Panther State Forest: Twin Rocks Trail (Blog Hike #1125)

Trail: Twin Rocks Trail
Hike Location: Panther State Forest
Geographic Location: southwest of Iaeger, WV (37.44761, -81.87644)
Length: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: An out-and-back on an old coal tram path beside Panther Creek.
Park Information: https://wvstateparks.com/parks/panther-state-forest/
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming June 22, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From Iaeger in rural southwest West Virginia, take US 52 west 1.5 miles to Panther-Mohawk Road and turn left on Panther-Mohawk Rd.  Drive Panther-Mohawk Rd. west 6.1 miles to CR 3 and turn left on CR 3.  Drive CR 3 south 3.6 miles to the signed turnoff for the park office on the right.  Turn right, cross Panther Creek on a concrete bridge, and park in the gravel lot beside the park office in another 0.4 miles.

The hike: Tucked deep in the remote hills and hollows of southern West Virginia, Panther State Forest occupies 11,389 rugged acres along the West Virginia/Kentucky border.  The forest is named for its main watercourse, Panther Creek, which in turn got its name from a pioneer who supposedly killed a panther here.  The forest was established in 1940 partly as the result of a locally-organized "Pennies for Panther" campaign that raised more than $9000 in donations.

            True to its designation as a state forest rather than a state park, Panther State Forest is light on amenities.  The forest offers a tiny developed campground, hunting and fishing, a swimming pool, and 4 hiking trails totaling just over 5 miles.  I came here on a rain-filled day in late April, so I needed to keep my hike short to get it in between the rain showers.  Thus, I hiked this park's shortest and easiest trail: the Twin Rocks Trail described here.  The Twin Rocks Trail offers an out-and-back along Panther Creek that follows an old coal mining tram path.  I managed to do the out portion of this hike rain-free but got soaked on the return portion.

Trailhead a park office

            From the park office parking lot, walk a few feet back up to the road and turn left to begin heading southeast on the old coal mining tram path, which today makes a wide two-track treadway.  A sign designates this trail as a Mountaineer Mile Trail, a state health initiative that encourages people to walk 1 mile each day.  The trail passes through dense forest that is a mixture of pines and deciduous trees, and Panther Creek is visible and audible downhill to the left.

Wild grass field and wooden structure

            Near 0.4 miles, the trail curves right and gains distance from the creek.  Soon you come to a wild grass field, and if you look to the left across the field you will see an old wooden structure.  While I could not find any history on that structure, it probably predates the park.  Some large sycamore trees grow along the creek here.

First bridge over Panther Creek

Panther Creek

            At 0.7 miles, you reach a wooden bridge that crosses Panther Creek.  The trail map shows the Twin Rocks Trail forming a loop by continuing up the west side of the creek and crossing another bridge, but the trail becomes very overgrown past this first bridge.  Also, the second bridge was missing when I came here.  Thus, I spent a few minutes admiring the creek and some nearby rock outcrops before turning around and retracing my steps to the park office to complete the hike.

Chief Logan State Park: Coal Mine Trail (Blog Hike #1124)

Trail: Coal Mine Trail
Hike Location: Chief Logan State Park
Geographic Location: north of Logan, WV (37.88324, -82.02230)
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2026
Overview: A loose loop around the state park campground passing numerous old coal mining sites.
Park Information: https://wvstateparks.com/parks/chief-logan-state-park/
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming June 25, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 119 and SR 73 in Logan, take US 119 north 3.4 miles to the entrance for Chief Logan State Park on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, then turn right at the first major intersection to head for the campground.  Drive a total of 2.8 miles from the park entrance to the campground entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the campground, and park beside the campground activities building on the left in another 0.4 miles.

The hike: Chief Logan's name appears on many counties, cities, parks, and trails across southeast Ohio and western West Virginia, but few people today know who Chief Logan actually was.  Chief Logan was the son of Iroquois Chief Shikellamy, who ruled a village in central Pennsylvania near present-day Shikellamy State Park.  Logan moved to the Ohio River region in the 1760s and became a leader of the Iroquois Confederacy there.  He gained the title Logan the Orator for a legendary lament he gave after the Shawnee lost the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774.  Logan made the mistake of allying with the British during the American Revolution, and he was killed in a mysterious altercation near Lake Erie in 1780.

            Today Logan is commemorated in many places, not the least of which is Chief Logan State Park near the City of Logan in Logan County, West Virginia.  Established in 1969, the 3988-acre park has a fantastic set of amenities.  The Chief Logan Lodge is one of 10 West Virginia State Park lodges, and it is a full-service lodge with a fantastic restaurant and a conference center.  The park also has a cozy 25-site developed campground, a recreation center with some athletic fields, a museum with a locomotive display, and 7 picnic shelters.

            For hikers, the park offers 13 trails totaling over 18 miles, and they range in difficulty from flat 0.5 mile walks to difficult 6-mile one-way journeys over the park's steep hills and ravines.  Near the midpoint of those difficulties is the Coal Mine Trail described here.  The Coal Mine Trail takes you through the woods past some old coal mine openings.  This hike offers enough distance to make you feel like you've hiked, but it follows an old coal mining tram path for most of the way, which keeps the difficulty manageable.

Trailhead at campground activities building

            From the campground activities building, find the start of the Coal Mine Trail as it heads west into the woods with the campground road on your right.  A small wooden sign advertising the Rattlesnake and Coal Mine Trails marks this trailhead.  Going this direction begins a clockwise journey around the Coal Mine Trail.  The Coal Mine Trail is marked with yellow plastic diamonds, and while trail markers are not plentiful, there are enough of them to keep you on track.  The narrow trail climbs initially before levelling out about 50 feet above the campground road, which can be seen through the trees downhill to the right.

Trail markers for the Coal Mine Trail

            At 0.15 miles, the Rattlesnake Trail exits at a sharp angle to the left.  Angle softly right to continue the Coal Mine Trail.  The trail descends almost to road level before curving sharply left to begin the steepest climb of the hike.  This climb shows you the advantage of hiking this loop clockwise: you only gain about 100 feet of elevation, and this climb is far easier than the descent you will do at the end of the loop.

Hiking the old tram path

            At 0.4 miles, you reach the top of the hill, where you intersect the old coal mining tram path.  Angle right to begin following the old tram path.  For the next 1.7 miles the trail follows the old tram path as it goes in and out of as many as 8 hollows, depending on how you count hollows.  Like any old railroad grade, the tram path provides a wide treadway with a gentle grade.

Old coal tipple site

            Just past 0.5 miles, you pass the old coal tipple site, which today is marked by a sign and a wood/concrete construction on the edge of the hill to the right.  Tipples used gravity to sort coal by size and load it onto railroad cars heading for market.  Thus, all of the coal that came out of any of the old mine openings served by this tram would have ended up here.  The mines shut down just before the park opened in 1969.  Imagine what it would have been like to live in this hollow back then!

Disturbed area

            Continuing on the old tram path, the trail winds in and out of many hollows, imperceptibly climbing all the time.  Some wet areas and downed trees need to be negotiated, but overall the going is fairly easy.  At 1.4 miles, you pass an old concrete building, which is probably mine-related although I could not determine how.  I did not see any mine openings, but I did notice some disturbed areas that probably date to the park's mining days.  Outside of the disturbed areas, the trail passes through nice beech/maple forest, and this would be an excellent fall leaf peeping hike.  I saw many asters in bloom and butterflies in flight when I hiked here on a warm and humid day in late April.

End of the old tram path

            2.1 miles into the hike, the Wilderness Trail exits at a sharp angle to the left.  Angle softly right to stay on the Coal Mine Trail.  Very quickly you reach this hike's highest elevation and the end of the old coal mine tram path.  The trail narrows and curves right as you begin the final part of the hike.

Campsite #15

            The final descent to the campground may be the hardest part of this hike: you lose 220 feet of elevation over 0.3 miles, and the footing is quite bad.  The last couple hundred feet are narrow and rocky, almost like hiking in a small stream.  At 2.4 miles, you come out beside campsite #15.  Walk the paved campground road gradually downhill past the campground entrance for a total of 0.6 miles to return to the campground activity building and complete the hike.