WEST VIRGINIA: The MOST MYSTICAL places to visit on a ROAD TRIP
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2024
- A spectacular trip through West Virginia - from the historical town Bramwell to the New River Gorge Bridge, from an abandoned amusement park to the Ghost Town Thurmond and the Mystery Hole.
What is the most fascinating travel destination? The one we know everything about and have seen on social media a thousand times? Or is it the one that we barely know anything about? West Virginia was the place on the east coast I always wanted to visit the most - because I knew least of it. Join a spectacular trip through remote rolling hills, abandoned mining towns, mystical amusement parks - and explore an underrated state with me, that is now one of my favorite on the east coast to ride a motocycle. Almost heaven, West Virginia.
00:00 Intro West Virginia
01:26 Visit Bramwell - one of the most historical towns in West Virginia!
05:29 Lake Shawnee abandoned amusment park - a haunted place?
11:42 Thurmond - West Virginias most visited Ghost Town
15:52 Exploring the famouse New River Gorge Bridge and Fayette Station Road
20:00 The Mystery Hole - West Virginia's best kept secret
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// Time of the journey: May-June 2022
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The Hatfield and McCoy's trails are easy when you stay on the main trail system their are a few that shoot off of the main trail system that have super deep mud holes and harder terrain but all in all the main trail system is easy and fun but here is the best tip don't go on them on the weekends because the amount if traffic of four wheelers and side by sides is dangerous. I have done it a bunch of times but will only do the trail system on week days.
Thank you for this information - I will pin this comment on top of the commentary section so other people can read it too who think about doing the system. When I was there there was as well tons of quads and utvs accessing the trails, so that was as well a lot of people there.
West Virginia is a Beautiful State.The song is right Take me Home Country Roads..The Beautiful Mountains.And all the Beautiful Wildlife is so Beautiful to see.💜💕
@@Got2Go
There are some just for motorcycles.
It's so refreshing to see someone who discovers the wonders of the beautiful state of West Virginia themselves, instead of basing their opinion on the stereotypes created by cruel people. We have a wonderful state filled with wonderful people. I wish others would visit us and decide for themselves.
As a native Mountaineer, I love when people appreciate our beautiful state
We just got back and it was so breathtakingly gorgeous!!
I’m from Marion County, West Virginia and the everyday West Virginian country lifestyle is enough to make me feel happy about my life. 💙💛🤠
Left Morgantown 2 years ago.
I wake up every morning and thank God I was born in WV. I love this old mountain lady. Born here, plan to die here and become a permanent part of the state I love.
Best state in the Union. I visit WVA. often and stay as much as possible.
West Virginia seems like a place that welcomes visitors but doesn’t over-actively promote tourism because they don’t want too many ‘visitors’ spoiling what West Virginians have - tranquility. Their forests are like fluffy, green cotton balls. Yup. Almost Heaven. John Denver, RIP.
That might actually be true! I would keep that secrets to myself too!
I lived most of my life in Morgantown WV. I also owned a bunch of motorcycles and loved going for short day trips or week long trips in VA and WV. it’s a riders paradise
We welcome ALL visitors. Nationwide people come to from New River Gorge Bbridge
Visit, yes, but please pack in pack out, leave no trace! I live here and the litter left behind drives me crazy!
As a West Virginian, I actually think we try to promote tourism well with the resources we have. Our tourism office has won awards for advertising and there are initiatives (Ascend WV) that are trying to bring more people into the state. I think one problem is that a lot of outsiders have negative perceptions of the state without having been here and aren’t opening to visiting. Additionally, promoting tourism isn’t at the top of priorities in terms of state finances right now- other issues like our declining workforce and poor infrastructure need to be addressed before anything else. I’m sure there are a lot of people that want to “gatekeep” the state (which I understand), but I would say that a majority of people would love to see more tourism and appreciation of the state! I definitely see where you are coming from, though!
Thank You for highlighting my beautiful state. Believe it or not, there are still people who don't know that West Virginia is a state in itself, and not just the western part of Virginia. Can't tell you how many times I've said "I'm from West Virginia" and they say, "Oh, you're from Virginia". I recently had a phone activated and the customer service employee gave me a Virginia number!
Thank you for visiting our beautiful state and for being kind. As a child growing up in WV, my dad took us camping every weekend in the summer, somewhere in WV. There are 100s of awesome places to visit in WV. You should try Seneca rocks and caves, Sinks of Gandy, Cass Scenic Railroad just to name a few.
Driving the back country roads is truly one of the great joys of West Virginia. I prefer to do it in classic Brit sports cars, but to each their own. I must say that the New River Gorge bridge was a major improvement in that part of the State. I was one of the first people over it once officially opened. Ironically, the New River is considered by geologists to be one of the oldest rivers in the world.
At age 16 I married a 17-year-old man from WV. He lived 4 miles down the road from Hookstown, Pennsylvania, where I was born at home and raised. I moved with his family in WV the night we married in May of 1972 until we found a place in Chester, WV.
Now, I have lived here for over 50 years at the very tip of the teapot shape of WV. Ohio is within 5 miles, so we are the tri-state area. We have the world's largest teapot here!
In addition, I love this state! It IS beautiful. I have traveled through the state from the tip to the bottom. It is all scenic and wonderful.
My father made part of the pieces used in making the New River Bridge. He is gone now, but every time I visit, the bridge reminds me that a part of my dad's strong hands will be there for people from all over the world!
Thanks for sharing your trip to WV. I loved the fact it is a bike video. Long ago my husband and I owned bikes and I was the first gal in my area (Or for as far as I had ever gone.) to drive. My hubby taught me to drive and I have never enjoyed being a RIDER ever since those years!
Also, I truly loved those windy backwood roads. West Liberty is awesome to ride to, a beautiful, quaint college town. West Liberty University is way out in the countryside, nestled among farms. Check it out!
I was born and raised in southern West Virginia. The people and the culture is so different and wonderful. The people are very nice and maybe sometimes closed off. They protect their own. Its SO beautiful and I miss it every single day!! I see traveling by bike looks so fun! ❤
Thank you for visiting my beautiful home state. You journey often gave me chills, those lovely country roads are called hollars in Southern WV lol 💙💛 #almostheaven
My oldest son attended University in West Virginia, close to where you rode in Bluefield and the New River Gorge Bridge. It is beautiful, scenic country, mostly untouched by the ravages of modern day life thanks in part I think to it’s long time association with coal, which has become less and less demanded it seems over the course of the 20th century. I had no idea of the Bramwell history and the Route 16 riding is now on my bucket list. Thanks as always for the great blend of history, scenery and riding.
That’s great, I think you will enjoy it as much as I did!
@@Got2Goallo a question. What bike would you choose for reliability?
I moved here from NJ about 18yrs ago. Major culture shock. First day, at a sears that was no bigger than a convenience store, and parked next to us was a dead deer thanks to hunting season! It took me some time to figure out the accent,I said "huh"? a lot.
It took some time to learn new driving skills, accept tailgaters, being able to pull over almost anywhere and stick you feet in a river.
I'm still trying t get over having no good 'real pizza'. BUT the move has been the best and I haven't regretted it.
Fun fact: The New River gorge bridge eliminated one of the longest and most historic barriers to commerce East of the Rocky Mountains when it was finished. The bridge turned a 1 1/2 lane treacherous 1 hour drive into a 1 minute transit of the gorge.
As a kayaker who paddled the gorge when the bridge was newly completed I remember the shuttle service down into the gorge put in was considered by many of us to be a more dangerous undertaking than running the Cl 4/5 rapids in the gorge itself. The road into the Cunard put in 7 river miles upstream of the Fayette Station bridge was still a dirt road back then and for most of us the descent into the gorge was accomplished via a shuttle service on a flat bed truck bouncing around with all the boats. Quite the adventure.
I remember that ride well. Did you ever go on the aerial tour provided by five dollar Frank Thomas?
I still have pictures of the build
That was some gorgeous country !!!! And the history with your stories were very intriguing! THANK YOU as always for sharing with us.
Fun fact: The movie Matewan was filmed in Thurmond. I've visited there and was lucky enough to get something of a tour from one of the three residents. You can also take a walking tour under the New River Gorge Bridge itself and there are two abandoned coal towns nearby, Kaymoor and Nuttalburg. I've been to the Mystery Hole too, unfortunately I wasn't impressed at all.
I love my home and I'm so glad you enjoyed your visit!!
I haven't been able to travel a lot. I live in WV, but the 2 things that really stuck out to me was seeing the ocean for the first time, and Colorado. You have to see it
Thank you Lea for a magnificent ride through West Virginia, sadly one of the few states I had not ridden through. Now I wish I had. Be safe and enjoy for all of us.
I Hope you can do so in the future!
Thanks for a great video with wonderful production values! To me, WV is one of the most underrated states in the U.S.
Of course, it is not an “East coast” state, but rather is considered culturally to be where the ‘south meets the north’, (that’s how residents describe it.)
Thurmond and the gorge are amazing.
If you like the paranormal, spooky stuff, check out the penitentiary in Moundsville sometime.
I’m so glad to find your channel and look forward to more of your videos soon . . .keep up the great work!
West Virginia is such a beautiful state with great people and history. I love the woods and WV has it in spades. There aren't too many other states as beautiful. There should be more care from the government and businesses rather then the one way metrics that has ruined the quality of what can be. There should definitely be more love for this state ✌🏽🇺🇲
It was really nice to see your ride through my neck of the woods. I get to ride in this area all the time and think it’s the one of the prettier places in the country.
I enjoy your West Virginia videos because your doing what used to do before becoming disabled. My dad side of the family is from central West Virginia and I would spend 1 to 3 months every other year there. I visited relatives but mainly drive the back roads and visit the sites, small towns and eat at the hole in the wall mom and pop restaurants. I really miss visiting West Virginia.
Thank you for your kind words about WV. The best Coal miners in the world reside here.
13:50 about 5 years ago WV closed the automobile side of the bridge to refurbish it. during this time they paved the Railroad portion.
cars AND trains shared the same 1 lane bridge for about 2 years. it was _very cool._
Seeing my own country through your eyes has been enlightening! Spectacular production quality as always, I never miss a post by Got2Go! Cheers.
Thank you so much, I am happy you enjoying my „outsiders view“!
I very much enjoyed your West Virginia tour; you were within a mile of our home in Summersville, and visited the Mystery Hole we passed earlier this evening. I'm glad you enjoyed your tours of special West Virginia areas and attractions; I like to "ride" with you on your tours.
I’ve heard lots about the Lake Shawnee theme park. Only just recently realised it was in West Virginia and not Virginia as I had originally thought which makes me even more fascinated with WV. Looks like an amazing place and just a reminder of how pretty the US is in the rural areas. Some ppl don’t realise that the Appalachians even exist… when you think of ranges you think of the Rockies but the Appalachians have been around since before the dinosaurs… when everything lived in the sea.
When I was a kid in college I worked summers driving 18 wheelers (also with 18 gears, 6 positions for the stick and an air powered thumb shifter that gave you 3 gears in each position).... which was fun on those roads in West Virginia.... and Colorado for that matter.
Kinda like a really huge, heavy bike with lots more gears! Great video!
That sounds awesome!
Thank you for taking me thru my old stomping grounds and even showing me some new things! Love your adventurous spirit 💛😊
Thanks for visiting WV and your wonderful words about the state.
So glad you were able to enjoy WV. The Mystery Hole is a crazy experience.
I live in Harrison county WV. I can’t imagine living anywhere else :) Proud to be a mountaineer and a hillbilly.
Lea
Yet another fantastic video from you! I don't know how you do it but every one is fabulous. West Virginia is a gorgeous state where it looks like you travel back in time. You captured the best of it!
Of course, you get more flowers and vases Lady!
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🏆🏆
Ride SAFE and BE safe Lea!!
🙌👏👏👏👏👏👏🤙👍🖖✌👌👋🙂
Thank you so much!!! 😍
@@Got2Go 💖🌹
Thank you for your kind words about our home state of West Virginia..... next time you come through -- you should come to Point Pleasant. We are the home of the Mothman. Mid September (Sept 16th usually) is when our Mothman Festival occurs.
We also have the legend of Chief Cornstalk, the native American Indian to name our town when he called it a Pleasant Point from Tu-Endie-Wi park. We have museums, haunted hotels, and forts from battles.
Hope to see you someday.
Hey! I live in West Virginia. The Hatfield McCoy trails have varying difficulty levels from easy (graded dirt roads) to hard (steep single track). If you like trail riding it's worth checking out.
Mysterious.... West Virginia...video by Lea 👍
Have you ever been to Ridgely,WV. I grew up in Cumberland, MD. Which is a two min. Walk across a bridge which connects two town across the state line. As kids we would go across the bridge to Ridgely,WV. At 16 at that time you could buy beer so that's where we went, I fell in love with the place and it's people so many years ago.
Elkins, WV. Seneca Rocks, WV. Snowshoe, WV, Spruce Knob. This general area is most beautiful area in the state of West Virginia. You can take it from someone whose lived in this state for basically 40 years and been to ever corner of the state. These area would be in the Pocahontas County and Randolph county, joining county borders.
At 5 minutes into video that's Simmons River Road, which I lived on as a kid where I attended Montcalm Elementary(great school), it was a good place to live back in the 1980s when coal was still hanging on. In the 1990s we moved to Bluefield, then I moved again to Charleston, then I moved again to Fairmont all within state of West Virginia. Sadly state if falling on some hard times and I have debated selling and moving to North Carolina. The only place in WV I find experiencing any real growth and progress would be Northern part of state IE Morgantown.
Looks like a great place to sit back and ride a motorcycle. I just received a map from West Virginia, The Motorsports Touring Map, for West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Southest Ohio. Looks like there are lots of beautiful backroad adventures.
Spent most of a week in WV on a motorcycle. Great roads and scenery. Enjoyed it very much!
Awesome, seems like you liked it a lot too
Lea, what a nice and mystical episode. It really seems to be worth it to visit all these abandoned places. Thanks for taking us with you 🙂
I love those, it’s really a speacial atmosphere. Hope you are doing good and had a nice end of the riding season before the winter comes!
I have been to many of these places. I live in Western MD. Never went to any of them on my motorcycle though. But that's a great idea. Your video has great production. You are so brave to be traveling by yourself. I am shallow. I need company.
**I wish had that skill. I didn't get to go in the amusement park. It was in November and cold. Could barely see anything inside the fence.
**Went to Thurmond. It was really interesting. Loved the bridge to get over to it.
**The New River Gorge was absolutely breathtaking. Pictures nor videos do it justice.
**I saw one of your other videos included Green Bank, That was cool too.
**When I went to the Mystery Hole...it was closed.
🤩 Beautiful area! And that abandoned park is a masterpiece of marketing! 😂
Definitly! But besides of that it was as well a cool place. I like these abandoned places and their History!
The song Country Roads wasn’t written about West Virginia. It was written about western VA. He sings about the Shenandoah River and the Blueridge Mountains. 2 great states of motorcycle riding tho. God paved motorcycle roads. Ride safe.
✝️👊🏻🏍
Beautiful ride wow!
Thank You for sharing this episode!
Lea, great video! Thanks for taking us on the adventure! I need to check out a few of those places myself, for sure. Cheers!
This was super nice!love it
What a fantastic vid - THANK YOU so much for putting his on RUclips!! Great job!
The thumbnail at the Mystery Hole is only 5 minutes from my house, right on "The Talon" WV RT. 60. Rt. 60 goes a long way to the East and offers some really great riding complete with mountains, curves, scenic vista's, overlooks if you know where to look, great food!
I just discovered your channel 3 days ago and have watched 5 of your videos so far. I'm mesmerized. So amazing.
A few of these places are on my list of places to visit. Nice video
Just found your channel and watched several of your other videos. INCREDIBLE scenery, and enjoy your narration. Look forward to watching all of them! Happy and adventurous travels!
Love West Virginia
Thank you for showing my state in a positive light.
Thanks very much, I really enjoyed the ride.
Beautiful country roads, the abandoned amusement park was very interesting. Makes me want to visit.
Thanks Lea for the great ride along and video
Thank you for joining!
Cool shot under the bridge. Thanks
Awesome tour! So beautiful nature around and amazing views! Thanks for nice sharing! Have a great day my friend!
Beautiful cenery, and about the area with the park, it looks like the movie jeepers creepers #3 it was made fil in that park. Thank you for sharing historical information❤
Witality vaned. That is hilarious. Great video!
I've lived here my whole life and still found this interesting. Thank you
Great video and info. We just visited Harpers Ferry it was really nice. After viewing your video I’d love to see more. Thanks for posting.
Enjoyed this video. Going to have to ride up to the New River Gorge to see this bridge. Great content once again!
It’s really awesome!!!
Great video thank you very well done. Was there this fall the Hatfield and mcoey trails were a lot of fun there is a map's some trails are a little rough the locals are great people. Had a blast. Thanks again cheers to ya.
Awesome, nice to hear from Someone who did it on a motorcycle. Hope to be able to travel there again at one point!
Amazing adventure, thanks for sharing it so greatly 👍🍀🙋!
And thank you like always for watching!
Fantastic curvy roads with beautiful rural scenery!
So many interesting places to see, thanks for showing them to us.
I will see you next week, or sooner if I watch more episodes again.
That’s great, see you next week for the next ride! 💃🏻
I remember over 40 years ago, I traveled with my friends to WV. There was a road kill festival on one side of New River Gorge. Last year I drove from Chantilly VA to Beckley area and Charleston. It is beautiful state.
Happy you enjoyed our state 🤗.
Awesome roads and mountains to view, like you said the empty mining towns are majestic places to me, sad stories about hard working folks in our country. but the ride is so very awesome. The new river gorge bridge is a great stop, hawks nest state park is a good one along with Badcock state park with the grist water mill which is running on the weekend days. I am enjoying your channel and I am learning a great way to moto vlog. Thanks for sharing.
Enjoyed the video. Thank you. Take care and stay safe.
Thank you!
Welcome.
you are lucky to enjoy these curvy roads .... great video.... good work as always .... thanks ..beautiful lea
Very lucky!
Yes WV is breathtaking on a bike🏍️
Wow,, you saw and did a lot in just one day. I enjoyed the trip and look forward to the next one. Thanks for letting me come along.
Yes it was definilty a lot of special things in one day! Was one of my favorites actually!
So 😎 cool!
Thanks for another video. I hope to ride these routes next spring!
Thank you for joining!!
@@Got2Go I have been with you all along!
I have just logged on with a different account. This one is connected to my RUclips channel.
I am finished riding for the winter, so I will be back to reading Adventure Motorcycle books. If I can get up the energy I am going to do book reviews of my favouritebooks for the channel. Obviously, my series will start with Ted Simon's 2 books and I plan on reviewing your book for episode 2. I meant what I wrote on my Amazon review and I have been a massive fan of yours since I read the book!
I am not so sure that this review will boost your book sales because the 11 people who watch my videos already know that I love your book. Lol.
I will send you a link when I get it done.
Stay well.
David Coward (or
Tiger Coward, which ever you prefer)
Yes it looks like good camping
Thank You for allowing me to join you on your journey, I live in West Virginia, but I'm a disabled Veteran and I can't travel as much and to places I would like.
I so enjoyed your video! I live in WV
Lea I enjoy your adventures. Do you realize how Lucky you are. Getting to see all of the world. And doing it on your bike . Keep going and enjoy your adventures . Thanks.
You missed Weston WV. The old "State Lunatic Asylum" is not only visually stunning, it's tours are unique to just about any historical building.
Thank you Lea. Always wish I was riding with you on these adventures.
Thank you!
🎼Country roads,take me home.....John Denver made a beatiful song about West Virgina, even if he was not there. You were there and made as always a great video.Thanks a lot 😊!!!
splendid new adventure of your west Virginia . as usual, wonderful cinematic photography . a great experience for the viewer. So inspiring, best wishes Lea 😍👍
Thank you so much
Wow passend zu Halloween Mystik Lea :-))
Thanks for sharing. We were on a road trip this spring and discovered the roads around the New River Gorge. Unfortunately, we ran into heavy rain which forced us to explore in the car vs hiking. We took the Highland Scenic byway and also stopped at the cranberry botanical boardwalk. We plan to get back to the Monongahela National Forestry on another trip, hopefully when there are blue skys.
Amazing 🤩
That Fayette Station is much more sketchy in a four wheel vehicle! A motorcycle seems idea in good weather. Rafting trips on the New River are awesome.
Thanks for sharing your road trips with me. I can't ride to all the places I want but you visit them the way I would do it so that is the next best thing to being there.
Very happy you are joining the journey virtually!
I grew up about a mile from the Mystery Hole there on Rt 60 in Ansted. Very neat. Now i live closer to the Thurmond Bridge.
Hello Lea 👀😊 thank you for this nice video, it's really interesting to drive on roads like this, it looks great 👍👍 and the weather is great and pleasant for driving. big greetings from Germany to you and all the viewers and good luck 😉
Thank you so much - happy that you joined again!
When I was growing up we had a camp in Thair which is right beside of Thurman this was pretty cool to watch
I will be singing that song till next week
Almost heaven,west Virginia..lol
Super video... loving your drone views
Stay safe
Very good, and you can continue singing it next week too bevause we will still be in West Virginia 🤗🤗🤗
The Thurmond bridge is one of a few that the roadway deck actually cantalevers off the train bridge.. its not supported directly to the ground. And the USA has some of the longest trains in the world in number of cars connected together.
I have never been in that part of the country spending my time in Colorado and the NW..thanks great video and information👌
Thanks for watching - it’s definitly a nice area to visit!!!
I'm from Alaska and recently had the opportunity to drive thru WV. Hands down WV in my opinion is the most beautiful state in the "lower 48"
wow Thurmond one of many railroad towns in west Virginia the state relied on the RR. nice video. thanks for the trip .loved the bridge !!!!!
The bridge is really awesome! 😍
@@Got2Go when u get ti the west cost north of Santa Barbara there is one very similur not sure about if it's as big . there is a road that goes under it leading to cold springs tavern .
What a beautiful ride! I do want to ride W. Va. some day. Thank you, Leah for another beautiful ride.
It’s definitely an awesome place to ride, can highly recommend!