West Virginia
Trip Ideas|Road Trips

8 Unforgettable Road Trips To Take In West Virginia Before You Die

Discover the best road trips in West Virginia, each offering unique experiences and scenic views.

Updated Dec 2, 2022

Written by 

Rachel Whetstone

If you love road trips, you're in the perfect state. West Virginia has plenty to see and do all within a few hundred miles. Here are some of the best West Virginia road trips to keep you busy all year long. What are you waiting for? Gas up the tank and check out our essential Road Trip Essentials Packing List & Guide! You're about to have an epic adventure.

To view the interactive Google Map of each trip in a separate tab or window, simply click on the link beneath each map photo.

1. West Virginia’s Most Picturesque Small Towns Road Trip

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Helvetia Hutte/Facebook
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Google Maps

When it comes to road trips in West Virginia, this one takes the cake. See a little Swiss village, a town that celebrates a visit from a space monster, a very special telescope, and more on this adventure.

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2. The Ultimate West Virginia Waterfalls Road Trip

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Justyn Miller/Facebook
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Google Maps

From vast waterfalls that you can't miss to surprising hidden falls, this West Virginia road trip itinerary has you covered.

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3. The Monongahela National Forest Road Trip

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http://www.forestwander.com
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Google Maps

If you're looking for must-visit attractions in West Virginia, the state has no shortage of natural wonders. This trip concentrates on natural attractions that you can see in the Monongahela National Forest.

4. The Ultimate Terrifying West Virginia Road

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Dustin/Flickr
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Google Maps

See haunted amusement parks and terrifying tunnels with this trip around West Virginia's scariest places.

5. The Fall Foliage Road Trip

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Flickr/Gene
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Google Maps

Don't miss these colorful displays when fall rolls around again this year. These are the best places to visit in West Virginia to see the fall foliage.

6. The West Virginia Ghost Town Road Trip

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Flickr/Mike Tewkesbury
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Google Maps

Visit the remnants of these forgotten towns from the height of West Virginia's coal mining days. It's a fascinating look into the state's past.

7. The Haunted Places Road Trip

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Flickr/Matt
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Google Maps

Learn some of our state's history while visiting these haunted locations. Take a haunted history tour and learn about some of the ghostly residents who refuse to leave.

8. The Christmas Lights Road Trip

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Celebration of Lights WV
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Google Maps

It's never too early to start planning for Christmas! This trip will take you to some of our state's best holiday light displays in one of the best road trips in West Virginia you could ever take.

What do you think of our list of the best West Virginia road trips? Have you taken any of these trips? We'd love to hear about it!

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Trip Ideas|Road Trips

West Virginia Road Trip Ideas: 11 Best Road Trips + Itinerary

Discover the best road trips in West Virginia for every season and interest.

Updated Jun 22, 2024

Written by 

Chris Muras

If you love road trips, you’re in the perfect state. West Virginia has plenty to see and do all within a few hundred miles. Here are some of the best West Virginia road trips to keep you busy all year long. What are you waiting for? Gas up the tank and check out our list of West Virginia road trip ideas! You’re about to have an epic adventure.

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1-Day Road Trip In West Virginia

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Reynold Mainse / Design Pics Collection via Getty Images
  • Route: Glen Ferris > Gauley Bridge > Ansted > Lansing > Victor > Beaver
  • Distance: 64 miles
  • Trip Time: 1.5 hours driving time

3-Day Weekend Road Trip In West Virginia

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Garrett Coakley/Flickr
  • Route: Shepherdstown > Harpers Ferry > Moundsville > Parkersburg > Point Pleasant > Huntington > Rock > Flatwoods > Weston
  • Distance: 757 miles
  • Trip Time: 13.5 hours driving time
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West Virginia Castle Road Trip

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Jeanne Mozier, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Route: New Vrindaban > Wheeling > Morgantown > Berkeley Springs
  • Distance: 221 miles
  • Trip Time: 4 hours driving time

West Virginia Lavender Field Road Trip

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Steven Penton/Flickr
  • Route: Foster > Ashford > Fairmont > Sugar Grove
  • Distance: 300 miles
  • Trip Time: 6 hours driving time
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Best West Virginia Road Trip For Spring

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ForestWander, CC BY-SA 3.0 US , via Wikimedia Commons
  • Route: Davis > Blackwater Canyon Trail > Fairmont > Gauley Bridge > Kanawha Falls > Danese > Sandstone > Davis
  • Distance: 479 miles
  • Trip Time: 12 hours driving time

Best Summer Road Trip In West Virginia

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Bones & Cones/Facebook
  • Route: Lewisburg > Maxwelton > Frankford > Hillsboro
  • Distance: 34 miles
  • Trip Time: 1 hour driving time
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Best West Virginia Road Trip For Fall

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Nicolas Raymond/Flickr
  • Route: Bruceton Mills > Davis > Dunmore > Plum Orchard Lake > Victor > Babcock State Park > Highland Scenic Highway > Elkins
  • Distance: 481 miles
  • Trip Time: 10.5 hours driving time

Best Winter Road Trip In West Virginia

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Taber Andrew Bain/Flickr
  • Route: White Sulphur Springs > Bramwell > Bluefield > Logan > St Albans > Fayetteville > Ansted > Fairmont > Wheeling
  • Distance: 531 miles
  • Trip Time: 11 hours driving time
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Family Friendly West Virginia Road Trip

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The West Virginia Bigfoot Museum / Facebook
  • Route: Weston > Sutton > Spencer > Parkersburg > Waverly > St Marys > Williamstown
  • Distance: 194 miles
  • Trip Time: 4.5 hours driving time
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Road Trip to West Virginia Landmarks & Natural Wonders

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Squashpup, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
  • Route: Bear Rocks > Dolly Sods Wilderness > Seneca Rocks > Spruce Knob > Cranberry Glades Botanical Area > Highland Scenic Hwy > Bickle Knob Observation Tower > Blackwater Falls
  • Distance: 267 miles
  • Trip Time: 7 hours driving time

Road Trip to Best Small Towns in West Virginia

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The Hütte Restaurant/Facebook
  • Route: Thomas > Sutton > Helvetia > Green Bank > Davis
  • Distance: 287 miles
  • Trip Time: 6 hours driving time

When you picture a road trip through West Virginia do you see rugged Appalachian Mountain views, boardwalk hikes to waterfalls, or even peaceful views of Summersville Lake as the Gauley River spirals off into the distance? Then again, anything can make a fun road trip - haunted castles, ice cream shops, and fall colors. We hope you've discovered a few West Virginia road trip ideas to capture your attention and inspire your imagination. All you have to do now is load up the car, set the GPS, and hit the road on one of the best road trips in West Virginia.

For road trip planning and packing tips, check out OnlyInYourState's Ultimate Road Trip Packing List. Whether you're leaving for a single day or a week-long road trip, you can't forget the snacks: here are 50 on-the-go snack ideas perfect for traveling.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/usa/road-trip-essentials-packing-list/

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Trip Ideas|Road Trips

This Rural Road Trip Will Lead You To Some Of The Best Countryside Hidden Gems In West Virginia

Explore a rural West Virginia road trip featuring six scenic and historic stops.

Updated Dec 15, 2023

Written by 

Cristy

Country roads are the best roads - in West Virginia, at least - which is why you'll want to add this rural West Virginia road trip to some of the state's best countryside hidden gems to your itinerary! With six stops in just over an hour of drive time, this WV road trip packs a punch (in terms of natural beauty and historic significance) without costing you a fortune in gas ... which is yet another reason to love it.

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1. Union

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Rural Heritage Quilt Trail / Facebook

Any West Virginia road trip through the countryside should arguably start in Monroe County, somewhere along the Heritage Quilt Trail that surrounds Union, West Virginia. Green pastures, rolling hills, rugged mountains, old barns ... it doesn't get much more beautiful or peaceful than this!

2. Cooks Old Mill

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Kyle Dugger / Google Maps

Once you've driven some of Monroe County's backroads, point your car toward Cooks Old Mill in Greenville. This quiet, privately owned historical park is a beautiful, peaceful, picturesque place for a stroll and a break from your WV road trip.

3. John Henry Historical Park

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Dave Bieri / NPS

Almost everyone in America has heard the legendary folk tale of John Henry, the man who raced a machine to tunnel through a mountain. But almost no one realizes that this fabled event is said to have taken place right here in West Virginia. This stop alone makes this route one of the best road trips near me in West Virginia.

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4. Hinton Railroad Museum

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Hinton Railroad Museum / Facebook

The least rural of all these rural road trip in West Virginia stops, the Hinton Railroad Museum represents the massive amount of miles of railroad track winding through even the most remote regions of West Virginia.

5. Historic Subsistence Farms

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Dave Bieri / NPS

Countryside hidden gems - they sound so idyllic, don't they? They are, but living in the remote back country in days gone by was also hard. Get a feel for that side of the story at two historic subsistence farms along the route to Sandstone Falls, the Trump-Lilly Farm and the Richmond-Hamilton Farm, both now part of the New River Gorge National Park.

6. Sandstone Falls

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Mike Baum / AllTrails

Sandstone Falls is the most famous of the hidden gems on our list, but it's still well worth a stop while you're in the area! Spanning the New River as it does, it's the Mountain State's widest waterfall. It's really a perfect spot to end this West Virginia road trip.

And there you have it, a short and sweet WV road trip packed with out of the way natural and historic treasures.

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Google Maps

You know what they always say ... "Country roads, take me home to the place I belong: West Virginia!" Map this road trip for yourself on Google Maps.

What are your picks for the best road trips near me in West Virginia? Tell us in the comments!

Now that you've got your road trip figured out, what about snacks? Check out our road trip snacks list!

Looking for more unique places for road trips in West Virginia? Take a look at these hidden gems in West Virginia.

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