# Road trips in West Virginia > 3 road trips and 12 hand-picked places in West Virginia, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/west-virginia/ 3 road trips and 12 hand-picked places in West Virginia, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. ## Road trips through West Virginia - [New River Gorge National Park](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b10-new-river-gorge/): Overlooks, a famous steel arch bridge, a ghost railroad town and a coal mine you can ride into. - [West Virginia highlands: Dolly Sods to Cass](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b10-wv-highlands/): High plateaus, a waterfall canyon, Seneca Rocks and steam trains in the Monongahela National Forest. - [Along the Potomac: Mount Vernon, Great Falls and Harpers Ferry](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-potomac-harpers-ferry/): Follow the Potomac out of Washington, from Arlington and Mount Vernon to the gorge at Great Falls, Leesburg and historic Harpers Ferry. ## Places worth the detour in West Virginia - [New River Gorge Bridge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-new-river-gorge-bridge/): A steel arch bridge 876 feet above the river, seen best from the boardwalk below the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Fayette Station Road winds down under it. - [Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-glade-creek-mill/): A working reconstructed grist mill over a rocky creek, one of the most photographed spots in West Virginia, especially in October color. - [Blackwater Falls State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-blackwater-falls/): Amber-colored water drops 62 feet into a deep canyon; a boardwalk with stairs leads to the viewing platform. Lindy Point overlook is a short walk away. - [Dolly Sods, Bear Rocks](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-dolly-sods/): A high plateau of heath, bogs and wind-flagged spruce that feels more like northern Canada than West Virginia. Forest Road 75 is gravel and closed in winter. - [Seneca Rocks](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-seneca-rocks/): A thin fin of quartzite rising 900 feet above the North Fork valley. A trail climbs to a viewing platform just below the crest. - [Green Bank Observatory](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-green-bank-observatory/): The world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope, in a radio quiet zone where phones and wifi are restricted. Switch devices off before entering the site. - [Harpers Ferry National Historical Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-harpers-ferry/): The restored 19th-century town where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac, site of John Brown’s 1859 raid. Park at the visitor center and ride the shuttle down; the Appalachian Trail passes through the lower town. - [Hawks Nest State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-hawks-nest/): A stone overlook high above the New River, with a seasonal aerial tram down to the water. The main overlook is a short walk from US-60. - [Grandview](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-grandview/): The southern rim of the New River Gorge, where the river makes a wide horseshoe bend below the main overlook; rhododendrons bloom here in June. - [Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-beckley-coal-mine/): Ride a mine car into a real seam with former miners as guides, then walk through a restored coal camp. Bring a jacket; it is cool underground. - [Spruce Knob](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-spruce-knob/): West Virginia’s highest point, with a stone observation tower and a short loop trail through wind-shaped spruce. The access road is long and partly gravel. - [Cass Scenic Railroad](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-cass-railroad/): Geared Shay steam locomotives climb switchbacks from an old logging company town to mountain overlooks. Book ahead for fall trips. ## FAQs **What are the best road trips in West Virginia?** Popular routes include New River Gorge National Park, West Virginia highlands: Dolly Sods to Cass and Along the Potomac: Mount Vernon, Great Falls and Harpers Ferry. CampingSpirit has 3 trip guides that pass through West Virginia, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map. **Which places in West Virginia are worth a detour?** Our editors recommend New River Gorge Bridge, Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park, Blackwater Falls State Park, Dolly Sods, Bear Rocks, Seneca Rocks and Green Bank Observatory.