I was hoping for a real winter adventure when I started planning our Christmas break trip to the West Virginia mountains. We were supposed to go cross country skiing. I’ve wanted to try it for such a long time, and it seemed like we were finally going to get the opportunity. The kids were also looking forward to doing some tubing. I never would have imagined that our first day in the area would be pushing 60 degrees. Needless to say, as I was packing the night before we left I was getting increasingly grumpy about the fact that not a single one of my plans for activities were going to work out. The guys all promised that they were determined to make the best of it anyway, and we were all excited to stay in another yurt.
Our first yurt experience was pretty unforgettable, an AirBnB in Cantwell, Alaska, that had the most incredible views (but no running water). We could see Denali in the distance just before we left, which was a treat – check out the view here – and ever since then we’ve wanted to stay in another yurt. When we found an affordable yurt experience in the West Virginia mountains, complete with not only running water but a hot tub, we were sold. Although we booked our stay through AirBnB like we often do, this particular yurt is within Revelle’s River Resort and it looks like you can book through either site. I didn’t do a great job of taking pictures there, but they have lots of pictures on their site. Since it’s not camping season the area was fairly quiet, although many of the cabins seemed to have guests.
I messaged quite a bit back and forth with the hosts through AirBnB, and of all the places we’ve stayed I’ve never had a host offer so many ideas and suggestions for things to do in the area. They helped me feel much more optimistic that our trip would be worthwhile, even with all of our planned activities off the table. Highly recommend their resort, the yurt, and the area! We’ll definitely be making another trip back.
Before we went to the yurt we made our first stop at the Seneca Rocks Trail. We were able to hike in short sleeves that day and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. Mason and I were realized that we share a fear of heights, as parts of the trail are quite steep off to the side. I wouldn’t have taken my children on this particular trail when they were very young because I would have had nightmares afterwards. According to my watch I climbed 41 flights of stairs and walked 2.6 miles, but the view was well worth it and the overall incline is really quite gradual.
Of course we’d worked up an appetite so we stopped down the road at Yokum’s Grill to try their West Virginia style chili dogs which although delicious led to a subsequent stop at a nearby store for some heartburn medicine. It was check in time so we made our way to the yurt in Elkins and enjoyed the beautiful mountain scenery on the way. After a little fishing were ready to soak in the hot tub and relax for the night.
Dolly Sods Wilderness was the next stop on our improvised itinerary. In case you’re like I was and not familiar with driving in the West Virginia mountains, although you may be only a few miles from your destination you could be in for a rather long drive. We found ourselves making another trip up a mountain, but this time we were driving. Visibility was poor and overnight there had been high winds, so the drive up was rather unnerving and included a delay for a crew to remove a tree from the road. The higher we climbed the more my anxiety was building – it was foggy, raining and windy and I was taking the family up a rather rugged mountain road with no cell service. It was hard to imagine at this point that there wouldn’t be complaints from the kids about the way we were spending our day. Just as I was seriously questioning my judgement on this adventure we reached the literal end of the road and it was obvious it was going to be worth the drive.
After having spent some time in the north over the summer we were fascinated with how much the area reminded us of Algoma Country in Northern Ontario, especially Potholes Provincial Park along Highway 101 (see below).
Now, we knew we were up high but we had absolutely no idea of the view we were missing until midway through our hike when the clouds began to break.
Before our eyes the sky began to clear and we were treated to some of the most incredible views we’ve ever seen. We learned that Bear Rocks Nature Preserve sits on the Allegheny Front, which is an escarpment that is part of the Eastern Continental Divide. We learned that water east of this point flows to Chesapeake Bay, and west of this point flows to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Check out how The Nature Conservancy is involved with Bear Rocks.
The break in the clouds didn’t last long and we felt so incredibly fortunate to have witnessed the incredible views. Apparently on the clearest of days you can see all the way to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Of course, we’re already planning a return trip with backpacking gear.
We descended the mountain with a much muddier car and began the long and slow drive to our next destination, Smoke Hole Caverns. We explored the very impressive store before the boys and I took a guided tour of the caverns. Nic and the pup went fishing at a creek across the road. The tour was a little pricey at $17.00 for an adult/teen and $12.00 for a child, but it was a nice change from being outside in the weather and we learned quite a lot about the history of the caverns.
We returned to the yurt to have some dinner and relax in the hot tub. Nic had a chuck roast in the sous vide cooker waiting for us and it was time to start organizing to pack for the trip home. Our hosts continued to be communicative and sent lots of ideas for a return trip, which I hope to make happen sooner rather than later.
Until next time,
Emily