The first weekend in November was a free weekend for us with no sports or commitments, and the girls had off school on Friday, so we planned a weekend hiking trip in West Virginia. I had been researching this one hike in particular for awhile and really wanted the chance to go, but we just needed the open time to do it. Since we were going to drive all the way there, we decided it would be worth doing a couple things while we were in the area, so we wanted to make a weekend out of it. Because the hike I most wanted to do was going to be more on the difficult side, and because we were going to be doing a lot more than just a day trip hike, we gave the girls the option if they wanted to go or not. Lyla wasn’t too excited for the idea, so she opted for a weekend with Mousey and Poppy, but we were really glad that Nina wanted to come along.
The area where the hikes were located at was relatively in the middle of nowhere, but we found a cute place to stay at that was just down the street from our first hike. That area of West Virginia has caverns (similar to what we’ve experienced here by going to Luray Caverns), and at one of those, Smoke Hole Caverns, there were small cabins for rental, a trout stream outfitter for fishing trips, and this log motel that was located right next to the caverns which is where we stayed.
The people that run the motel and the massive gift shop (that looks like a gorgeous log home) next to it were very friendly, and told us their family had been in the area for 7 or 8 generations. The place they recommended to eat dinner at (and probably one of the only places to eat at within a 45 min drive) was a place called Cheetah B’s. From the name and the look of it from the outside, we thought they were sending us to a strip club, but it was actually the nicest little restuarant. They knew we were from out of town because, as our waitress told us, the town is so small that everyone knows everyone, but they were so friendly and we had a great meal to start off our weekend.
We got our breakfast on Saturday morning then headed up the road to the North Fork Mountain Trailhead. It was a sunny but cold start to the day, however within a few minutes of the hike we were more than warm. The ascent was pretty steep, and it didn’t give you many breaks, but about 2/3 of the way up the mountain we started to get to the ridge of the mountain where there were several beautiful overlook spots.
The autumn leaves were possibly not at peak yet, but they wre still beautiful, and the cool temps with a strenuous hike were a perfect combination.
We actually missed the cut off to Chimney Top the first time because the hiking path continues along the ridge of the mountain, and when we came to an overlook, we looked back and realized that Chimney Top was behind us.
So we hiked back down the trail and found the somewhat hard to find little cut off for a very steep climb up to Chimney Top.
Once we got there, it was by far one of the best sights I’ve been hiking yet. It was just stunning!
There are actually two “chimney pipes” right next to each ohter, and the one on the left (picured below) isn’t accessible without climbing gear, but we were able to climb up wo the one right next to it on the right, and officially make it to the top.
This is at the summit of Chimney Top. It was incredible!
The hiking guides say that you know you’re at the top when you see this gold plaque. Once you there, you realize there’s nowhere higher for you to go, but they put that in the guides because some of the overlooks along the way may make you think you’re at the top, but you know this is officially it when you see the plaque.
We cruised on the way back to the car. The downhill was faster, and we were energized from our refuel at the top of the mountain. The scenery was gorgeous on the whole hike, and even as we were walking back down near the trailhead, and the trees were thinning out, it was still beautiful.
We got back to the car then drove about 50 minutes over another mountain to get to Blackwater Falls State Park. Not to be repetitive, but the drive from North Fork Mountain to Blackwater Falls was gorgeous. West Virginia in the fall looks like something out of a painting. It was getting later in the afternoon by the time we arrived at Blackwater Falls, but we got there before the sun went down, and because it’s not another hike (you can access the falls from a parking lot with about a 1/4 mile walk, we got to spend the time we wanted there, then drove to the nearby town of Thomas, WV, where we planned to have dinner.
We visited Mountain State Brewing Co. for a beer and hot chocolate and listened to some music in a room with a roaring wood stove and a funny dog, then we went for the most delicious dinner at Riverside Wood Fired Pizza.
We made it back out log motel tired and in need of a warm shower, but we had such a great day. The hike will go down as one of my all time most favorites, and I’m so glad that we made the trek over the mountain to see the falls and check out another little town.
We only had one destination planned on Sunday as we were planning to make it back to my parents’ house by late afternoon for a family get together. After breakfast we took a little time to peruse the gift shop next to our motel. We each got a souvenir, then drove to Seneca Rocks for our final hike.
This was the last real piece of nature we crossed before making it back to our car, so we stopped for a picture of the three of us on the bridge over the stream. Although I wished Lyla would have wanted to join us, it was nice to get some one-on-one time with Nina. We don’t often go places or spend much time with just one of the girls, but whenever we do, we get to enjoy another side of them that we don’t alway see when they’re together as sisters. We were glad Lyla had a great weekend with Mousey and Poppy, and I enjoyed this weekend with Mark and Nina so much. Doing active things with the family is one of my most favorite ways to spend time, so this was definitely a top weekend in my book!
