Great family destinations
Sandstone Falls proffers one of the most photogenic waterfalls in the region. Bruce Ingram photo
When my wife Elaine and I were young parents with grade school-aged youngsters, we vacationed at Bluestone State Park.
We did the same with daughter Sarah and her husband some 15 years later.
In the years between and after, we visited Bluestone and nearby Pipestem Resort State Park southern West Virginia for fishing, hiking, birding, and general outdoor adventures.
In short, these two state parks are marvelous destinations no matter what stage of life you’re experiencing.
Steve Robertson, park hospitality manager for Pipestem, has served the park and its guests for over 40 years, beginning as a teenager as a part-time worker in 1985, and full-time in 1993.
“It’s just amazing how many attractions we have. Our zipline setup offers nine different zips covering 1.5 miles with such highlights as sailing over the top of a canyon rim and soaring 300 feet above the Bluestone River Gorge,” he said.
“For the under 12 crowd, our Splash Park and Adventure Lake offer inflatables, slides, trampolines, dumping buckets, climbing obstacles, and of course swimming and a beach. Our horseback riding program offers everything from ring pony rides for little kids to two-hour trips over a variety of terrains.”
Also available are skeet shooting, where all equipment is furnished, and golfing at a championship 18 hole or 9 hole par 3 course, along with a fully stocked pro shop. Nearby, fishing and paddling on Bluestone Lake, and the New and Bluestone rivers are available.
On our most recent sojourn, Elaine and I stayed at McKeever Lodge, which offers an indoor pool, day spa, sauna, massage, and a game room. Along with updated furnishings, rooms come with microwaves and refrigerators. McKeever also boasts a first-class restaurant, the Bluestone Dining Room (signature meals are the barbeque ribs with sides and the trout almondine), and the Black Bear Grill, which specializes in pizzas and wings.
District Park Manager Jesse Anderson suggests that visitors “take the Canyon Rim Aerial Tram to Mountain Creek Lodge and enter a different world.”
The lodge’s Mountain Creek Restaurant is known for its farm-to-table meals. “Those who fish will enjoy wading up and down the Bluestone River, fishing the riffles and rocky pools for smallmouths. The river is also a great place to birdwatch,” Anderson said.
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Great family destinations
For dinner at the Bluestone Dining Room, consider the West Virginia Trout Almandine. Bruce Ingram photo
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Great family destinations
The Canyon Rim Aerial Train offers spectacular views of the Bluestone River Gorge. Bruce Ingram photo
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The Bluestone Dining Room at Pipestem is a superb place for friends to gather and eat. Bruce Ingram photo
Indeed, it is. On one visit, I became mesmerized watching a dozen or so cedar waxwings hawking over the Bluestone for insects.
Finally, Pipestem features trails; one of the most fetching is the 3.7-mile Pipestem Longbranch Lake Circle, rated moderate. Known for its birdwatching, hikers should be able to navigate it in less than two hours.
Overview of Bluestone State Park
Located just a few miles from Pipestem, Bluestone is more of a traditional state park in the best sense of the phrase. Anderson emphasizes that the destination is known for its outdoor charms.
“For folks that fish, a campground is located along Bluestone Lake,” he said. “So, it’s very easy for guests to launch their canoe or kayak practically right out their front door.”
Bluestone is one of West Virginia’s premier largemouth, smallmouth, and hybrid striper impoundments, and the New River is generally recognized as the Mid-Atlantic’s top smallmouth and musky destination, as well as the finest for whitewater enthusiasts.
The town of Hinton lies just a few miles from both parks, and the Greenbrier River, another quality smallmouth waterway, enters the New River there.
Anderson said that Second Creek, a nearby tributary of the Greenbrier, is a topnotch special regulation trout stream.
One of the activities that my family always enjoys at Bluestone is hiking, and this park certainly excels in that area.
“Hiking trails are certainly a major attraction at Bluestone,” Anderson said. “Eagle Point Trail [1.8 miles] offers some great views of Bluestone Lake. A steep climb will lead to a great view of where the Bluestone River enters the lake. This is Mary Draper Ingles territory, and some 250 years ago this was a rugged, scary land to be in.”
For history enthusiasts, Shawnee captured Ingles in 1755. She escaped and trekked some 500 to 600 miles up the Ohio and New Rivers, as well as the lower Bluestone, to return home.
Anderson said the 9.1-mile Bluestone Turnpike Trail, a river bottom trail that likely offers eagle sightings, connects the two parks and is located mostly in the Bluestone Scenic River Area.
He also suggests combing the Rhododendron and Cabin trails, which make for a nice loop path. If you really want some adventuresome backcountry treks, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a short distance away.
Another aspect my family enjoyed during multiple visits to Bluestone are the secluded cabins, all of which are in woodsy settings. Several of them offer fetching views of the lake.
Bluestone’s cabin guests have access to Pipestem’s facilities, and Hinton is close by with local eateries and shops.
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Spectacular views exist at Bolar Observation Tower. Here Steve Robertson, park hospitality manager for Pipestem, shows some of the panoramas available to Steve Watkins and Allan Denekas. Bruce Ingram photo
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Family fishing at Bluestone Lake which lies within its namesake park. Bruce Ingram photo
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Great family destinations
Long Branch Lake at Pipestem provides solid sport for bass and bluegills. Bruce Ingram photo
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McKeever Lodge is a fine place to stay while sojourning at Pipestem. Bruce Ingram photo
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Guide John Bonham of New River Gorge Outfitters and Bobby Bower of Pro River Outfitters working a pool on the Shanklin Ferry’s float on the New River. Bruce Ingram photo
Out and about at Pipestem
McKeever Lodge is a superb home base to reconnoiter with friends and enjoy the area, so on our most recent visit, we joined Steve and Pam Watkins from Louisville, Kentucky, and Allan and Diane Denekas from Roanoke, for a two-day sojourn.
The lodge rooms are large and feature amenities such as a coffee machine and flat screen television. Many rooms overlook the Bluestone River Gorge, and the mornings were marvelous as we sat on the balcony listening to songbirds as the clouds lifted from the chasm below.
Our breakfasts at the Bluestone Dining Room were delightful. One day, I wanted to have an early start in order to hike the 2.2 mile Lakeshore Trail, which encompasses Long Branch Lake. So I partook of the breakfast buffet which offers a wide variety of egg, bread, cereal, and other entrees.
Another morning, Elaine and I wanted a leisurely beginning to our day, so we ordered Bluestone’s Famous Chicken and Waffles (two Southern waffles and buttermilk breaded chicken with honey butter and sweet and spicy syrup) and the Pipestem Pancake Platter (two butternut pancakes topped with eggs any style and bacon or sausage). Adding to the appeal is that the park strives to use seasonal produce and meats from West Virginia farmers.
I spent another day fly fishing the New River (which flows through downtown Hinton) with guide Bobby Bower who operates Pro River Outfitters and Rocky Mountain Rafts. We caught smallmouth bass and sunfish on poppers and wooly buggers as well as charged through Class II and III rapids on the raft that Bower designed. Other highpoints were a shoreline lunch and observing bald eagles and ospreys.
Another day, Elaine and I decided to just enjoy the charms of Pipestem. One of the highlights was ascending Bolar Observation Tower which offers bucolic views in every direction and lots of photo ops of the surrounding farms and mountains. I also particularly enjoyed visiting the Nature Center that park naturalist Julie McQuade operates. Inside were many displays including ones on venomous snakes and a black bear.
“We do interpretative programs that are educational and fun, and range from birds to bugs to bats as well as any kind of critter that you might encounter in the park,” McQuade said. “We also have a microphone outside the Nature Center where the people inside can learn how to identify birds by their songs.”
Interestingly, I learned that 182 species of birds have been observed at Pipestem. Some of the more unusual ones have been horned larks, blue-headed vireos, and golden-winged warblers.
That evening for supper, our sextet again visited the Bluestone Dining Room, this time ordering from the menu. Several of the most popular orders were the Atlantic Salmon (with the fresh salmon seared with avocado oil and served on a bed of wild rice pilaf with asparagus) and West Virginia Trout Almandine (8 ounces of trout lightly floured and pan fried; then topped with roasted almonds and sauteed grapes on a bed of wild rice pilaf).
For our last morning adventure, Steve and Pam Watkins joined Elaine and me on the 2.2- mile Lake Shore Trail that encircles Long Branch Lake. Even though it was a sultry, late June trek, the great rhododendrons were blooming, and we spotted or heard over two dozen songbirds and a red-shouldered hawk. It was a satisfying conclusion to what is an always memorable stay at two of our favorite West Virginia parks: Pipestem and Bluestone.
Near the Parks
Just a few miles from both parks lies the town of Hinton. Visit on a Saturday and you’ll find the community’s museums open. The Hinton Railroad Museum depicts items from railway days past, while the Campbell-Flannagan-Murrell House Museum represents Hinton’s oldest railroad home. The Veterans Memorial Museum’s collections span from the early days of our country’s frontier to as recently as the Gulf War.
For lunch, consider the Lucky River Café known for its Mediterranean entrees such as the Sunshine Salad, (a spring mix of goat cheese, roasted sweet potatoes, candied pecans and orange slices), or the Greek, (filled with sundried tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and olive tapenade).
Candice Helms, executive director of Explore Summers County, recommends the Waterfall Wanderer West Virginia app. It will help lead you to the nearby Sandstone Falls waterfall on the New River as well as other cascades close by and around the Mountain State.