Getting there
This trip fulfilled a long time dream… traveling with my best friend and her family! A journey filled with stops, good music, and constant conversation is part of the fun! Tucker county was a 5-hour drive from home so we picked a picnic spot just over halfway there for lunch and a little sightseeing. Ohiopyle State Park was the perfect fit, definitely a destination in itself. On this trip, we checked out the Tharp Knob Picnic Area and Cucumber Falls. Perhaps this will be a destination in itself in the future!
Ohiopyle State Park is full of recreational activities. We just picnicked and explored one of the many waterfalls while stretching our legs. Both Tharp Knob and Cucumber Falls were short stops right off of Ohiopyle Road. You could see the view or the waterfall in as little as 15 minutes or relax at either for the whole afternoon.
Where to Stay in Tucker County
For this trip, we rented a home through Airbnb. I have found that areas of the country that have ski resorts are great places to look for vacation rentals in the summer months. There are often a lot of places to choose from even just a month or two in advance. If you are looking for a last-minute summer trip, find a ski town and check out what Airbnb has to offer. We chose a home near Timberline Mountain ski resort in a private homeowners association. The location was secluded and came with the use of two ponds to kayak on (we brought our own kayaks) and access to private trails and trails in the Dolly Sods wilderness. The rental agency was easy to work with and if traveling to the area again, I would book directly with them at Mountain Top Realty.
Activities
One of our favorite stops in Tucker County was Blackwater Falls State Park. You can read more about our visit here.
Another great place to explore, if you like hiking, is the Dolly Sods Wilderness. We only saw a couple of miles of this area but it is definitely worth the trip by itself.
We were visiting in late June and were fortunate enough to coincide with Mountain Laural blooming at that elevation. The groves of Mountain Laurel we encountered were simply breathtaking.
Everyone’s favorite activity this trip was the float trip we took down the Cheat River. We booked with Blackwater Outdoor Adventures the day before. This tour company offers both whitewater and flatwater adventures on the Cheat River near Parsons, West Virginia.
Tucker County History
With so much outdoor adventure nearby, this was a great destination for our families. Beyond the outdoors, Tucker County offers up some interesting history as well. Once an impenetrable wilderness, the first non-natives to the area were attracted by the fur trade. Next, railroad and lumber interests combined to make the area more accessible and commercial. Tucker County soon housed mills, banks, tanneries, and hotels.
By 1930, Tucker County forests had been clear cut, stripped of easily mined coal, and had no more animals valued for their fur. People had wiped it clean of any value. The town of Davis was called a stump town, there were no trees, only stumps. An area high school, built on land riddled with mine shafts, collapsed into one. Fortunately, it was a school holiday and no one was hurt.
The rise and fall happened quickly. Neither the original industry nor the destruction was in evidence on our trip. What I liked best about the area’s history was experiencing the land that rose like a phoenix out of the literal ashes firsthand. Everywhere we went was beautiful. People had stripped it bare, felt the loss, and allowed it to regrow and be repurposed. It was in the end, beautiful.
