Hello, my name is Cristy, and I’m here to take you on a new kind of adventure through the Mountain State. As the primary West Virginia content writer for Only In Your State, I have embraced the chance to get to know my state better while researching and exploring countless hidden gems scattered all throughout this beautiful piece of Appalachia that I write about every day.
Teachers, I know, aren’t supposed to have favorites. I suppose the same is true for Only In Your State writers. And while I have yet to discover an area of West Virginia that doesn’t touch me deeply, there are a few places in the Mountain State that have become special favorites of mine. These are places I visit again and again. They are the first places I think to share with my own friends and family when they visit West Virginia. And, when I was tasked with writing this first-person account of an adventure through the Mountain State, one of these favorites immediately sprang to mind.
Come along, reader! Today my camera and I are inviting you on a trip to one of my favorite places in West Virginia. It's where I love to take both my in-state and out-of-state guests: Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County, West Virginia.
To fall in love with Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory as I have, you must first meet the mountain that this old fire watchtower calls home. Peters Mountain is a 52-mile-long behemoth that stands in sharp contrast (literally) to the grassy, gentle folds of the peaceful, largely agricultural landscape that predominates in Monroe County.
At 4,073 feet in height, the crest of Peters Mountain towers over the surrounding valleys. Its spine forms part of the border between West Virginia and Virginia.
And what a spine it is: sharp, steep, rocky, and lined with breathtaking sandstone outcroppings. In fact, it is one of these jagged, ancient, gray sandstone outcroppings near the peak of Peters Mountain that serves as the magnificent natural foundation for the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory.
The spine of Peters Mountain is the perfect home for a wildlife observatory for another reason, as well. This mountain stands right under a raptor migration highway and provides impressive 540-degree views: 360-degrees around and 180-degrees above.
Since the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory is located along the Allegheny Trail, you can theoretically access it by hiking in all the way from the Mason-Dixon Line!
Alternatively, do what I always do to reach the summit upon which this observatory is perched: drive up Peters Mountain along one of those country roads West Virginia is so famous for - County Road 15.
This particular West Virginia country road begins as Zenith Road in Gap Mills, West Virginia, heading south off of State Route 3 just west of the Cheese 'N' More store and climbing Peters Mountain via a series of switchbacks.
Instead of remaining on Zenith Road when it changes to County Road 29 near the top of the summit, turn left to stay on County Road 15 (now called Limestone Hill Road).
At the top of the ridge, look for a small, well-marked gravel parking lot on the righthand side of Limestone Hill Road if you're traveling up from Gap Mills.
Just so you know, Limestone Hill Road continues on down the other side of Peters Mountain to Waiteville Road in Virginia. If you're interested, check the map for a way to make a loop from Waiteville Road through Paint Bank, Virginia back to State Route 3 near Sweet Springs, West Virginia for a bit of a different way home. You might even spot a herd of buffalo on Waiteville Road!
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Now that you've reached the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory trailhead, it's time to hike! The trail to the fire tower begins at the far edge of the parking lot. It's a short 0.9-mile hike to the tower, but the easy distance is a bit deceptive: this trail is rated moderate because of its steep, rocky, narrow ascent up to the crest of Peters Mountain.
Still, for the sure-footed, it's a doable climb; my children have been hiking it without complaint since they were six and eight years old.
The trail is well blazed in yellow for the portion that it shares with the Allegheny Trail, and well blazed in white for the short portion at the very end when it splits from the Allegheny Trail.
When you reach that fork, you're getting close to the tower!
When you round that last bend in the trail and climb the stairs up to the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory platform, you'll know why I love to show off this particular piece of Almost Heaven to first-time visitors of the Mountain State.
Inside the observatory is a mini-museum, with a bit of history of this fire-tower-turned-bird-watching-station as well as plenty of information about the raptors you can spot from this perch.
A visitor sign-in is populated with names from near and far. Plenty of local West Virginians love this iconic spot, but tourists also come from as far away as other continents to climb these stairs and take in this view.
After reveling in the scenery from the tower, head back down the trail the way you came. But don’t worry, the adventure isn’t over yet. If you made it all the way to this edge of West Virginia to visit the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory, you can’t leave without sampling the popular local cuisine: a burger at Gap Mills Diner or a sandwich from the deli at Cheese ‘N’ More, plus dessert from the bakery just across the street.
To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.
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