia. The last road up is gravel and slow, so give it a full half day and go on a clear morning.

Hours

Daylight hours, gravel/paved mountain road, can be rough in snow

Address

FR 104, off FR 112, Monongahela National Forest

fs.usda.gov ↗

West Virginia's largest state park, 34 rental cabins, 37.5 miles of trails, and access to the Greenbrier River Trail.

The Greenbrier River Trail access here is the easiest flat bike ride in the county. Rent bikes at the Dirt Bean in Marlinton on the way.

Address

4800 Watoga Park Rd, Marlinton, WV 24954

(304) 799-4087wvstateparks.com ↗

WV's oldest state forest (1924), 8 rustic pioneer cabins (no electricity, gas fridge/heat, hand-pump wells), a 4-acre stocked lake for fishing/kayaking/canoeing, 23 miles of hiking/biking trails, and a historic fire tower.

Hours

Grounds 8am-10pm. Campground/cabins run spring through fall, weather permitting, not a strict year-round operation. No cell service on-site.

Address

10135 Browns Creek Road, Dunmore, WV 24934

Our tip

Open through the spring and fall closures, weather permitting. Call ahead in the shoulder months.

304-799-6213wvstateparks.com ↗

A 110-acre park with a boardwalk trail winding through unique sandstone rock formations and crevices.

A boardwalk through house-sized boulders and moss. Kids love it, and it takes under an hour.

Address

Near Hillsboro, WV, Greenbrier County

wvstateparks.com ↗

A rare boreal bog ecosystem with carnivorous plants, reached by a 0.6-mile wheelchair-accessible boardwalk. Connects to the 6-mile Cow Pasture Trail bordering the Cranberry Wilderness.

A flat, stroller-friendly boardwalk through a bog that looks like Canada. Twenty minutes to walk, longer if you read the signs.

Hours

Boardwalk open late spring-fall

Address

Off Rt 39 (Highland Scenic Highway), near Hillsboro, WV

Three waterfalls, the 63-ft lower falls is West Virginia's second-highest. A 0.75-mile trail (one-way; about 1.4-1.5 miles round trip) starts paved/accessible, then continues via stairs and boardwalks.

Three falls on one short trail. The lower falls is the payoff, and the stairs back up are the workout. Combine with Cranberry Glades next door.

Hours

Spring-late fall

Address

Off Rt 39 (Highland Scenic Highway), ~5 mi west of Cranberry Mtn Nature Center

Civil War battlefield, the last major battle fought in WV (Nov 6, 1863), and WV's first state park (1928). Small museum in a 1930s CCC cabin, monument, trails, and overlook.

The lookout tower over the Greenbrier Valley is the reason to stop. Ten minutes from Beartown.

Hours

Grounds open 24/7 year-round; museum hours more limited, call to confirm.

Address

683 Droop Park Rd, Hillsboro, WV 24946

304-653-4254wvstateparks.com ↗

900,000 acres with trails extending for hundreds of miles, plus visitor centers, picnic areas, and campgrounds throughout. Plenty of places to go fishing, mountain biking, and hiking.

An 1903 historic home museum run by the Pocahontas County Historical Society, artifacts and documents on county history, plus the original Kee family log home on the grounds.

Address

Marlinton, WV

Our tip

Open seasonally in summer and fall. Call ahead to confirm days and hours.

304-799-6985

Birthplace and museum of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck (born 1892), guided tours of the home, a barn with 100+ historic farm/woodworking tools, and the Sydenstricker log home.

Hours

Open Memorial Day weekend through October 15, Fri & Sat 10:30am-5pm (tours start 11:15am, last tour 4:15pm). Closed outside that window, though "Anytime Tours" may be available by calling ahead.

Address

8129 Seneca Trail (US 219), Hillsboro, WV 24946

Our tip

Closed from mid-October until Memorial Day weekend. Call ahead if you would like an off-season tour.

304-653-4430pearlsbuckbirthplace.com ↗

The last surviving covered bridge in Pocahontas County (built 1870, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981), now pedestrian-only.

Five-minute stop, free, and the photo everyone takes. Easy to fold into the Hillsboro loop.

Hours

Outdoor site, always accessible, free.

Address

Near Denmar, off Locust Creek Road, ~6 miles from Hillsboro, WV

Our tip

A free, quick, year-round stop, easy to fold into a drive out toward Droop Mountain or Beartown.

Museum complex of 4 historic buildings (Beverly Bank, Randolph County Courthouse, Hill Building, Bushrod Crawford building) covering Native history, pioneer settlement, the Battle of Rich Mountain, and Civil War history in central WV.

Hours

Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. Fall events (like a Historic Beverly Lantern Tour in October) suggest it runs into fall, but no explicit year-round confirmation was found, call to confirm shoulder-season hours.

Address

4 Court Street, Beverly, WV 26253

304-637-7424beverlyheritagecenter.org ↗