Ready or not, virus or not. Spring Break is on the way. Here’s some fun ways to get outside and play around the region – and some good places to hang out and hide out and to avoid the indoors and crowds.
Go For The Gold – The Golden Rainbow!
What’s better than taking a kid fishing? How about taking a kid fishing for one of the stunningly beautiful golden rainbow trout!
For the third year in a row, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is planning statewide stockings of the Mountain State’s very own golden rainbow trout, a beautiful hybrid created in 1963 for the state’s centennial celebration. This fish, while native to West Virginia, is a prized catch among anglers anywhere. From March 27 – April 4, head out to 61 Mountain State’s lakes and streams as they stock more than 50,000 golden trout over those nine days to give anglers from across the country a rare chance to reel in this prized catch.
Go online at https://commerce.wv.gov/goldrush to find the full list of lakes and streams being stocked.
Get Lost In A River of Quiet at WV State Parks
Every Spring Break we try and get away and mark another great West Virginia State Park or Forest off of our check list. For 2019 spring break, and after hitting the slopes for the last weekend of ski season, we hunkered down at Lost River State Park https://wvstateparks.com/park/lost-river-state-park/ for a few days of quiet, wooded bliss at the historic park which is home to 26 cabins including many CCC Legacy cabins.
In a world perpetually plugged in, a spring break trip to WV state parks like Watoga (which is still transitioning from winter to spring), Lost River, or so many others, tucked refreshingly away from the world, can provide a saving grace and needed respite from the daily grind and drama. Go online at https://wvstateparks.com/free-interactive-vacation-guide/ to access the first-ever West Virginia State Parks Interactive Vacation Guide. Order your copy to uncover travel tips, park features, and lodging amenities. This information-packed guide is the perfect tool to plan your next trip. After you receive your guide, bring your guide along with you, follow along with seasonal checklists and use your phone to unlock exclusive interactive content.
Head to the Land of the Arches
Looking for a ridiculously scenic weekend of hiking just a short drive away? Head over to Red River Gorge in southeastern Kentucky. Only two hours from Huntington, the Red River Gorge is home to the most natural bridges east of the Rockies. And March is prime time for viewing as the trees have yet to leaf out and since the majority of hikers and climbers are in the Gorge in the summer.
Stop by the Powell County/Red River Gorge Visitors Center (gopoco.org) to pick up a guide. A must-do, is driving the loop road, Kentucky 77/715 (The Red River Gorge National Scenic Byway) through the 900-foot-long Nada Tunnel that was built between 1910-1911. Along the Scenic Byway, there are dozens of trailheads to such arches as Sky Bridge, Gray’s Arch, Angel Windows, Whistling Arch and Chimney Top. A favorite hike from a recent New Year’s weekend was Rock Bridge Arch. Take U.S. Forest Service Road 24 to Clifty Wilderness to access this loop trail that has not only an arch over a creek but a spectacular waterfall.
A good entry point for first-time Gorge goers is Natural Bridge Resort State Park where you can stay at the lodge. Some great paces nearby include Sky Bridge Station (which has live music, food and craft brews), as well as the seasonal Miguel’s Pizza.
There’s also ziplines, canoeing, kayaking (even underground) at Gorge Underground and music at nearby Meadowgreen Music Park and Steam Engine Pizza Pub in Irvine.
Get Some Final Tracks
In West Virginia, they call March the fifth season, and up Pocahontas, Snowshoe Mountain will be open through the end of March thanks to a huge blast of early March snow. The annual Pond Skim competition is set for Saturday, March 21, as is Return to Send’er, a film fest of four freestyle ski films. Sunday, March 22 is West Virginians Ski Free Day.
Some other great March deals on the mountain include March 16-29, kids 12 and under ski free and a deal throughout March at The Inn where two people can ski and stay two nights for $199. If you’re not a skier, there’s still a ton of fun on the mountain including the Big Top, Split Rock Pools, the new Old Spruce Brewery, Coca Cola Tube Park, and, of course , the two dozen restaurants, pubs and shops in The Village.
Go online at www.snowshoemtn.com for more info on Snowshoe Mountain. All other WV ski resorts plan to be closed before Spring Break although Winterplace has not announced its last day. Go online at www.winterplace.com
A Great Cave Escape
Escape the madness and bad news above ground with a trip into Middle Earth. Channel your inner hobbit with a cave trip over at Carter Caves State Resort Park located just 45 minutes west of Huntington in Olive Hill, Ky.
Through Sunday, March 22, the Park is under its winter cave tour schedule. Enjoy daily tours at X Cave (a 45-inute trip) home to the park’s largest and most impressive formation, as well as Cascade Cavern (a 75-minute tour) which has some incredible rooms, passages and an underground waterfall.
There’s also 26 miles of hiking trails to a number of impressive arches, cabins, a lodge (with dining), and much more. Go online at parks.ky.gov and click onto Carter Caves.
Chuck Some Identifiable Flying Objects
The family-friendly sport of disc golf has boomed in recent years in the Tri-State for good reason. It is great exercise, and thanks to such disc golf legends such as PDGA Hall of Famer Johnny Sias, of Lavalette, and his course-building comrades you can literally play dozens of different courses from Shawnee State Park in Portsmouth and South Point High School to Armco Park in Ashland, and Rotary (in east Huntington), Barboursville Park and Beech Fork State Park near Huntington.
In all there are 85 courses in West Virginia alone, and nearly two dozen within the Huntington and Charleston metro areas. Grab some discs at The Van Man Discs, 102 Linden Circle, Huntington in the Beverly Hills neighborhood, then head out to play. Nearly all of the regional courses are free to play. Go online at https://www.pdga.com/ and https://www.discgolfscene.com/courses/West_Virginia
