Thread 2818581

Why fly when gorgeous hills exist close to millions?

37.041741, -82.8857 - pic related

the closest parking is ~
37.045348, -82.874958

closeup down the spine

JD Vance's parents grew up somewhere here.

>>2818581 (OP)
In many ways, the Appalachians are more beautiful than the Colorado Rockies - though the Rockies offer more expansive vistas due to the arid treeless river basins. The forest diversity is soooo much higher in the Appalachians. However, there is far more scattered human habitation in those eastern mountains, versus vast regions of uninhabited wilderness out here. Poke around in some of those hollows, and people are not going take too kindly to you.

>>2818588
>offer more expansive vistas
you can see up to maybe 70 miles on a clear day if you have enough prominence in the east

Is that Nada Tunnel in Red River Gorge? I'm not sure if you can see there from here, but this is certainly looking in that direction.

>Poke around in some of those hollows, and people are not going take too kindly to you.
just gotta be nice and not get aggressive back if they do
I'm just there to explore, I don't mean any harm.

>>2818581 (OP)
Because hills exist everywhere. They're boring, especially if you live near them and see them every day.
I travel for the culture.

>>2818596
there's little museums and stores along the way

>>2818588
No. No they aren't. Just stop. No one think Appalachia is 1/10th as pretty as the Rockies.

>>2818624
>how could you visit a place that doesn't have brown prostitutes!!!

>>2818669
agreed, it's way prettier than the rockies

this overlook has a trash can and a picnic table!

>>2818904
It kinda would be fun if they had like an arcade game or a slide or something random but fun at the top of the mountain. I feel like mountain folk aren't really trying their hardest to attract tourists.

>>2818669
The Rockies have wide-open vistas that mog anything in the Appalachians, true. However, the land is much drier and more desolate-looking out here, and after seven years in Colorado, I've grown a little tired of the aridity (my highland valley only averages 9.75 inches of precipitation per year). Walking on foot through the eastern forests feels like a wonderland of life sometimes. Walking in the Rockies is more a wearisome slog across miles of barrenness and sparse forests, with only the wet meadows and riparian areas verdant with greenery.
>>2818596
No two hills are the same, and hilly regions have a strong influence on human habitation far more so than flat regions (where people can build anywhere and in any direction they please). Hills also mean springs and clear burbling brooks, far more pleasant than the miry sloughs of the flatlands.

Warm spring-fed creek in the Virginia Appalachians

>>2818914
would be cool to find any sort of outdoor hot spring in appalachia

>>2818916
Unfortunately, the public bathhouses in Warm Springs, VA have been closed.

>>2819269
that's really sad to hear - is there no alternative?

>>2818669
This is subjective. The Rockies are more than twice the height and imposing. They’re more challenging to hike. They look more raw and exposed and skeletal, especially if snow is on them. They make nice back drops to photos with pine trees and streams and lakes. The Appalachians are covered with nature which makes them more beautiful and scenic but hardcore campers won’t agree because they’re easy to climb and people build houses on their peaks. Takes away that adventure element or something like that. Most of these outdoorsy camper types are the ones who despise actual campers too and favor tents so who cares what they think. Tent campers aren’t even human. I like both for different reasons. I prefer the Arizona mountains to the rockies for looking so alien

Just came back from Western PA. Super underrated area with comfy scenery. Idk why they put fries on salad though

>>2819480
NW or SW pa? What did you see?

>>2819461
thanks for sharing

>>2819581
SW. I was in Gettysburg, which is really nice, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to go see FallingWater. Along the way I also stopped at Buchanan State Park/forest which was neat, and on the way back I tried to see the abandoned PA turnpike. I drove on a one way gravel road in a really spooky forest, but I only saw a deteriorated road. There's a famous tunnel with graffiti I wanted to see, but the place the gps took me had a sign reading "trespassers will be prosecuted", so I bailed. I'm sure there's another entrance, but I had no time to find it (or parking)
I regrettably didn't see Pittsburgh, but it was getting late, and I knew most things would be close when I got there. I'll definitely return sometime though

>>2819731
Gettysburg is not SW PA lol - and I find it overrated - the visitors center is weird, security like an airport and everything costs money. The observation tower is nice and free and well constructed.
>I also stopped at Buchanan State Park/forest
forbes state forest has a blue hole you can swim in - it's so clean there's trout in the hole and the color of the water is exceptional + you can drive right to it and there's a nearby waterfall you can drive right to (cole run falls)

nearer to pittsburgh there's some overlooks
one above the conemaugh river that's kinda annoying to get to (park at sgl gate - plenty of parking, hike up the hill to the abandoned resort/game cabin, then take the forest road to a little pulloff on your left, sit your butt down, slide down the hill to a narrow overlook)

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC68E

its called oaks point, just outside blairsville pa

there's also an overlook of the youghiogheny river - casparis overlook, that's also on state game lands, this one requires about a mile on a fairly rough dirt road and a water crossing of a creek by car (though I think you can just park on the far side of the crossing and hike from there if you don't want to chance it) - i didn't see any no trespassing signs despite it technically being on private property - and then you park below the old limestone quarry and from there it's a short easy hike to a good view - I'm convinced there's a view on the other side of the river but I haven't found it yet

there's also a driveable overlook above Johnstown
snyder vista

I had good pierogis recently in Pittsburgh @ Polska Laska - you can tell they are homemade
anyways there's lots to see in PA - that's just a few things in SW PA, NW PA has a whole bunch of other stuff, in addition to waterfalls

>>2819838
>Gettysburg is not SW PA lol
I know, I'm just saying I was there and that's why I took the opportunity to travel further west

>>2819853
oh

>>2818593
Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail near Waynesboro, VA
IIRC
>I'm just there to explore
And everything along Coochie Hollow Rd is private property. Move along, stranger. Go explore somewhere else.
>>2819315
This creek was flowing right next to the highway and had a nice rock pool. Surprisingly, the water was warm.

>>2819480
Central PA ridge and valley country has its scenic spots. I broke down on a rural back road after my van's fuel pump seized up and got helped by a local landowner, as there was no cell service. The shop in Everett was run by some very old-fashioned and honest people. They ordered a replacement fuel pump, installed it and had me back on the road by 5 PM. Labor charge was $80/hour, which even in 2021 was rock-bottom for a mechanic's shop. The 20 mile tow cost $120. This experience left me with a very positive impression of rural Pennsylvanians. So old-fashioned, they all wear wire-rimmed glasses still.

>>2820013
plateau is nicer - there's no real views around Breezewood - despite the terrain, given that basically everyone has to come through there you'd think they would develop something into a scenic overlook

You're supposed to get a permit to camp in PA state forests...but hardly anyone visits outside of hunting season.

>>2820015
I feel like the rule is that car camping sites require a permit and 5 dollars a night now but hike-in sites don't unless they are on specific trails that do require that. The real redpill is camping on SGL cuz there's SO much SGL land.

>but hardly anyone visits outside of hunting season
UNTRUE
I do! But I don't camp.

Renovo, PA - in the valley of the Susquehanna River
The houses are so old-fashioned in Pennsylvania towns. If you're sick of generic suburban McMansion sprawl, it feels good to explore such quaint places.

>>2820018
I've stayed there twice. I think the hill on your left has a view but its on private property and I haven't reached out to the owner (who I'm sure would say no anyways).

There's some great views near Renovo including Boggs Ridge (west and east)

I think Renovo has a foliage festival I wanna say the second weekend in October.

I enjoyed both the overlook of the "Pennsylvania Grand Canyon" and a long walk along the old rail trail that runs through it. Some cute teenies on bicycles gave me a big smile and a cheery hi in passing. Random, innocent acts of kindness from teenage country girls gives you hope that America isn't as doomed and ruined as they want you to think.

>>2820022
hmm I know I've probably been to that overlook but I can't figure out which one that is. Otter View doesn't have a tree stuck in it.
Did you hike the Turkey path down to the rail trail from the top of the gorge, or re-park down at the bottom? I've never hiked down to the bottom and then back up.

I've seen like 20+ overlooks of Pine Creek and there's more I haven't gotten to.

>>2820021
That June day was absolutely amazing. 75 F, no humidity, full sun, everything green as can be. I headed up to Ole Bull State Park and met some friendly locals (the guy was wearing wire-rimmed glasses), took a bath in the lovely cold river and then a hot shower in the campground before moseying on. There was definitely a lot more to explore in the area, which has some interesting topography (2500' plateaus cut by deep ravines).

>>2820028
OH is that
>>2820022
the view from the overlok at ole bull?
I've never done that cuz it looks to be obstructed.
>There was definitely a lot more to explore in the area
yeah there's views for days + the adjacent endless mountains region has tons of stuff

>>2820027
I headed down to the bottom first.
Both times heading through that part of north-central PA, I picked up a friendly old guy hitching a ride. It's basically the 1970s up there. Hardly a sign of modernity in sight, apart from the new-model cars.

>>2820029
That was at Colton Point State Park.

Late spring in the Appalachians is amazing. The humidity arrives, making you sweat under a hot sun, then clouds boil up ominously before thunderstorms of tremendous power sweep across the ridges, blasting everything with torrential rain and hail. The next morning, the sun rises on a bluebird day that is as clean and cool and fresh as anywhere on God's green earth. All the songbirds are singing to their heart's content. It's almost impossible not to feel liberation of the spirit when wandering the backroads of Appalachia in late spring.

>>2820032
the west rim trail was way too fucking scary for me to get close to - it's like right on the edge

>>2820032
Is that the one that has a view next to it? I think I've been there.
There's also a different view if you go the back way above douthat state park to the overlooks (without having to get to them from the bottom)

>>2820033
>god

>>2820018
I just can't imagine what you would do in a town like this? That's not my idea of a summer vacation. You ever been to Dubrovnik?

>>2820271
there's dozens of parks and overlooks within an hour's drive
like it's basically a nexus of public land

>>2820271
Renovo is a fine place for a vacation!

>>2820272
You can't trick me. I used to work in Pennsylvania. I've seen every corner of that state. The only thing that's worth doing in the whole state are the 3 little ski resorts liberty, roundtop and blue knob.

>>2820492
>Renovo
It looks like the city from Silent Hill. It would be great for shooting a horror movie.

>>2819269
No they haven’t, where the fuck did you hear that?
https://omnihomesteadexperiences.com/#/spaBooking/eventcalendar/Location333

>>2820514
You don't go to Renovo for Renovo (unless you are there for the foliage festival, which frankly this thread is making me want to), you go because it's ground zero for steep hollers and has some amazing hiking nearby.

>>2820576
No, I get that the PAID indoor pools are open, but there's no like free OUTDOOR hot springs you can just wander into.
I saw some comments on Google Maps suggesting a more clandestine outdoor hot spring might be available...

>>2820271
That's no place for a Real Traveler. It's too full of privileged vacationers engaging in the mindless consoomerism of modern travel.
>paypig to visit tourist trap
>post pictures of scenery on socials
>make others jealous, so they paypig to visit tourist trap
>post pictures of scenery on socials
>rinse and repeat ten thousand times
Appalachia is the kind of place you travel to if you desire real authentic interactions with the unique characters who make up the heart and soul of America. If you want to be tourist #53273 enjoying a cookie-cutter escapist experience, instantly forgotten as soon as you board the taxi for the airport, then yeah, pick any old beach resort town and have at it.
>>2820576
My bad. They were closed and heavily posted against trespassing when I passed through in June 2021. It looks like the property was bought out by OMNI. $35-40 per person, reservations required, time limit 50 minutes. Kind of a ripoff, but the runoff has to go somewhere, and when I visited, you could stop at the roadside pullout and take a bath in a rock pool built in the creek directly downstream of the facility. (Same as in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.)

>>2820675
there's gotta be somewhere you can have a free outdoor hot springs experience in appalachia

>>2820675
You cope any way you need to. But you can get the best $1 doughnuts in Dubrovnik you'll ever eat. You go to the grocery and buy a 6 pack for $5 or a bottle of local wine for $3. You can cliff jump off the castle walls for free, drink your wine and beer, eat your doughnuts. Swim into some sea caves in crystal clear blue water. The ferry to Lokrum Island is $7. You can get a big ass pizza at Mamma's for $13. Sure, you can spend money if you want to and eat some fancy dinners and drink $20 cocktails in the underground cave bar, but you also can do it on a very reasonable budget. Either way, it definitely blows Renovo Pennsylvania out of the water :) You should expand your horizons.

I love hills.

>>2820804
I've never been attracted to coastlines like the average normie. Nor do I care to pay the surcharge for lodging that such places always demand. A room that costs $30 in Poland is going to cost $90+ there.

Donuts are crap, there's fifty different baked goods which are better than a ring of nutritionless batter fried in sneed oil and covered in sugary goop. This freshly baked pastry made with Pomeranian blueberries, for instance. Still warm when I bought it in Olsztyn. Even Poland is a little too nice and upscale for me, desu.

You seem to lack an understanding of how Americans travel. They don't go to one place and stay for a week. They go on a roadtrip and stay in a different place every night. Renovo would be a town you stop over for a few hours, then move on to the next park or wilderness area. That part of Pennsylvania is all about the rustic backwoods life, not the luxury cosmopolitan European holiday experience.

>>2821093
Krumpe's donuts are worth the 40 minutes of you life it will take to get off of I-70 and maneuver through the strange and sad world of Hagerstown MD into an alley where there will very likely be a line from 7-11pm (when they are open) but the donuts are worth it (bring cash for a discounted price).

>>2821093
No, I completely agree. Renovo is a terrible place for a nice vacation.

>>2821095
I used to go to Hagerstown a lot to see punk and hardcore bands a club called the 180 degree club. Hagerstown is rough.

>>2821243
Renovo is just where you stay to explore the hills.

>>2821243
>Hagerstown is rough.
the only reasons to be there are the Ledo's Pizza and the Krumpe's (both are nearbyish to one another and you can get in your pizza and donut cravings in one fell swoop)

>>2821245
Maryland has a lot of great food. Square pizzas, blue crabs, pit beef, thrasher's fries. There's a lot of good BBQ places on the side of the road. Have you ever had those buffalo wings they make with old bay and honey?

>>2821368
square pizza meaning detroit pizza? that's not a md thing
but i will say I had a good crab pizza in cumberland at Alfredo's (I think), and the pizza at White Rabbit Gastropub in Frederick is Detroit-style and yummy, but the chicken parm sub is even better.
>pit beef
its usually dry when I get it just had bad luck
>thrasher's
that's just a beach thing
>There's a lot of good BBQ places on the side of the road
eh have not had the best luck with this
I guess I did find an ok pit ham place by the side of the road but maryland can be kinda ghetto
I will say there's some interesting hiking along gunpowder falls and little gunpowder falls and the nearby area - liberty dam

>>2821368
Being a poorfag vagabond traveling solo, most of the great food in America was far beyond my budget, apart from the occasional treat (and even then, discounted shartmart bakery items were primarily what passed for treats in my early days of travel).

>>2821395
>square pizza meaning detroit pizza?
Wrong
>that's just a beach thing
wrong

>>2821436
oh?

>>2821415
at least you are traveling, it's nice eating at local restaurants but getting to see places is more important

How do i get around or even travel to this area?? All i want is a bus that goes from washington dc to the mountainous shenanoah for a reasonable price

>>2821866
The Virginia Breeze bus travels from D.C. to Front Royal, where Shenandoah's Skyline Drive begins. Leaves 9:35 AM from Union Station. Took me fifteen seconds to find this out on Google Maps. What is with you people and your compulsive need to be spoonfed EVERYTHING?

>>2821866
Sorry fren, you will need a car. There are specific instances like I believe there's a warm-weather shuttle from Blacksburg VA to a popular Appalachian Trailhead and back - and some Airbnb hosts will give you a ride to the AT if you stay close-ish to it (and you can always ask if they don't specifically list that), and there is a bus to Roanoke but really you will need to rent a car.
OPs pic is super far from any public transit.

>>2821415
There used to be this huge tip sheet someone made with all the deals and scams you could pull in the US to travel and save money. I remember one of the things on it was to go to 7-11, but a bag of fritos, and then load that shit up with the free nacho cheese and beans. And another was to order a sweet tea from Mcdonalds and just hang on to the styrofoam cup for unlimited refills.

>>2822011
>the tips are just stealing from convenience stores

>>2821866
Back when the logging boom was at its height (1880s-1920s) there was a thriving system of passenger railroads to take tourists to inns and spas and resorts in the mountains and that could come back if people really wanted it to, the rail grade mostly still exist unused.

up

>>2822245
looks comfy af to me

>>2823281
well, if you see the peak on the right, that's big stone mountain, and there used to be an access road to the top, and multiple fire towers with presumably good views there as well, and the access road still technically exists as a gated forest road, but it's probably pretty overgrown and certainly not drivable. The closest access is from a dam that's privately owned, so that won't work. The point being I think they could fix up the road and add some overlooks to complement this one and bring people to the area, but they won't bother.

>>2823284
leaving it untouched is also based

>>2823293
would be nice if folks could still enjoy it
a lot of these places actually used to be more accessible to cars in the 1950s and 60s before we had so many gadgets to distract us.

>>2823295
too many roads spoil the aesthetic though
appalachia would benefit from more towns resembling those of coastal maine or massachusetts, pretty homes tucked between the woodland rather than huge highways splitting them apart and being lined by identikit modern amenities

>>2823309
there's literally NO road up to the top
I'm not suggesting a huge highway to the top, just an access road and an overlook

I'm planning on travelling to the western part of virginia for a few days and camping. Where should i go there?

>>2823309
People have to make a living, and those Walmart towns are the only places to do so. The New England coast has as much money as the California coast. Of course they can afford to do everything just right when their houses are worth seven figures.

>>2822245
All unused railroads should be converted to rail trails.

>>2823344
it was only an observation

>>2823320
twin pinnacle trail @ grayson highlands state park is wonderful views, there's a big and a little one that can be looped into a hike, I think it's like 5 or 10 dollars to enter the park, there's definitely camping somewhere there

mt rogers is the highest point, but there's no view from it because they refuse to build a tower cuz it could "damage the treee" - which are all already logged anyways

another region of SW va is the spit of jefferson national forest land between dungannon and norton, there you have a short hike to bear rock - a nice view down the length of a gorge, then you can hike down little stony creek - you can do a short hike to the main falls, or a longer hike along the length of the creek but its out and back unless you have two cars

there's also devil's bathtub, moderate hike to a swimming hole with nice colored water, very popular

near that there's high knob, with a fire tower for views and on the other (north) side of the mountain there's flag rock, a very short walk to a view looking in the other direction.
I believe the camping there is at bark camp lake, and there's also camping at high knob. There's a chief benge scout backpacking trail that I think sees little use - looks interesting for a backpacking challenge.

then the third part of sw va
is pine mountain
you can see breaks interstate park and for 3$ there's like 5-6 different overlooks you can hike most of them as one long hike or just park in different places and get out and have a bunch of short-ish walks

then further west down the spine you can drive up birch knob (rough road) to a short walk up a fire tower with good views, and then further west is kingdom come state park (yes, technically kentucky) which has the 12 o clock overlook (park on the opposite side of the road and go up the steps that go uphill) and a couple of other roadside overlooks, as well as a short harder hike you can do from leopold gap to a series of overlooks on the pine mountain trail

>>2823346
yes, but some of them should have functional automated trains for tourists so you can just show up and ride down the length - and you could even have a parallel rail trail and railroad in some areas

>>2823370
people get very all or nothing and it's nice to show nuance, the typical "just leave it as is it will turn into disneyland and be crowded" attitude kinda promotes neglect and decay

Are the Appalachians too commercialised now?

>>2824140
parts of it - yes
parts of it - not at all

>>2824140
do you want them to be?

>>2824140
yes

bump

>>2824140
There are pockets of tacky hyperconsumerism, and some very exclusive mountain estate developments in the North Carolina mountains - living at 3000 feet elevation means temps 10+ F cooler than down in the flatlands.

Most of Appalachia has a very antiquated feel to it. It's not like the faux-rustic aesthetic of the western mountains, where prospering towns try their best to maintain a traditional facade along their thoroughly modern and hip Main Street districts. Across the most rural parts of Appalachia, things look rustic and quaint simply because nobody has bothered to build anything new in the past 50+ years.

>>2826394
>nobody has bothered to build anything new in the past 50+ years.
It would be cool if they could recreate the architecture of turn of the last century boomtowns with modern buildings.

I'm doing this road trip at the end of October, would appreciate any recommendations for additional stops. Should I stay in inns/motels or campgrounds? Any local food items I should try? I'm also curious if Nashville is good as someone that isn't really going to party, but is still interested in the history of the place.

>>2826394
Is that a good or bad thing though? Because an old ghost town in California which manages history and modern comforts seems preferable to outdated infrastructure and a lack of amenities, whatever you want to say about 'SOVL'

>>2826742
You don't feel like a poor unwanted vagrant cruising around West Virginia like you do in, let's say, Breckenridge Colorado. You feel normal, and if you're friendly, you're treated like a normal person too. They might tell you where the little free campground is, or heck, they might even invite you to dinner in their home. (Happened to me several times on my first roadtrip through Appalachia.)

Yeah, there's not too many ways you can contribute to the local economy in those forgotten little towns, but then you go to Breckenridge and you can't frickin' afford to contribute to the economy because everything is so absurdly expensive. Easy to resent feeling excluded like that. But hey, if you're one of those crypto gorillionaires who infest this board, then you might as well go to a place that filters the poorfags.
>>2826714
I've only been through Nashville, never been to it. At night the city's hills covered in lights looked pretty cool, something you rarely see in the East.

The Red River Gorge in Kentucky is worth a visit, they say. Sadly, I've never really spent time exploring Kentucky, only passed through it.

>>2826714
The section of blue ridge parkway between roanoke and the nc border is flattish and boring and the overlooks suck, skip it (north of roanoke is nice and NC blue ridge parkway is nice)

If you are going through Beckley I recommend the New River Gorge - beauty mountain is the easiest way to the best views (though a sorta odd parking situation where some parts of the road you can or can't park on so mind the signs),

there's a cool overlook I haven't yet gotten to at jenny wiley resort state park nearish to prestonburg overlooking a lake
it's a bit confusing but you park here:
37.697680, -82.752559
and take the mountain biking trails to
37.707758, -82.741151
you can download a regional trail map on alltrails (if u pay for that) and figure out the paths on that or just wing it
there used to be a skylift (chairlift) in the 1960s to the view
also
red river gorge
this one's on my list:
https://www.kentuckyhiker.org/hikes/jailhouse-rock-and-star-gap-branch-east-overlooks-2024-1004

but there's lots to do and see there

I suggest rerouting through whitesburg ky to see pine mountain and breaks interstate park (12 o clock overlook and towers overlook at a minimum, respectively) south of your current routing
do you need to see nashville?
if not i say skip that and add cumberland gap and big south fork
you will run out of things to see before time unless you are spending a full month doing this and are ultra fit

>>2826756
>they say
it very much is, ive been twice and end of october is great cuz you still get some fall color but you can see the outlines of the gorges more with the leaves mostly off

>they might even invite you to dinner in their home
lucky that's never happened to me
did you know that's how they logged every inch?
the logging companies would come in, pay for a fancy dinner and alcohol for the locals and then make them an offer on their land

also recommend:
lilley cornett woods (old growth trees- some of the thiccest in the east, you need to make an advanced reservation cuz its a guided tour but they are nice about it)
birch knob (easy tower in va with great views on pine mtn)
>Any local food items I should try?
my cooler is stuffed with cheese curds and yours should be too
there's a taco place in red river gorge like IN the gorge and I recommend the lamb not the beef
I also had a great meal at a little diner north of beckley and got the fish - trout is local and common
chicano boy taco in staunton has really good burritos and such
and if you time it on fri-sun triple crown bbq in luray has some of the best bbq in the area (take 211 east instead of 81 to 66)

>>2826790
Thanks, I decided to drop Nashville. How difficult are the trails in this part of the Appalachians, I've only hiked them up in NH. Also ChatGPT is claiming I'm allowed to sleep in my car at national forest trailheads, do you know if this is true?
>>2826756
Added Red River Gorge, I'm actually excited about that part of the trip.

Are there any good coal mining museums, I'm already planning to visit the mining wars museum in Matewan.

>>2826995
>How difficult are the trails in this part of the Appalachians
depends what you are looking for or want there's a great variety from easy to crazy
>I've only hiked them up in NH
what kind of shape are you in?
Big South Fork has a lot of easy-ish overlooks
If you park at the Angel Falls Overlook trailhead (the uphill one not the one at the creek) and then take the john muir trail north you get to an easy cliffy view in maybe half a mile or less
also recommend buzzard rock, yahoo falls (don't skip the adjacent overlook that's just slightly downhill off the paved road to the right next to the main parking area)
blue heron overlook
and dick gap overlook (my favorite) which is the other side of blue heron and a steep ass road to get to (hope you have an suv or trugg)
there's also john muir overlook above no business creek (on my list, haven't been) cuz that's a 5 mi rt walk
oh and do not miss pogue creek canyon if you see ONE thing see that (the upper trail the trail from the bottom is closed from flood damage from helene)
fall creek falls
sequatchie valley (i think the main overlook is on the right/east side of the valley I have yet to find the good one)
red river gorge has chimney top rock which is easy, creation falls which is easyish, sky bridge state park (easy don't miss you walk out on an arch and then look back below it)
there's also an overlook on your left on the WAY to sky bridge that you shouldn't miss I think its called buzzards roost its on the left as you head towards sky bridge
auxier ridge is the most popular but thats 5 miles of walking and a good bit of elevation
and of course natural bridge has the chairlift then walk left to lover's leap and then back and right to stand on the arch or go below it

>Are there any good coal mining museums
beckley has an exhibition coal mine make sure you are there on the right day most of these museums are open more like thu-sat or limited days of the week

>>2826995
pocahontas has a museum and coal mine (have not been to either of these) that's se of matewan

pinnacle rock state park is nearby with an awesome view for a short but uphill hike and there's a nice art store nearby if you are into that for gifts in Bramwell

if you want deep shit you can park next to the assistant superintendent's house at panther wildlife management area and walk the fire road (I forget if its more like 2 or 3 mi rt but something around there) but 1000 ft of up to a fire tower that is still standing, I was so sore from the climb i didn't even try the fire tower and in true wv fashion it has a sign saying closed but isn't blocked off at all, I thought it would be demolished it looked to be 100 years old

there's a million trails to see in the area
you will run out of time before trails
and legs you will run out of legs - plan rest days

>>2827025
phwaooooarrr look how rusty that thing is

>>2826995
>sleep in your car at national forest trailheads
They might be the only flat, open pullouts you can find that are public property. There's usually a camping area where the AT intersects with forest roads as well. Overall there are few vandwellers in the eastern mountains, so "No Overnight Parking" signs are a rare sight.
>>2826995
The White Mountains are far more bouldery than the southern Appalachians.

>>2827285
I assume it is untouched and original to when it was first put up perhaps around the 1940s.
It's confusing because the map indicated one trail had the remains of a fire tower - and indeed if you hike the other side of the holler there's just the anchor blocks for a no-longer-there tower - which is sad there would be a great view if they put a new tower in, but this trail (accessible both via a blazed singletrack trail and a fire road that connect near the tower) makes no mention of a tower but has one. It's so odd to make a trail to a tower and not restore it to useful condition. There's otherwise NO view if you don't climb the tower.

up

My first seasonal job was in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I got paid $8 per hour, got $45 per week deducted for room & board, and saved $5000 in 6 months.

The White Mountains are the best part of Appalachia from a topography perspective.

>>2827328
I like it a lot. I like any kind of random tower or high point, really.

>>2827806
retard

Creek bathing in the freezing cold water is a common pastime of people in the White Mountains, especially on hot days.

Kanc view

>>2827852
New Hampshire is not much of an undiscovered secret. It's quite popular and well trod especially with tourists from the urbanized NY-Boston corridor. I wish to shine a light on the more southern aspects of Appalachia that are much less explored.

>>2827852
I was at a waterfall recently, but everything was wooden-fenced off. Like yes you could have slipped over it to swim but they made a whole big deal with how that was illegal and you couldn't bring swimsuits and they even had a bag check but nobody was staffing it and checking your bags at the time I was there. It was weird.

>>2818904
I had the same response when I was in Saint Lucia in the caribbean, and I asked this random local dude I met about climbing the island's tallest mountains, the Pythons I think they're called. He was just confused.

>>2828925
I feel like those are genuinely somewhat hard to get to the top of so it makes sense a local normie wouldn't have done it.

>>2829854
Nobody hikes because there is no trail.
There is no trail because nobody hikes.
Not the case in Shenandoah!

>>2830995
*is 30 dollars to hike in your direction*
also shen is really rocky terrain

>>2818581 (OP)
I want to spend a week holiday in either of the Virginias,Kentucky or Tennesse.can anyone please recommend a cool town or city that I will most enjoy from a food and fun perspective?

>>2834260
hmm the places where towns are fun (hiking) is not and where there is hiking, there's not really towns, except the ultra-tourist zones of gatlinburg, and the towns near the mountains are often frustratingly expensive
I would recommend choosing an accommodation close to a hike that looks fun to you
there's lots of different options in all 3

It also depends on how much driving you are willing/want to do because some of these places are really far apart, some people kinda want to be all in one place, some people don't mind traveling while traveling

>>2834356
Yea I’m looking for a nice town not too far from airport where I can experience the culture and food and get around by foot or public transport.really trying to find that old style Appalachian feel with friendly people and good food.

>>2834365
you need a car, appalachia doesn't work with foot or public transit unless you would be confined to tourist trap towns or the rather ghetto larger cities

the prettiest things are often the furthest away from things like nice restaurants and airports
I recommend renting a truck or suv

>>2834365
Mountain roads don't have paved shoulders for walking, and big trucks use them all the time.

You'd be best off hiking a section of the A.T. if you want to be on foot.

>>2834365
the old style appalachia feel is created by being far away from an airport, unfortunately most of the larger cities, that i've been to anyways are fairly disappointing and diverse

>>2818581 (OP)
If i was rich i would revive the southern WV economy. Beautiful state but poor.

>>2834521
They've been trying to revive it with ATVs but its kinda an expensive hobby to get into and there's very little non-atv infrastructure.

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>>2828543
These photos depress me. >>2833173
>>2828544

That's like my antithesis of a vacation .

>>2837085
what

>>2837085
>That's like my antithesis of a vacation .
explain?

>>2837332
It's a hill. With some trees and power lines. In the middle of nowhere. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather not be.

>>2837349
so its not urbanized enough?

up

>>2837349
In June everything is bright green and birds are singing everywhere, it's lovely to sit in the national forest someplace far from any paved road and smoke/vape weed.

>>2838781
if you bring liquid drinkable weed you can have weed anytime

>>2833173
Grim. You need to get out more.