Babcock is West Virginia’s most popular state park according to multiple sources on the web. Known for its natural beauty and photogenic landscape, the park is a must-see for travelers to the Mountain State.
We decided to camp at Babcock while visiting the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. We soon realized there was a lot to do within the boundaries of this scenic park.
Babcock Visitor’s Center
We checked in at our campsite then immediately made our way to the park headquarters. To us, the stone building and walkways appeared to have the signature style of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Sure enough, we soon found that to be true – the CCC built the buildings between 1935-1937. As we walked around the building to the terrace, we noticed the steps leading down to Glade Creek.
As we descended the steps, the iconic view of the waterfalls in front of the Grist Mill emerged.
Iconic Glade Creek Grist Mill
The path brought us to the large stones in Glade Creek where the waterfalls added to the picturesque setting. We snapped several photos before deciding to visit the inside of the Grist Mill.
The Grist Mill was open so we peeked in. Not sure what all the old equipment was used for, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Manns Creek
After visiting the Grist Mill, we decided to drive up to the Manns Creek scenic overlook. The view from the picnic area was fantastic.
The next couple of days we spent most of our time at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Babcock proved to be an excellent base camp for the visit – only 20 minutes northwest to the New River Gorge Bridge.
Skyline Trail
After our adventure at the New River Gorge, we wanted to see more of Babcock. We were lucky to know a local friend in the area, Jane Reynolds. She graciously agreed to give us a tour of the best spots. We started from the Visitor’s Center and made our way to the cabin area. Our first stop was the swinging bridge – the passageway to the Skyline Trail.
After we crossed the bridge, the trail ascended up the hill with a series of rock steps.
As we made our way through the rhododendron thickets, we came to an overlook. The clouds were obscuring some of the view but we enjoyed the open vista anyway.
We continued on up the trail, only to find an even better view. As clouds rolled in we paused to take in scenery one last time.
Natural Arch
From the Skyline Trail, we walked down the park road to Natural Arch. The trail was short to the arch. We marveled at the natural structure and wondered what critters could be using the rock for shelter.
With so many ledges jutting out, Jane and David had fun pretending to climb the rock!
Island in the Sky
Next, we checked out the Island in the Sky Trail as the clouds continued to roll in. We couldn’t see much due to the cloud cover, but enjoyed resting at the large covered seating area.
Boley Lake
Our final stop was to Boley Lake. We pondered how nice to would be to take a paddle boat ride around the lake. We thanked Jane for an excellent tour and made our way back to camp for the last night.
Babcock State Park Campground
We stayed at site 33 for the entire visit to Babcock and New River Gorge. The site was perfect for our purposes – electric was all we needed. We filled our water tank before we set up camp and had plenty for our four night stay.
As we departed Babcock, we understood why this is West Virginia’s most popular state park.