Beartown and Hills Creek Falls, WV

This past weekend I had the distinguished opportunity to visit Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. I was there for a relaxing business trip and to stay with Madison's family in lovely Lewisburg. Lewisburg is located in Greenbrier County in the south eastern part of the state and a mere 16 miles to the VA border. The landscape consists of rolling hills, sparse pepople and a quaint historic district.

Yesterday, we drove up into adventurous and remote Pocahontas County, immeadiately to the north of Lewisburg. Driving amongst sweeping hillsides, lonely farmhouses and finally a higher-elevation forest of Mononghalia National Forest. It was especially tantalizing because the snow got deeper the higher we went (-; First stop was Beartown, a unique collection of slowly eroding boulders perched high on plateau. I have been told that the combination of high elevation, lack of direct sunlight and landscape allow snow or ice to occur late into summer!


The boardwalk was not so long, but it wound its way throughout the boulders, providing a slightly different scene around each corner.


After spending an hour walking around the neat boardwalk constructed throughout the state park, we embarked for Hills Creek Falls. We pulled into a seemingly ominous parking lot sugar coated with 1-2 inches of snow. I was expecting to hear the falls immediately, but a short hike revealed the first Upper Falls. The Upper and Middle Falls were not so impressive, but the Lower Falls, at 63 feet were pretty neat!

I have been told that on some years the entire falls are frozen over, I think we came a bit too early in the year (-;