Babcock State Park: Skyline Trail (Blog Hike #118)

Trail: Skyline Trail

Hike Location: Babcock State Park

Geographic Location: Clifftop, WV (37.99508, -80.95872)

Length: 4.2 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: June 2002

Overview:  A beautiful, scenic, out-and-back hike along the rim of Manns Creek gorge.

Park Information: https://wvstateparks.com/park/babcock-state-park/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=717895
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead:  From the intersection of US 60 and SR 41, go south on SR 41 4 miles to the state park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, then at the first intersection take a soft right on the Manns Creek Park Road.  Follow this road past the first overlook (you will hike back to this overlook later) into the cabin section of the park.  Continue straight at the next intersection, then bear left.  Park at the small parking area that services a magnificent overlook of Manns Creek Gorge.  The trail starts at the left side of this parking area.

The hike: You can tell by the dense, dark, mature forest driven through on the way in that Babcock is one of the oldest state parks in the West Virginia State Park system.  The New River cuts the 4100 acre park in half.  The western half is extremely rugged and undeveloped.  The eastern half is centered around two creeks, Glade and Manns, both of which have steep gorges and offer great views.  The Glade Creek drainage contains the main park office, a restored grist mill, a small park lake, and two hiking trails.

Several more trails can be found in the Manns Creek watershed, which contains a horse camp, cabins, and several overlooks.  The Narrow Gauge Trail, found along Manns Creek, follows an old railroad bed that used to service the lumber and coal industries.  It can be reached from this hike via the steep and appropriately named Rocky Trail.

The best hike in the park, though, connects the two cabin areas in the Manns Creek watershed, passing numerous overlooks along the way.  The well-named Skyline Trail follows the north rim of Manns Creek gorge for just over 2 miles.  The trail is easy to follow, blazed with yellow blazed, and not particularly strenuous as far as mountain hiking goes.

Parking area overlook of Manns Creek Gorge

Parking area overlook of Manns Creek Gorge

            Begin at the small brown wooden sign that says “Skyline Trail 2 miles.”  The dirt trail enters the woods and descends slightly, threading its way through a series of large, sandstone slump blocks.  A large number of ferns carpet the ground, and a few even grow out of cracks in the rocks.  The dark forest features mostly maple, oak, and beech with a few yellow birch, hemlock, and galax.  The trail descends slightly into a dense rhododendron thicket and at 0.5 mile reaches a junction with the Rocky Trail which descends to the right.

Continue straight on the Skyline Trail, which descends slightly to cross a small stream, then begins a moderate, but short climb.  The trail bends right to skirt the exposed sandstone cap of this ridge and assumes a level course with the cliff on the left and a steep drop-off on the right.  This portion of trail is very narrow, so keep small kids firmly in tow.

The trail curves left through another rhododendron thicket, passing through the upper reaches of another ravine.  A brief but moderately steep climb will cause you to arrive at the overlook you passed on the drive in.  A pair of benches allows you to sit, relax, and enjoy the broad views of beautiful Manns Creek Gorge.  The creek can be heard roaring in the valley, and the road is not heavily used, so little interference should be had here.

Overlook on Skyline Trail

            0.8 miles remains to the other cottage area at the end of the trail.  From the overlook, the trail reenters the forest and descends the ridge steeply via a pair of switchbacks.  From here on the trail remains in a dense rhododendron thicket and clings to the cliff edge on the right.  The trail becomes very narrow at times, so watch for the yellow blazes.  Just before reaching the cottage area, the trail passes a nice, unprotected overlook of the gorge and crosses a wooden bridge over a very deep chasm in the rocks.  Upon reaching the cottage area, back track for 2.1 miles to your car to complete the hike.