West Virginia Camping
West Virginia camping was part of our Long Summer Trip 2019. This trip was the first time in the state for both of us. I expected mountains, but was surprised that we did not encounter any relatively flat areas as we made our way through the state. I learned that WV has an average elevation of 1,500 feet and the highest elevation of any state west of the Mississippi. So, we were always going up and down some pretty big hills.
Kanawha State Forest Campground
I chose Kanawha for several reasons: it was a State Forest, on our pathway to üCamp 19 in Ohio, and near a city we wanted to visit. It also had a Google rating of 4.3.
The drive to the campground was somewhat daunting. We went through multiple neighborhoods with very curvy, narrow roads. I was grateful we did not have a big camper. Sadly, the last neighborhood before reaching the campground was very economically depressed.
We were happy to see that once we were in the forest, it was lush and beautiful. However, there was a pretty long drive to the campground and absolutely no cell signal.
As we drove through the campground, I was alarmed at the small and uneven sites we saw along the way. I was afraid we would have difficulty making a lot of them work for us. As it turned out, we had the best site in the entire park; large, level, secluded, and utterly beautiful.
There was a road above us on both sides, but no campsites in our little wind in the road. The area surrounding our site was very green with a creek flowing nearby.
Unexpected Power Outage
Though isolated with no cell service, we had water and electric at our site. It was rather hot despite the immense shade. While spending the late afternoon planning cards, we noticed our air conditioner had stopped coming on. We first thought there was an issue with it, but discovered our power was out. Having no nearby neighbors, we did not know if it was an problem with our site or the entire park. So, we went to the bathhouse and discovered it too did not have power. As there was nothing we could do about the situation, we settled in that night with no power. It was a bit warm without the A/C, but not too bad. Out T@B Boondock provides lights and television through the batteries, so it was not a big deal. The power was restored mid-morning the next day and we were glad to see it.
Charleston
As this was our first visit to the state, we wanted to see one of its major cities. Charleston was perfect because it is the largest city in West Virginia and the capital. The capital building is very beautiful, but we did not get to see it in its full glory because of work being done on the dome. The building was open to the public however, so we went inside and roamed about quite a bit. The building was dedicated in 1932 and has a very retro feel on the inside.
The grounds in the area were incredible! Beautiful flowers and amazing green grass and foliage. The city’s groundskeeper is doing an amazing job.
The West Virginia State Museum is in the same area as the capital. It is free to the public and well worth taking the time to see.
West Virginia has a rich history of coal mining which is honored with the statue below and with multiple exhibits within the museum.
The Company Store was an major part of life in coal mining areas for many years and this exhibit has examples of what they were like.
A fact of which I was unaware. Our Civil War resulted in only one change of territory. West Virginia separated from Virginia and became the 35th State.
The Origin of Mother’s Day
Mothers, you can thank West Virginia for giving you your day of honor. Before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis formed Mother’s Day Clubs in an effort to improve health and sanitary conditions and they raised money toward those goals. During the war, the clubs remained neutral and treated both Union and Confederate soldiers. I love the way that Mother’s Day began! She was such a hero!
Downtown
The city of Charleston was lovely as the photo below shows. We had lunch at an excellent restaurant, Pies and Pints. We ordered Char-grilled wings and they were unlike any other we have had . . . in a good way. Also, we had a large pizza, half Chicken Gouda and half Pine and Swine. We had lots of leftover pizza, but it did not go to waste. The pints were also delicious! I was happy to learn that this is a chain and we have one in our city. We will definitely be visiting.
Our one day in Charleston was great. West Virginia camping was so much fun! The state is beautiful with its own unique character. We loved our time there!
Happy Camping!
