Note: Below is a tentative list of possible activities. The final schedule will most likely change as we get closer to the event. Activities may be added, deleted or moved to a different day.
Just a few minutes up the mountain from Wisp Resort, in McHenry MD, sits the Adventure Sports Center International (ASCI), the world’s only mountaintop re-circulating Class III whitewater course. We will be rafting multiple trips with a professional guide in the raft on a 1/3-mile-long journey with eight drops. Just watching, walk the one-mile trail surrounding the whitewater course and watch the excitement as visitors try their paddling skills in the human-made river channel. Perfect for anyone who has never been whitewater rafting before. Click HERE for more info.
Enjoy a day paddle along the Cheat Lake / River to the Sunset Beach Marina. We will have a snack and then head back to camp. Enjoy the views of Cheat Lake Park and large estates along the way.
Bike 13 miles (around 1000 Ft. downhill over 13 miles) along Deckers Creek Rail Trail from Masontown to Morgantown. Pass by cascading waterfalls, the Outdoor Learning Park, and Marilla Park. Enjoy views from the rock cliffs and surrounding hills along the way. We will arrive at Hazel Ruby McQuain Waterfront in Morgantown.
This hike takes the long route around the circumference of the Quebec Run Wild Area. Highlights include Grist Mill foundations and stream crossings of various levels of difficulty. The second half along the Hess Trail (4.2 miles) has a varied terrain with a substantial climb up out of Quebec Run. Legend has it that Confederate raiders hid captured Union gold in a cave above the run and sealed it with a dynamite blast. The "Gold Mine" are numerous pits where searchers have dug for the lockbox. No gold ever been found to date.
OVERLOOKS AT COOPERS ROCK STATE FOREST
It’s stunning lookouts you crave, you’ve come to the right place. This all-star 4.8 mile (7.8 km) hike with ____ ft of elevation difference takes you to the area’s two prime features: Coopers Rock and Raven Rock overlooks. Along the way, you’ll also see a log cabin shelter and historic picnic pavilions. Dramatic boulders and cliffs make this hike a nature photographer’s dream. You’ll have to watch your step on the rocky trail leading to the second lookout. More drama awaits as you view the valley way down below.
CLAY RUN TRAIL AT COOPERS ROCK STATE FOREST
At 4.0 miles (6.4 km) in length, this is the shortest of the hikes at Coopers Rock State Forest. But you’ll still enjoy the remarkable overlook at Coopers Rock, the dramatic rock formations along Rattlesnake Trail, and the topography changes along the Rhododendron trail. Past the iron furnace, a massive tower built of cut stone, the Clay Run trail will take you alongside the beautiful creek that gives the trail its name. So much to see packed in to a fairly short hike.
WEST LOOP AT COOPERS ROCK STATE FOREST
This intermediate 4.8 mile (7.8 km) loop and an elevation variance of 630 ft. starts and ends with a steep slope to get your heart pumping. The hike features the forest’s signature overlook at Coopers Rock, beautiful trails through hardwood forest, scrambling along the rock outcrops at Rattlesnake Trail, and rhododendron everywhere! You’ll see historic picnic pavilions, log cabin style shelters, and a furnace that resembles a Mayan pyramid.
Imagine beautifully landscaped gardens reflecting on a shimmering pond. Trails weave from bright flowering meadows into a serene, shaded woodland. Streams sparkle beneath stately hemlocks. Some visitors stand silently, resting in the splendor of the vista; others energetically explore this fantastic community resource, the West Virginia Botanic Garden. The WVBG features a large variety of plants appropriate to the region's climate and soils in both designed and natural settings. Most of the land is wooded, and much will remain undisturbed except for trail construction and some plant enhancement. Click HERE for more info
Friendship Hill National Historic Site preserves the country estate of Albert Gallatin, a Swiss immigrant who served his adopted nation during the early years of the republic. Gallatin is best remembered for his thirteen-year tenure as Secretary of the Treasury during the Jefferson and Madison administrations. In that time, he reduced the national debt, purchased the Louisiana Territory and funded the Lewis & Clark exploration. Gallatin's accomplishments and contributions to the late 18th and early 19th century American Republic are highlighted through exhibits and programs presented in his restored Friendship Hill house.
During our visit, we will tour the house, hike some of the 10 miles of trails on the grounds, and enjoy our picnic lunch.
The confrontation at Fort Necessity in the summer of 1754 was the prelude to the war fought by England and France for control of the North American continent. The struggle, known in the United States as the French and Indian War, spread around the world as the Seven Years' War. It ended in 1763 with the removal of French power from North America and India. The action at Fort Necessity was also the first significant event in the military career of George Washington. It was the only time he ever surrendered to an enemy.
Today, the Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Farmington, Pennsylvania, preserves the site of the Battle of Fort Necessity. Visitors can go inside a reconstructed version of the fort and see remnants of the original earthworks that Washington’s men built in preparation for the battle. A visitor center provides information about the campaigns and associated sites with an orientation film and guided tours. During the summer months, there are historical weapon demonstrations and a variety of other interpretive programs.
Click HERE for more info
We will tour two of Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses in the Ohiopyle Area (Fallingwater & Kentuck Knob) including a 90 minute guided tour of grounds around Fallingwater. Both Full and half day Ohiopyle tours that will get back to camp a little later than everyone else. Click HERE for more info.
Spend the morning touring grounds and the house of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater including a standard house tour. After your tour you, get shuttled to downtown Ohiopyle where you will have a choice of:
A. Annual Music in the Mountains Festival designed to celebrate the local artisans and musicians of the area includes music, live entertainment, food and craft vendors and more all within downtown Ohiopyle, PA.
B. Easy to Moderate Hike to Cucumber Falls via Great Gorge and Meadow Run Trails See Friday's Description
C. Easy to Moderate Hike at Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area. See Friday's Description
Travel to Coopers Rock State Forest to relish the spectacular view from the Coopers Rock Overlook offers of the Cheat Canyon below. It provides excellent views of the Cheat, Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area across the river, and Morgantown to the west. The overlook is located on a large rock connected to the main land by a footbridge. It is not handicapped-accessible, but there is a nearby ADA-compliant overlook. This will be a short stay just for enjoying the view, taking pictures, getting souvenirs at the gift shop and getting some fresh air out of camp.
Coopers Rock State Forest gets its name from a legend about a fugitive who hid from the law near what is now the overlook. A cooper by trade, he resumed making barrels at his new mountain hideout, selling them to people in nearby communities. He lived and worked in the forest for many years.
We will have several in-camp activities like swimming, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, archery, ropes challenge course, badminton, yoga, crafts and, other workshops. Click HERE for more info. Below are some highlights for Sunday.
Cheat Lake Trail Park is a scenic, wooded, 4.5-mile trail that follows the east bank of Cheat Lake along an abandoned railroad right-of-way. The park offers picnic tables, restrooms, fishing piers, and boat docks (both private and public). Recreational use includes walking and cycling on a smooth crushed limestone surface. The trail has the appeal of dense woodlands and scenic lake views. The Cheat Lake Trail offers ample opportunities to view local flora and fauna. Perhaps the best spot is at the trail’s southern end near Greystone, where a nature viewing area is dedicated for this purpose.
You will board a speedboat at Emma Kaufmann's lakefront. Experience a 10-minute boat ride across Cheat Lake as the speedboat shuttles you across to the east side of the lake to a public pier about one mile from Emma Kaufmann. Once across you will transfer to the public dock and take a short walk upstairs to the Cheat Lake Trail to start your hike. Enjoy a leisurely three to six-mile (out and back) stroll along the trail.
Enjoy paddling along the Cheat Lake / River to the Sunset Beach Marina. We will have a snack and then head back to camp. Enjoy the views of Cheat Lake Park and large mansions and estates along the way.