Coopers Rock — Local services in Morgantown

Parking for automobiles is just past the large gravel parking areas on either side of the entrance road (those are primarily for buses and campers) as you approach the park's gift shop area. I arrived at the Coopers Rock State Park gift shop parking lot early on a Tuesday in mid-September. It was if I had the whole place to myself for a little while, so very peaceful and quiet. After a quick look-see into the gift shop (which is worth stopping in) I headed for the scenic overlook. The trail to the left of the concession stand is not w/c accessible, but there may have been another leading off the parking lot that I didn't see. There was a separate overlook area designated with a wheelchair symbol just to the left of the main overlook (which is not w/c accessible due to steep downslope of this rock area). The views from the main overlook are amazing, and no pictures really do it justice. Definitely worth the drive to see.

There's another trail (the Underlook Trail) that's also worth checking out. It takes you under the rock-face area of the main overlook. Lots of wonderful rock formations and all sorts of small things darting around under the brush. This trail is most definitely not w/c accessible.

The overlook and underlook will take you about an hour. There are a LOT of other trails, but I didn't take this opportunity to hike them....

Enjoyed our visit this West Virginia State Park near Morgantown, WV. Coopers Rock State Forest is named for Coopers Rock, a series of sandstone cliffs above the Cheat River Gorge. The forest proper was established in 1936. Many of its structures, including the main overlook, picnic shelters and superintendent’s house, were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Eleven of these structures have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In this park, there are approximately 50 miles of hiking/biking trails, picnic areas, shelters that can be reserved for events, a small trading post type gift store and the scenic overlooks which provide ample opportunity for photographs. You can also fish in Messinger Lake but be sure that you pick up a WV fishing license prior to dropping a line in the water.

The park is a great spot to spend some time in the outdoors and enjoy some of West Virginia’s natural beauty!

If you find my reviews useful, please like by clicking on the thumbs up icon at the bottom labeled “helpful”.

You may also follow me to see more of my reviews!

Thanks for...

This place is absolutely beautiful, and if you enjoy hiking, these trails are very nice! A lot are challenging because they are quite rocky. Definitely not good for those who prefer smooth dirt trails. Views from the top of Coopers Rock and Raven Rock were amazing, although it was pretty crowded so it's hard to get pictures without others in them. I can imagine that in the fall this place will be so much prettier with the beautiful array of colors that mother nature offers! We will definitely be back to check out the views and more of the trails...2 days here wasn't enough to cover it all! We revisited this past weekend and we were up early and decided to stop first thing in the morning. It was a beautiful day and it was cool because we got to catch the fog hovering over the trees and the river which was really cool! Also, there wasn't anyone here which was even better because the pictures came out awesome 👍 such a nice view from on top of...