No matter what time of year I love to be near the water in West Virginia. I find spending even just a day at the river floating, fishing, swimming or just watching the current brings peace to my soul like nothing else. So I tried to share that restful feeling with my family this summer when we spent 4 days exploring several rivers and streams in the Mountains of Randolph County.
We started our trip with a couple of days on the Shivers Fork River teaching my son and granddaughter about tubing and the freedom of just swimming in the wide river.
Paige and Christopher Powers float along the bank of the Shavers Fork River near Elkins, WV
The Shavers Fork is a favorite for tubers, paddlers and fisherman. The river is wide and often not very deep on a hot summer afternoon. My older son spent the same day fishing for rock bass and caught several as Kayaks floated by. The afternoons were spent either in the water or on a sandy bank roasting marshmallows for Smores. The smell of the camp fire would linger for hours in the damp air next to our rental cabin.
The following mornings were about fishing… and lots of it. My family loves to fish just about any where but most often in a trout stream. We traveled from Elkins to the Harman area to fish on the Laurel Fork and hike out of the Laurel Fork campground. It was a perfect day to be on the river, few people, warm weather and fish. The boys caught 3 in a matter of an hour that were all eating size and were taken home for a fish fry later.
Tom Powers Christopher Powers and Cody Powers all fishing together on the Laurel Fork .
This creek is small and very cold, but is stocked a few times a year with brook trout and brown trout. This time the Paige and Christopher caught only craw crabs and creek chubs but they laughed and played the morning away.
Paige Powers showing off her fishing skills
After the weather warmed the river I was pretty hot so I took off to do some hiking on the trails that leave the Laurel Fork Camp Ground. It was a perfect afternoon for finding mushrooms growing along the trail. I shared with Paige names of the plants we found and we talked about the beaver dam next to the trail.
From the Laurel Fork camp ground we traveled to Canaan Valley in Davis, WV where we took a long lunch at a local family restaurant Big Johns Family Fixin’s .We ate on the deck that looked over a fish pound. The kids fed the catfish as they boiled the water looking for small bites of fish chow that was bought for a quarter. The day ended with more time on the Shavers Fork and dinner on the deck of the cabin.
Our final morning we headed to the Glady Fork and the Allegheny trail head to fish before heading home. The sun was just cresting the hills around us and I just could not help but take photos of how beautiful the morning was and how much fun it was to just spend a few days with my family enjoying the water and time together.
Paige Powers, Jamie Powers and Cody Powers near Glady Fork and Allegheny Trail parking area heading out to do some fishing.
morning sun coming up over the Allegheny Trail Head Bridge
West Virginia Barn along Rt#33 in the morning sun.
wild flowers after the rain Randolph County West Virginia
West Virginia Mountain Mama 