Hike Location: Coopers Rock State Forest
Geographic Location: east of Morgantown, WV (39.63796, -79.81515)
Length: 7 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2019
Overview: A loop plus an out-and-back featuring the historic
Clay Iron Furnace and fantastic views of the Cheat River Gorge.
Forest Information: https://wvstateparks.com/park/coopers-rock-state-forest/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=771161
Photo Highlight:
Directions to the trailhead: East of Morgantown, take
I-68 to the Coopers Rock exit (exit 15).
Exit and go south to enter the forest.
Drive the narrow and winding forest road 3 miles to the overlook parking
area, where this hike begins. If the
overlook parking area is full, you can park at any of the roadside parking
areas between the overlook parking area and McCollum Campground; this hike
passes through all of those parking areas.
The hike: Sprawling
over 12,747 acres that straddle I-68 just east of Morgantown, Coopers Rock
State Forest is the largest state forest in West Virginia. The state forest gets its name from a
legendary fugitive who hid near the present-day main overlook. The fugitive was a cooper by trade, and he
continued to make and sell barrels from this hiding place while authorities
were looking for him.
During the early to mid 1800’s this
area was a center for iron production; the remains of the historic Henry Clay
Iron Furnace, the first steam-powered iron furnace in western Virginia, will be
passed on this hike. The state forest
was established in 1936, and the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps
(CCC) worked here from 1936 to 1942 to build many of the trails and buildings
we use today. The amenities at Coopers Rock
State Forest include a 25-site developed campground, 4 picnic shelters, a
concession stand that operates during summer months, and 50 miles of
trails. Thus, this state forest feels
more like a major state park than a typical state forest.
The 50 miles of trails mean that
hikers have an almost unlimited number of routes to choose from. The forest’s most popular hiking destinations
are the Cheat River Gorge overlooks, the historic iron furnace, and some tall
rock outcrops known as Rock City. This
hike takes you to the first two of those three destinations, and Rock City
could be added-on if you wanted to do another short hike after this one.
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| Trail to main overlook |
You will want to go to the main
Cheat River Gorge overlook located near the overlook parking area either before
or after your hike. I chose to go there
first because I started my hike early in the morning and wanted to see the
overlook before the crowds arrived. A
sign adjacent to the parking area that says “Overlook 500 feet” marks the way.
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| View upstream from main overlook |
 |
| View downstream from main overlook |
The Cheat River Gorge is located
about 20 miles upstream from the river’s mouth at the Monongahela River, and
this overlook is located near the mouth of the gorge. The stone overlook with wooden guardrails
stands nearly 1000 feet above Cheat River, and it offers fantastic views upstream
into the heart of the gorge and downstream toward Morgantown. The dense broadleaf forest makes this vantage
point popular for leaf peeping. My visit
on a Friday in early October came about 2 weeks too early for peak leaf color,
but the view is excellent any time of year.
 |
| Start of Eagle Trail |
After enjoying the view, retrace your steps to the overlook parking
area and find the signed start of the Eagle Trail, which is located on the park
road just north (right) of the concession building. Marked with white plastic diamonds, the Eagle
Trail descends moderately through a gap in the rock bluffs and passes an old
run-down wooden cabin with moss covering its roof. Where the Eagle Trail splits to form its
loop, you can choose either option, but the one on the right offers the shorter
route.
Just shy of 0.5 miles, you reach the access road for picnic shelter
#3. Leave the Eagle Trail’s loop by turning
right on the access road to quickly reach the shelter’s parking loop, then turn
left and walk ¼ of the way around the loop to find the signed start of the
Rhododendron Trail. Marked with orange
plastic diamonds and orange paint blazes, the Rhododendron Trail descends
mostly moderately for its 1 mile length.
The Rhododendron Trail’s route curves down the west end of the ridge
that forms the Cheat River Gorge’s north rim.
 |
| Hiking the Rhododendron Trail |
Ignore the Notmucha Trail and the Rock City Connector Trail, which exit
right and left respectively. The mature
broadleaf forest features lots of oak and maple trees with a few tulip poplars. Rhododendron and ferns crowd the understory.
After descending a fairly steep area, you reach the end of the
Rhododendron Trail and a major trail intersection; no less than 5 different
trails converge here. This hike will
eventually turn right to head east on the Clay Run Trail, but first cross a
pair of wooden bridges to reach the historic Henry Clay Iron Furnace. Between 1836 and 1847 this iron furnace operated
around the clock and produced 4 tons of pig iron per day. About 200 people worked here, and the furnace
was the center of a community that featured about 100 dwellings, a store, a
church, and a school. Today the stone
furnace sits in a secluded area of the woods, and I enjoyed sitting here and
resting while I thought about what this area would have been like in its
industrial days.
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| Henry Clay Iron Furnace |
After viewing the iron furnace, exit the furnace area on the Clay Run
Trail, which begins a gradual climb upstream beside its namesake watercourse. The Clay Run Trail is marked with blue paint
blazes, and you need to look for the blazes because several unmarked and
unofficial trails pass through this area.
Also, because this land is a state forest and not a state park, hunting
is a popular activity here. I saw
several hunters along this trail, so wear bright orange clothing during hunting
season to prevent accidents.
At 1.8 miles, the trail joins an old road that it will follow for the
next 1.2 miles. The blue blazes tell you
to angle left to continue the gradual climb on the old road. The “trail” going right here is one of the
unofficial trails; it leads to the Notmucha Trail you passed earlier.
 |
| Climbing on the Clay Run Trail |
As the climb continues, the old road begins to follow a low-voltage powerline. This section of trail is not particularly
scenic, but I did see the only semblance of fall colors on my hike in this
area. A high-voltage powerline clearing allows
views across Clay Run’s shallow ravine.
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| Reservoir at head of Clay Run ravine |
3 miles into the hike, you reach the man-made reservoir at the head of
the Clay Run ravine. Scenic views appear
across the shallow body of water, but no swimming, paddling, or fishing is
allowed here. Walk around the right side
of the reservoir and climb the last few hundred feet of old road to reach the
east end of the Clay Run Trail where it intersects the Roadside Trail. Turn right to begin hiking southwest on the
Roadside Trail.
True to its name, the unmarked but easy-to-follow Roadside Trail
follows the main forest road from the forest entrance gate to the overlook
parking area. Mountain bikes are also
allowed to use this trail, so step to the side if you hear one
approaching. At 3.6 miles, you reach the
roadside parking area for the Raven Rock Trail; some picnic tables also sit
here. To get another fantastic view of
the Cheat River Gorge, walk across the main park road and begin the signed
Raven Rock Trail, which is marked with red plastic diamonds and red paint
blazes. If you are getting tired or
running out of daylight, you can skip the Raven Rock Trail and hike the
Roadside Trail another 0.8 miles to the overlook parking area where you started;
the parking area at this trailhead makes it easy to come back and do the Raven
Rock Trail on another day.
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| Start of Raven Rock Trail |
The Raven Rock Trail descends on a gradual grade via a wide rocky
treadway. The large amount of small
loose rock on this trail surface forces you to step carefully, but careful
stepping should get you down without incident.
A couple of wet areas will also need to be negotiated, so I recommend
waterproof boots for this hike.
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| Rocky treadway of Raven Rock Trail |
4.5 miles into this hike (or 0.9 miles into the Raven Rock Trail), the
trail curves right to leave the old road.
This turn is obvious if you are looking for the red trail markings. Next
comes the steepest climb of this hike, as the trail gains about 125 vertical feet
in less than 0.2 miles.
Just shy of 5 miles, you reach the overlook known as Raven Rock. This overlook is more in the center of the
Cheat River Gorge than the one you visited earlier, and the lack of guardrails
gives it a more rustic feel.
Unfortunately, the high-voltage powerlines you passed under earlier also
pass through here, but they only detract from the view a little. Some rock ledges make nice spots to sit and
enjoy the view.
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| View upstream from Raven Rock |
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| View downstream from Raven Rock |
Retrace your steps back to the Raven Rock Trail’s parking area, then
turn left to continue the Roadside Trail.
The Roadside Trail undulates gently with ever-present noise from the
forest entrance road coming from your left.
After passing through a couple more roadside parking/picnic areas, the
trail comes out at the overlook parking area, which marks the end of the
hike. Be sure to check out the main
overlook if you did not do so before the hike.
If you have some more energy, you could add the short and fairly flat
0.7 mile Rock City Trail, which also starts at this parking area and heads to
the forest’s famous tall rock outcrops.
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