west virginia hiking advice

hello all,

i have been reading the gear review section of this site for awhile and recently found the forum section, so i'm a new registree (is that a word?) first off, my gratitude for such an informative and useful site. very well maintained and well down.

i'm looking for advice and can't seem to find useful information elsewhere. i read the faq and i can't find a search fuction for the forum, so i hope i'm not repeating a question that has been posed a million times.

here's the deal. my lady friend and i are taking white water rafting trip in west virginia in a couple of weeks. after rafting, we plan on base camping for three or four days in the new river gorge national river area. we haven't picked out a campground yet (we are leaning toward babcock just on a hunch), but she would like one in area of where we are rafting (the lower new river). my first question is: can anyone suggest a good place to camp? we have no experience with west virginia and the websites we find are very limited in useful information. i was hoping someone might have some personal experience to pass along.

my second and third question are kind of together here. i'd describe myself as a beginning hiker. i've taken a handful a few day hikes out west in the national park circle of utah, the smokeys, north carolina, etc. they have been amazing experiences. i'd LOVE to try my hand at a short extended trip of 2 or 3 days, but it won't happen on this trip because my lady friend has no interest in that type of hiking. she really enjoys base camping, which we will be doing, and she likes to take day hikes, especically ones involving waterfalls. as i alluded to, my question is two fold. one, can anyone suggest any good dayhikes or trails in the nrgnr area? if you were to compile a list of must-see sights, what would you suggest for someone? difficulty of trails isn't really a concern at all, but trails with a variety of scenery would be nice ranging from waterfalls, to overlooks, etc.

the second part of my question: if i were to go to west virginia on my own (i am strongly considering this) looking to experiment with extended backpacking (a trip of 2 or 3 days to get the taste of it), can anyone suggest some loop trails that would be of interest? the degree of difficulty isn't really a concern for me. i'm just looking for an opportunity to experiment (as i said) and to see some beautiful backcountry. again, a variety of sights would be nice in this situation. i'm not opposed to book suggestions either, though i've been to several borders/barnes and nobles book stores and neither carry travel books on west virginia, but i'd be much more interested in hearing about personal experiences with west virginia loop trails some of you have had. i've read quite a few threads from beginning hikers and those looking for suggestions and several of you hardcore posters sound very, very knowledgeable. that's what i'm looking for.

sorry for the long post. it's just getting crunch time and other avenues i've tried for suggestions have failed. i'd appreciate your time and insights.

thanks for your help and time in advance. take care of yourselves,

chamberlain

Babcock State park is a nice place to camp. When I stayed there, I wasn't on a rafting trip, but the park is easy to get to, located not to far off of Rt 19. Grandview Park, which used to be a state park, but is now part of the New River Gorge National River system, has some beautiful views of the gorge, but doesn't have a campground. It is located only a few miles off of I-68. It offers a few hiking opportunities along the rim of the gorge.

WV is a great State to backpack in. The Monongahela National Forest has just under 1 million acres, with numerous Wilderness & Backcounty areas. And then there is the George Washington National Forest. I live within 1 hour of the Mon forest, so I use it as my own personal playground. 2 books that I own and enjoy are:

50 Hikes in West Virginia: From the Allegheny Mountains to the Ohio River by Leonard M. Adkins

Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide by Allen deHart, Bruce Sundquist

One web site that I use alot to plan & get ideas for my trips in WV is (I hope it's ok to post links to other sites here...) www.midatlantichikes.com . The Cranberry Wilderness & Backcountry, Spruce Knob / Sceneca Creek Backcountry, Otter Creek Wilderness, and Dolly Sods Wilderness are all great places to backpack in. Just pick one, and you really can't go wrong. Just be carefull when backpacking into wilderness areas, especially alone. They are VERY isolated, and you can sometimes go for days without seeing another soul. Some of the trails are unsigned and unblazed, so take a good topo map and compass along (and know how to use them). Cell phones do not work in most of these areas, so don't rely on them to get you out of trouble. Just leave an itenerary behind with someone, stick to it, and you should be ok. Also, be prepared for severe weather changes, especially in the Cranberry wilderness. Drastic temperature changes, even in the summer, are not uncommon.

Although I have been hiking most of my life, I am pretty new to overnight backpacking trips. So, my advice is limited. If you have time, you can check out my online blog. I have photos and descriptions of the backpacking trips I have taken so far. http://wvwilderness.blogspot.com/

Edit to my previous post: Grandview Park is located off of I-64. Sorry....

thanks a lot for the information and the link to midatlantic hikes. i read through most of the wv hikes and that is EXACTLY what i was looking for as far as the type of hikes, things to see, and even directions. that's awesome. it definitely sounds like i'll have to brush up on my compass skills. i've used one playing around, but i never had to use one for real on any of the day hikes i was on.

thanks and take care of yourselves,

chamberlain