Posted in West Virginia August 03, 2016 by

Most People Have No Idea West Virginia Has A Lost State Park…And It’s Stunning

West Virginia has no shortage of state parks, but there’s one that just doesn’t exist as a park anymore. However, you can still visit the area where it was, and there are still some interesting things to see there.

Mont Chateau was a state park in West Virginia from 1955 to 1977.
WikiMedia Commons/Boston Public Library
The park was closed because of management difficulties.
The park was located between Coopers Rock State Forest and Cheat Lake.
stateparks.com
The 42 acre park contained forests, rock structures, a beach, and a lodge.
Flickr/jcsullivan24
Although the park is now closed, and much of it was sold to private owners, the state did retain a small portion of the property.
Flickr/jcsullivan24
What was once the park lodge is now the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey.
WVGES/Facebook
This geological center has a mini museum with rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils that is open to the public.
West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey
This is sphalerite on quartz.
West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey
This is an example of the unique cone-in-cone structure found in some minerals.
West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey
This is the skeleton of an Edmontosaurus, and the only real dinosaur skeleton on display in West Virginia.
West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey
Edmontosaurus was a type of duckbilled dinosaur. The species was up to 42 feet long, about 18 feet tall, and weighed 3.5 tons.

The Survey’s address is 1 Mont Chateau Road, Morgantown, WV, 26508-8079. You can visit Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.

For more of the West Virginia state parks that do still exist, check out these cool places to go camping.