West Virginia - Day 6
- nacaruso3
- Sep 11
- 2 min read
11-Aug-2025
Day 6 of my West Virginia Adventure. I called a place that rented ATVs to see if they did any guided tours to the two swings (Buffalo Mountain Trail System and Rockhouse Trail System). Nobody was there, so I left a message. I checked out of the hotel and headed to JQ Dickinson Salt Works for my tour. I learned a bit about the history of the salt mines in West Virginia and got a chance to perform some of the steps that they use when refining the salt. They use everyday tools (a dustpan and squeegee to get rid of some of the water, tweezers to pick out the impurities) and do everything by hand… even labeling the jars!
My first swing today is at Drawdy Falls. The map got me close and then I followed some people who were headed there. From there, I drove to Chief Logan State Park. The swing was nowhere near where the map said that it was. I passed the closest point and entered the park from a much farther entrance (silly me, following directions). My third swing today was Miracle Mountain… the miracle here was me actually finding the swing! The directions took me to an intersection where there was a small green sign saying that Miracle Mountain was to the right. I turned right and drove 1.5 miles down a paved road past some houses. At some point, the car in front of me made a U-Turn and turned back. I can’t help but wonder if they were looking for the swing, too. At the end of the paved road, there was a small sign pointing to Miracle Mountain going up a gravel road. I followed the gravel road for another 3.3 miles before actually arriving at the swing. No reception in this area (as usual).
Back down the gravel road and on to my next swing at East River Mountain Overlook. This swing was right where it was supposed to be! Lake Stephens and Tamarack Market were my last two swings of the day. I was able to take a quick walk around the inside of Tamarack Market before it closed.
I checked into my hotel in Beckley where I will be spending the next three nights. Today was another day with lots of driving and I made it to 6 more swings. 27 so far. I did not hear back from the company with the ATVs. It’s looking like I might only make it to 41 instead of 43.
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