A mountainous state located in the Appalachian mountains, West Virginia attracts with its caves, slopes and mountain rivers. The state is known for numerous karst caves, which are of considerable interest to speleologists. The mountainous area provides an opportunity for skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking. The abundance of forests and clean mountain rivers attract hunters and trout anglers here.
By the way, nature ordered in such a way that these places are today the most karst region in the world.
The mountainous area provides an opportunity for skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking. The abundance of forests and clean mountain rivers attract hunters and trout anglers here.
- Countryaah – Cities in West Virginia: List of all municipalities in the state of West Virginia, including cities and towns of West Virginia.
The capital of West Virginia and the state’s most populated city, Charleston is one of the quietest cities in the US, where life flows slowly and the townspeople are welcoming and friendly. Other major cities in the state are Huntington, Parkersburg, Morgantown, Wheeling.
How to get there
Flight time Moscow – Charleston – from 20 hours. During the trip, you will have two transfers, and not all routes have the same airport of arrival and departure, so in this case, you need to take care of the transfer between airports in advance.
Upon arrival in the state, you can rent a car. However, it should be noted that the roads here, although good, are mostly mountainous, and if you do not have experience driving in the mountains, it will be more pleasant and comfortable for you to use local buses.
Weather in West Virginia
Most of West Virginia has a humid continental climate with hot summers and cool winters. In the southwest of the state (in the Ohio Valley) and in the east (beyond the Allegheny Mountains), the climate is hotter, subtropical, and in the mountainous regions, on the contrary, it is colder. The average January temperature is 0°C. The average temperature in July is +23 °C. Such a climate increases the attractiveness of the state for travelers, especially since, despite the mountainous terrain, snowfall in West Virginia is infrequent, fogs gather only in some places in the valleys, and tornadoes bypass these places.
Entertainment, excursions, attractions
This state is very interesting not only for tourists, but also for the inhabitants of the country. On the way to West Virginia, you can pass amazing Willing – a city with a rich history, and then move high into the mountains to the Golden Palace and the Hare Krishna temple. After a long ascent, the golden domes of the palace will suddenly shine in the sky before your eyes. Amazing stained-glass windows, richness and splendor of the Palace-temple and its amazing history will not leave anyone indifferent.
One of the most famous sights of West Virginia, the famous New River Bridge is considered a masterpiece of engineering art. The arch bridge, 518 m long, seems to soar above the gorge at a height of 267 m. To understand the grandeur and beauty of the once largest arch bridge in the world, you need to see it with your own eyes. And from the landscape that stretches around, the mountain air and the amazing feeling of flying, it takes everyone’s breath away!
One of the most famous sights of West Virginia, the famous New River Bridge is considered a masterpiece of engineering art.
Historical landmarks
There is no doubt that every year West Virginia attracts more and more interest for its places that allow tourists to go not only along the mountain trails of the Appalachians, but also through the pages of the country’s history. It is worth seeing the historic town of Harpers Ferry with its numerous festivals and museums dedicated to the history of slavery and the US Civil War (it was here that John Brown’s uprising began in 1859), visiting Charleston – the base of the US Symphony Orchestra and the cultural center of the state – with its building The capitol or the oldest city in the state is Lewisburg with its many historic buildings.
Charleston has about fifty attractions listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, which is a lot for such a small city. Many buildings are a hundred years old or more. But there are very few high-rise buildings here, about two dozen, and they do not give the impression of skyscrapers: the highest is the 30-story Capitol – 89 m.
But no less than the monuments of the past, the beauty of nature is attractive here, for example, the view from the cliffs of Harpers Ferry.
Many of the city’s buildings have been restored in Harper’s Ferry National Park to the way they were in the 1950s, when the city’s entire population was 3,600. Park rangers will provide you with maps of the area, tell you about the most important and interesting things, and invite you on a free one-hour or one and a half hour tour. If you are driving, you can park at the guest center. A bus will take you to the restored old city (and back).
The park is open daily from 8.00 to 17.00. 10 USD per car, 5 USD per pedestrian or cyclist.
According to recent polls, Lewisburg is America’s prettiest small town. This fabulous town is amazing with unique shops and a variety of festivals, which are wonderfully inscribed in a historical setting. Be sure to walk around the historic city center here, stay in one of the historic hotels, discover amazing art galleries, restaurants, street cafes, antique shops and fashion boutiques. And don’t forget your camera – it’s a shame not to capture one of the best cities in the United States according to the National Historic Preservation Trust.
If you happen to be in Lewisburg in April, be sure to taste the delights of the sweetest festival in the states – the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival. Here you will find a variety of attractions and entertainment, games, master classes, live music and, of course, tastings. By the way, a ticket to the festival costs only 1 USD.
Natural attractions
Outdoor recreation in West Virginia is inevitably associated with sports recreation: mountaineering, caving, rafting, kayaking and hiking, fishing, skiing, snowboarding and other sports. Here you can raft down the New River Gorge, visit the Monongahila Forest Reserve in the eastern part of the state, or any of the four other national parks scattered around the state.
Golf lovers will undoubtedly appreciate the local courses – some of the best in the States.
Of course, the center of the state’s sports and tourist activity is the Blue Ridge, or the Blue Ridge Mountains, the highest part of the Appalachians. There are special tracks and roads with viewing platforms, picturesque turns, winding from the tops of the mountains into unexpected lowlands, flying over gorges and rapids, bifurcating to allow you to get closer to waterfalls and other mountain charms. You will definitely find yourself in a place where the Potomac River passes through the Blue Ridge, representing probably one of the most amazing scenes of nature. You are standing in a very high place. To your right comes the Shenandoah River, which has run a hundred miles along the foot of the mountain in search of an outlet. From the left, also looking for a passage, the Potomac approaches. Having merged, they beat against the rocks and, breaking into smithereens about them, are carried away to the sea. Being here on top of the mountain, you understand.
