The T.M. Cheek Memorial Overlook at Watoga State Park offers expansive views of the Greenbrier Valley and the Cranberry Wilderness. According to park staff, the overlook is one of the best places to view the night sky. The park is an official dark sky park.
Watoga State Park
Our trip to Watoga State Park started at the visitor center. We learned the park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. The staff at the visitor center were very helpful in pointing us to the points of interest in the park.
Across the road from the visitor center, we found the Watoga Lake trail. We noted that there were paddle boats for rent. We hiked past the boat rentals and into the woods.
We enjoyed the breeze off the lake as we meandered along the trail. It was a beautiful day.
We took our time to enjoy the views and couldn’t resist trying out the benches set up around the lake.
We sat and watched a deer grazing on the other side of the lake trail.
We made our way to end of the lake and crossed a foot bridge that provided a way across the tail end of the lake. Soon we where on the opposite side of the lake headed back towards the dam.
We finished up the lake trail at the dam then decided to drive up to the T.M. Cheek Memorial Overlook. The park staff suggested this spot for star gazing. It was not dark yet but we wanted to scout it out for later in the evening.
We had high hopes of seeing the stars that night. However, it wasn’t meant to be. As the clouds rolled in, we could see Kennison Mountain off into the distance. We enjoyed the view while it lasted. Soon the view was gone. We checked the forecast…cloudy skies all night.
As we drove back to the campground, we spotted more deer. A lovely doe along the edge of the road. A couple minutes later, we saw another beautiful doe and with her fawn crossing a dirt side road.
And finally, a curious young buck who stood very still for us while we snapped photos of him. It was a great day despite the clouds rolling in.
Riverside Campground
We chose to stay at the Riverside Campground during our visit to Watoga. We enjoyed the spacious sites and lots of shade. From our campsite, it was a short walk to the Greenbrier River. Across the river, we could see glimpses of the Greenbrier River Trail.
Greenbrier River Trail in Seebert, WV
On our last day at Watoga, we explored a piece of the Greenbier River Trail. The 78-mile trail runs along side Watoga State Park for several miles. To access the trail we drove into Seebert, a small town just outside the state park entrance.
We walked the trail for a few miles to get an idea of what it would be like to bike the entire distance (or at least 20-30 miles of it). We decided it would be well worth it. We vowed to return with our bikes. We turned around and headed back to Seebert for lunch.
We found Jack Horner’s Corner, a small store and restaurant on the Greenbrier River Trail. We enjoyed lunch on the back deck with views of the trail and river. We noticed it was a very popular stop for bikers. We could see why.
Although we did not get to enjoy the dark skies at Watoga, we did get to enjoy the camping, hiking, and wildlife of the park. We will visit again soon.
For more #wvstateparks see our posts on Beartown and Droop Mountain.