Yesterday, on
Earth Day, I loaded my youngest and his friend in the car and took them for a 5.6mi hike in Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia. Since this my son's friend's first hike ever, I wanted to pack in as much good stuff as I could; Coopers Rock is a great spot in which to do this.
We parked the car near the Six Acre Reservoir, although this was hidden from view behind trees and I was careful not to point it out to them, so that the lake would be a final surprise.
A 2mi hike through pretty forest along the McCollum and Raven Rocks Trails deposited us at Raven Rocks, where beautiful views of the Cheat River and surrounding mountains had the kids buzzing.
We retraced our steps for about 0.75mi before I was able to locate the unofficial Sunset Wall Trail. The huge cliffs and rock formations, full of hidden caves and passages, were yet another crowd pleaser. I was careful not to rush anyone here, and to let the kids explore wherever they wanted. Imagine my surprise when they uncovered a really cool new passage, which I hadn't seen before.
The Sunset Wall Trail deposited us at the main Coopers Rock overlook, which was similar to but not as cool as Raven Rocks. We closed our loop by taking the Roadside Trail to the Six Acre Reservoir and the car.
The drive back was extremely satisfying, because the kids were already talking about their next hike, right before they curled up and went to sleep. Mission accomplished!