Do you love visiting West Virginia's state parks?  With nearly 40 designated parks, forests, rail trails, and wildlife management areas, chances are there's a state park or forest within an hour of your home.  Not only do they offer a slew of activities for free or a nominal fee, the state parks system has also implemented reward programs for your time spent at West Virginia's parks.  Among these are the Hiking Program, Adopt-A-Trail, and my personal favorite -- VIPP.

VIPP stands for "Very Important Parks Person" and the basis is simple: you must visit 20 state parks, document your visit, and when you are finished you receive a nice jacket with the VIPP logo.  Of the 20 state parks, 15 are required and you may choose the other five from the remaining parks.  When you contact the WV State Parks office to sign up, you are mailed a participant card so you can keep track of your visits.  Once at a park, find the VIPP birdhouse at park headquarters (or sometimes inside a lodge if the park has one), stamp your card, and date it.  When it's filled up, mail it back to claim your jacket!

The other half and I began the VIPP program in March 2012 and hoped to finish it in six months, which will be this October.  Sadly, we still need five parks that are scattered throughout the state and I don't think our six-month goal is going to be achieved.  We have enjoyed traveling the state thus far though, and look forward to an update when we complete the program!  For now though, here are some highlights of our VIPP excursions:

The program looks like fun, right?  If you're interested in participating, visit the VIPP Homepage for all the details.  You may also call the WV State Parks at 304-558-2764 to sign up and request your card today!

VIPP Website: http://www.wvstateparks.com/community/vipp.htm
Map of all WV State Parks: http://www.wvstateparks.com/map.html

Until next time,
Sara (WV Travel Queen)

Growing up in southern West Virginia, I am not unfamiliar with coal towns and how a coal mine has the ability to define a community.  When you're a product of this environment, it's not easy to imagine what life would be like if a town's primary source of income faded.  However that's exactly what happened to the New River towns of Thurmond and Nuttallburg.  What were once bustling coal communities are now a living museum of life beyond coal.

This past spring, the other half and I visited Thurmond and Nuttallburg and were in awe of the remnants of history that  remained.  Below is a photo sampling of our trip although we hope to revisit soon on prettier days; it was raining on both of our trips which cut our exploration time short. 

Thurmond
Although trains still rumble through this coal town, the population has dwindled to five and it is now owned by the National Park Service and is part of the New River Gorge National River.  The restored depot is open to tourists during the warmer months and is easily accessible from Glen Jean, just outside of Beckley.

Nuttalburg
Deserted for nearly 50 years, Nuttallburg was recently restored by the National Park Service and stands with Thurmond as part of the New River Gorge National River.   A tipple and conveyor belt are preserved in pristine condition while crumbling memories of houses, coke ovens, and company stores scatter the land.  The road to Nuttallburg is narrow but is accessible off of Route 60 at Lookout.

For a pictorial history and more information on Thurmond and Nuttallburg, please visit the following websites:
Coal Camp USA (Nuttallburg)
National Park Service (Nuttallburg)

Coal Camp USA (Thurmond)
National Park Service (Thurmond)