Only in West Virginia is there a spot where you can see for miles, but also observe several species of raptor on their migratory path just yards away.
Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory is one of the last stops on the Allegheny Trail, a 330-mile walking trail that begins near Bruceton Mills and ends at Peters Mountain, upon which the observatory sits.
To reach the observatory, you must travel one mile along the Allegheny Trail, which will lead you up Peters Mountain. Yellow blazes on the tree trunks will mark your path. You will encounter parts of the trail bordered by flat slabs of stone, jutting out of the ground like the vertical plates on a dinosaur's back.
You will be climbing up a mountain, so there will be many steep parts of the trail, but there seems to be about an equal amount of fairly even, flat stretches to give your legs a break as you ascend.
The tower sits along the Eastern Continental Divide in Monroe County, all of which is laid out before you. But the observation tower is not called so to just to observe the view.
However, since birds only migrate once it begins to get colder, September is the ideal month to visit. Inside the tower you will find plastic binoculars and a brochure describing the birds along the path.
