Doho Park — Attraction in Elkhorn City

An adventure, not just a simple hike! We also rode the zip line. Both exceeded all our expectations!

We stopped by the Visitor Center, which was closed mid-week in October. We met the park superintendent, who was very gracious and helpful.

We took several trails at a relatively leisurely pace, stopping to enjoy the outlooks and eat snacks, which took us just under 4 hours. We started at the parking lot by the Towers Tunnel overlook. From there we took the Prospector's (orange) trail, which was 1.5 miles long. About halfway there, there was a branch downhill to the river, where we thought we had actually reached the end of the trail. It seemed like we had reached the end because of how long it took to get halfway.

We went on a Thursday in early October and only met two other hiking groups. This meant following the trail markers by ourselves. The trail was well marked, but at some points the arrow simply pointed at some rock incline that didn't look like a trail. We had to trust that the arrow was right, go that direction, and then pick up the trail we couldn't see when we started that stretch.

You have to be in good shape to do the Prospector's trail! I would not want to do it after a rain where the all-rock portions will be super slippery! This is really an enjoyable adventure if you are physically up to the task. There were several overlooks along the way with breath-taking views. There were impressive rock formations that the trail goes through.

From the Prospector's trail we took the Laurel Branch (red) trail uphill briefly to connect to the Geological (white) trail, which ended at an overlook. We found the Overlook (green) trail along the road after the overlook's parking lot. The Overlook trail is not challenging physically, but "Overlook" means you're walking along the edge of a cliff almost the whole time. I wouldn't want to take wandering little children on this trail. You view a sea of 100-200-foot trees instead of open space. Rock climbers use these serious cliffs. We could see places where there were anchors in the rock at the top of the cliff for them to fasten their ropes. If you venture off the path and go off a cliff you will die. The trees that grow so high up to the edge make the drop deceptive.

We started in the late morning and finished mid-afternoon. We enjoyed the Prospector's trail the most. It had interesting terrain to navigate and no insects/flies. This was in early October so I'm sure the temperatures can change all that. Very few leaves had started to turn, so our views were of green leaves. In mid to late October I'm sure the views will be absolutely amazing.

We got reservations for the zip line months in advance of our October visit. They had openings for more people that day, so it's possible to check with them in the morning to see if they have openings.

The zip line goes along the rim of the canyon so you are really, really high up for an amazing view. I had decided to back out and let my wife go by herself. The first person we met was Austin, and he was so calm and reassuring that I decided to go ahead. We then discovered that we would be guided by two park rangers, Austin and his boss, Tyler. We got to ask so many questions and got great information about the park, the area history, and more.

We were definitely safe the whole time. :) The view of the gorge is unbeatable. We even saw a red tail hawk. There was nothing demanding physically, so many people...

Oh my gosh!!! This place is where heaven touches earth. It is SO BEAUTIFUL. My husband and I just returned from a long weekend stay at the Catawba Lodge at Breaks Interstate Park and I'm ready to return. We were immersed in natural beauty every hour that we were there. Our room overlooked the gorge and every morning we woke to a white wall of fog off the balcony. Not being able to see into the gorge only sharpened our other senses and the sounds were amazing: the rushing water from the river below; calls from a wide variety of birds, especially the crows; the dripping of the condensed fog from the leaves of the surrounding trees; and the plopping sound of acorns crashes through the branches. The coolest part was watching the sun try to break through the fog. One minute it appeared as a white circle, the next it was sending fuzzy tentacles of light through the branches of the trees, other times it was absent except for its reflection on the thinning areas of fog. Between 9 and 10 AM the fog completely disappears and what is left is a beautiful green view of the gorge, with the sunlight illuminating the green with its golden rays and casting shadows of the opposite side of the rises. During the days we hiked and got ourselves completely surrounded by mountains, woods, water, and rock. Every trail exposed us to different aspects of the park, and the overlooks were amazing. Stateline Overlook provided us with a beautiful sunset one evening. A second beautiful sunset was from the top of a hill during our Elk Tour. The Elk Tour is one of many activities that are available throughout the year at an extra charge. The tour bus leaves from the Visitor Center at 5 PM and goes to an elk grazing and research area. A boxed meal is provided at the shelter with an educational presentation, then followed by a drive around the gravel roads in search of elk, deer, and wild turkeys. On our tour we saw 70+ elk, several deer, and one group of turkeys. The restaurant, Rhododendron, is in the same building with registration/check-in, gift shop, and conference center. One side of the restaurant overlooks the gorge and a wooden deck. One evening we had young deer right outside the window. We had breakfast and dinner, so I'm providing the menus from that; I'm not sure about lunch (we were out on the trails during lunch hours). The food is good and reasonably priced. The staff friendly and attentive. I needed a jacket on two occasions due to AC temp. Check-in was pleasant, with the staff member being very helpful with suggestions for overlooks and trails. The check-in desk is also the check-out desk for gift shop purchases. And, the gift shop is full of wonderful park themed T-shirts, caps, books, hiking aids, and souvenirs. There is even a section for children. Across the drive from the gift shop lot is the Visitor Center. The staff are knowledgeable and informative of park activities. There is a gift shop in the Visitor Center that has different items than the other gift shop. There is also a small museum about the history of the area. And, outside the visitor center are examples of things common before the park was a park. There are playgrounds throughout the park, as well as shelters, picnic tables, cabins, campsites, a water-park (seasonal), boat ramps, lakes and ponds. It is a wonderful destination and one that will call me back...

Visit again: NO Campground "Glamping" vs "Rustic": Rustic! Felt safe: Most of the time. Site condition: #43 is NOT a PULL THRU Spacing between sites: Plenty for the Pull-Thru options Views: Good to poor Hook-ups: Okay condition Noise: Good - Poor Staff: Kind & friendly Services: Bare bones Ease of drive to the Park: Stressful! 1 hour to drive 20 miles. Things to do: Lacking except playing games, watching DVDs or reading.

Comments to above: I will start by saying the week we stayed, it rained 75% of the time. Great for young families on a budget, not for mature RVers. "Budget friendly, no frills" type of stay. It is remote & not monitored by cameras, or the sheriff dept. The feeling of safety at night was quickly lost. No "views" of anything but trees & wet leaves.We couldn't not even get a fire started. However, the Pull-Thru sites do allow for sideways parking to get a view of the tree trunks instead of your neighbor. Hook-up for water is low & leaking, most electric boxes did not have covers & the sewer caps were missing, broken or poor fitting for sewer hoses (leaking). Noise from the pump/well house for the bathhouse ran all hours of the night & day. Despite being 5 sites away, it echoed throughout. The staff was kind & friendly.

Finally, considering what to do here...hike unkept, slippery, washed out trails, poisonous snakes, & bears. One trail is 4 hours long but only 1.5 miles long has a warning sign (see photo below). However, a couple of shorter somewhat safe trails resulted in a nice view, see below. There is no "lake". Laurel Lake you would not & cannot swim in; tiny & full of creatures. The "river access" is a drive away with "WARNING: DANGEROUS & DEADLY RAPIDS". This is not overstating the situation. Scenic drive, well it is exhausting. The only thing you are desperately in search of is a gas station or grocery store. Be sure you are well stocked.

If you truly want to unplug and have quality family time, come to The Breaks. This is a great time to brush up on your map reading skills, GPS is not a guarantee. If you call for instructions, best not to come over Bull Mountain, from what...