8 Great Road Trips to Take in West Virginia

West Virginia is full of country roads leading to countless adventures. Its many outdoor offerings and historical sites make for thrilling road trips through the Mountain State. From journeys through mines, treks across state parks, and self-guided tours in abandoned spaces, West Virginia is not lacking in things to do. Best of all, you can visit countless destinations in this state on the weekend and throughout road trips, taking less than four hours.

Get behind the wheel and buckle up for eight road trips you can take to discover hidden gems throughout West Virginia.

Charleston to Lewisburg

Outdoor excursions can make exciting road trip destinations, especially if those excursions take you underground. Drive from Charleston, West Virginia, to Lewisburg, West Virginia, to explore the Lost World Caverns. The caves dip 120 feet below the earth’s surface, exploding into a network of stalactites and stalagmite formations.

Before embarking on the 115-mile drive southeast of Charleston, visit the Kanawha State Forest in Charleston, West Virginia. The park is a great way to kick off a road trip exploring nature, with its 60 miles of biking and hiking trails, picnic spots, and ample wildflowers. Next, stop in Paint Creek Park in Pax, West Virginia. The scenic trail was the site of the state’s first mine war. Keep driving south and stop in Beckley, West Virginia, to visit the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, a museum that takes visitors on a tour through a vintage coal mine. Before ending your drive in Lewisburg, pull over to Clifftop, West Virginia, to check out the Babcock State Park. Home to the Glade Creek Grist Mill, a fully functional mill, this state park is brimming with over 4,000 acres of breathtaking scenery.

Parkersburg to Point Pleasant

Embark on a road trip from Parkersburg, West Virginia, to Point Plesant, West Virginia, to partake in some of the state’s most unusual and unique attractions. Overall, the drive is 60 miles, just over one hour.

In Parkersburg, West Virginia, individuals can visit the historical Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park, which includes a Palladian mansion, a former home to Irish aristocrats in the early 1800s. Next, check out the Weeping Woman in the Civil War-era Riverview Cemetary. A tombstone for the Jackson family features a large sculpture of a woman crying into her hands, wearing a long veil.

Drive southeast to Spencer, West Virginia, to hike the Ben’s Run trail. An intriguing historic feature of this path includes an abandoned dam built in 1913 that looks fairly similar to a Roman aqueduct.

Return to your car and drive west to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to explore the world’s only Mothman museum. Exhibits include memorabilia and artifacts dating back to the 1960s when people of the town claimed to see mysterious sitings of a red-eyed creature called Mothman. Outside, next door to the museum, the Mothman Statue stands tall, looming over visitors. While in Point Pleasant, also visit the 1909 Battle of Point Plesant monument commemorating the battle fought in 1774 at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River.

Martinsburg to Weston

Some of the most enjoyable trips are the ones where the stops along the way are as fascinating as the ending destination. Going on a road trip from Martinsburg, West Virginia, to Weston, West Virginia, is a 204-mile journey, providing intriguing landmarks, natural springs, and buildings ripe with history.

Start out in Martinsburg, West Virginia, by scoping out the Big Apple. Initially erected in 1990, the massive apple structure on West King Street is a time capsule not to be sliced open until 2040. Head northwest to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, where you can visit George Washington’s outdoor bathtub. The Berkeley Springs State Park features a mineral spa with waters flowing at 74.3 degrees Fahrenheit. The spa has been used since colonial times, prominently displaying the tub where George Washinton once bathed.

Keep driving west and discover the Henry Clay Iron Furnace in Masontown, West Virginia, built between 1834 and 1836. The furnace produced four tons of pig iron every 24 hours. End your road trip in Weston, West Virginia, by walking the floors of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. The hand-cut stone masonry building was constructed between 1858 and 1881 and was a treatment center for the mentally unwell.

Beckley to Elkins

The towns of Beckley, Summersville, and Elkins, West Virginia, make for an exciting journey covering outdoor activities and train rides. In Beckley, West Virginia, you can enjoy family-friendly fun at Mountain State Miniature Golf for mini golf and shopping and dining at the Tamarack Marketplace. Summersville, West Virginia state parks include Summerville Lake State Park, perfect for water activities and camping, and Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, a former Civil War battle site.

Elkins, West Virginia, is a perfect place to engage in railroad history. Before heading to the Mountain Rail West Virginia, you can discover decades of railroad history at the West Virginia Railroad Museum. The Mountain Rail West rides offer panoramic views of mountains, river otters, black bears, and green meadows. The New Tygart Flyer train ride includes a stop at a 150-foot waterfall.

Overall, the trip from Beckley, West Virginia, to Elkins, West Virginia, is 170 miles, a little over three hours, and is ideal for a weekend getaway with the family.

Morgantown to Bruceton Mills

Take a 27.9-mile journey through some of West Virginia’s most beautiful outdoor areas. From Morgantown, West Virginia, to Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, there are several locations where you can get some fresh air, hike for miles, and see all the local plantlife.

While in Morgantown, West Virginia, visit the WVU Core Arboretum. Owned by West Virginia University, the free public greenspace invites people from dawn to dusk to bask in the beauty of the botanical garden and explore its three miles of foot trails, 150 tree species, and woodland amphitheater. To learn more about the area, consider visiting the Morgantown History Museum to peruse its many artifacts.

The next stop on your road trip is 7.5 miles northeast at Cheat Lake, West Virginia. George Washington crossed this site in 1784, and it is now an ideal spot for fishing, paddleboarding, and hiking. After, drive miles northwest to get to the Allegheny Trail in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. The Allegheny Trail is West Virginia’s longest hiking trail, consisting of over 300 miles, passing through three national forests, four state parks, and two states. Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, offers several eateries to refuel before or after a long hike, such as Screech Owl Brewing, for sandwiches, pizza, and baskets of fries.

Wheeling to Weston

West Virginia is packed full of history. Leave on a 136-mile excursion from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Weston, West Virginia, and learn about the people from the state’s past.

Tour the Oglebay Mansion Museum in Wheeling, West Virginia. It was built in 1846 and features 13 rooms filled with furniture, glass, pewter, and textiles from the Edwardian era. In Fairmont, West Virginia, travelers can visit Prickett’s Fort State Park, where 18th-century history comes to life through costumed interpreters demonstrating hearth cooking, blacksmithing, weaving, and other period-centric activities. The location is home to a 1774 fort and 1859 farmhouse.

Go to Clarksburg, West Virginia, to view several historic buildings, such as the A.G. Smith Building constructed between 1890 and 1895, the Clarksburg Publishing Company built in 1861, and the Empire National Bank Building created in 1907. As a final stop on your history tour, end in Weston, West Virginia, at the Mountaineer Military Museum to view decades of military memorabilia.

Fairmont to Moundsville

Traverse through West Virginia’s rich history following a route from Fairmont, West Virginia, to Moundsville, West Virginia, where a massive 62-foot high burial mound lies. The total route is 91.7 miles, a little under a 2-hour drive.

Begin your route at the Marion County Historical Society and Museum in Fairmont, West Virginia. The museum enlightens individuals about the state’s history and takes them through an early 1900s sheriff’s home, jail, and courthouse. Afterward, head to Mannington, West Virginia, to see the Hamilton Round Barn. The building was initially a dairy barn in 1911 but is currently a historical site with displays of antique farming equipment and tools.

Continue driving to the Monongah Mine Disaster Memorial in Monongah, West Virginia. The monument commemorates coal mining history and 361 miners of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster. Moundsville, West Virginia, the final destination, offers multiple must-see attractions, including historical landmarks like the 1866 West Virginia Penitentiary. The impressive gothic prison housed some of the country’s most notorious inmates. Another attraction worth visiting in the area is the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex, an ancient burial mound built by the Adena people, located near the Delf Norona Museum.

Huntington to Thurmond

Have fun with the whole family on a 111-mile adventure from Huntington, West Virginia, to Thurmond, West Virginia. This route dives into Appalachian history, provides one-of-a-kind views, and ends in a ghost town.

Learn about Appalachian culture at the Heritage Farm in Huntington, West Virginia. Visitors can explore the different museums, watch the blacksmith in action at the Blacksmith Shop, and enjoy a meal at the Village Vittles. Defy gravity at the Mystery Hole in Ansted, West Virginia. The quirky 1970s-era roadside attraction is near Hawks Nest State Park. The state park is 270 acres and offers a nature museum, hiking trails, jetboat rides, and a bird’s eye view of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Go on a walking tour through the abandoned town of Thurmond, West Virginia. Once a booming coal mining town, the area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

West Virginia offers a unique array of activities for every interest. Discover the underground side of West Virginia at the Lost World Caverns and Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine in Lewisburg. Take a picture with a Mothman statue at the Point Plesant, West Virginia, Mothman Museum. Go to Martinsburg, West Virginia, to gaze upon a giant apple time capsule. Take a scenic train ride through Elkins, West Virginia. Hike along the state’s longest hiking trail, the Allegheny Trail in Bruceton Mills. Take in the historical buildings in Clarksburg, West Virginia. Road trips through West Virginia can be as varied as you desire and a fun way to get out and explore the state.