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The Bluestone River, and the rugged ancient gorge it has carved, make one of
the more diverse and scenic corners of the southern Appalachians. **Bluestone
National Scenic River protects a 10.5-mile section** of it in southern West
Virginia, preserved as a living landscape: an unspoiled experience for
visitors and a haven for plants and animals.
Getting there is the practical problem
The park is most easily reached through two state parks — Bluestone State
Park and Pipestem Resort State Park — rather than directly.
From there, a narrow gravelled park road leads to the **Bluestone Turnpike
Trail** at the former Lilly town site, at the confluence with the Little
Bluestone River.
| From | Route | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| I-64 | Exit 139, then south on Rt. 20 | Bluestone State Park 15 miles, Pipestem 22 miles |
| I-77 | Exit 14 to Rt. 20 north | The same two distances |
"Unspoiled" and "narrow gravel road" are the same fact stated twice. The
access is what has kept the gorge as it is.
The weather
| Season | |
|---|---|
| Summer | Low to mid 60s at night, mid to upper 80s by day |
| Winter | Mid 20s to mid 40s; snowfall averages 5 inches a month, December to March |
| Spring and autumn | Temperatures and rainfall variable |
Peak autumn foliage is usually mid-October — the week the gorge is worth
the gravel road.
*Location: National Scenic River, West Virginia. Source: U.S. National Park
Service.*
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.nps.gov
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